FOR KEEPS?

FOR KEEPS?

For Keeps? is the story of two high school seniors who are deeply in love and have big futures planned.   Darcy Elliot (Molly Ringwald) will earn a degree in Journalism from Madison-University of Minnesota, where the kids live, and Stan Bobrucz (Randall Batinkoff), whose last name is pronounced Bob-Roosh, will have a full scholarship to the School of Architecture at Caltech.  Both have worked extremely hard to attain their goals; Stan is a grade A student and Darcy is the editor of the yearbook and a key writer on the school newspaper.  Much like Valley Girl, the film opens with a radio program playing on a car radio.  A VW pulls up in front of Darcy’s house which is situated in an upper middle-class neighborhood; the car belongs to Darcy’s best friend, Lila (Sharon Brown), who is driving the hopeful journalist to Madison where she has an interview with the editor of The Badger Herald, an award-winning college newspaper.  Inside, Darcy is writing an article about a state representative who recently spoke at their high school.  Because this is 1988 and computers are not common household items, she is using an old electric typewriter.  Darcy’s mother, Donna Elliot (Miriam Flynn), is drinking coffee from a cup that is decorated with Parisian street scenes and speaking in French, hinting at the trip to France that she and her daughter will take the summer after high school graduation.  

It turns out that Darcy’s interview is not until late afternoon and rather than accompanying her to Madison, Lila is really taking her to meet Stan.  They plan to spend some time in a motel but end up stopping at a park where they make love under a soaking rain.  She asks, “What if I’m late?” and he answers, “I won’t let you be late.”  This is not only a literal reference to the interview, but also a clue that the brief interlude will lead to an unplanned, and unwanted, pregnancy; this is further demonstrated by footage of sperm fertilizing an ovum (much like  the beginning of  Look Who’s Talking, which will come out a year after For Keeps?).  Later that afternoon, as they walk across the college’s campus, Darcy worries that her writing isn’t good enough, but Stan assures her that it is.  Actually, the editor is unimpressed by the examples she brought, but when he tells her to submit some articles over the school year, the young couple knows that she’s a shoe-in.

Two months later, certain smells begin to cause Darcy to throw up.  Suspecting that her nausea is a sign of pregnancy, she buys an over the counter test which confirms her fears.  She has no choice but to let Stan know, so she goes to his job at Mr. Bobrucz’s discount shoe store and tells him.  Considering the impact that the pregnancy will have on his future, Stan takes it pretty well.  Knowing that their parents won’t be so flexible, however, the couple puts off filling them in.  The truth is accidentally revealed at Thanksgiving dinner when the adults overhear Stan’s younger sister and brother, Mary, and Lou (Jaclyn Bernstein and Matthew Licht), arguing about abortion, a term they have heard by eavesdropping on their brother’s conversations.  Feeling that the time is right, Darcy blurts out that she’s pregnant causing Donna to respond that she has to get an abortion.  Stan’s family is Catholic, however, and Mr. Bobrucz (Kenneth Mars) insists that Darcy, who he blames for leading his son into temptation, should carry the baby to term then put it up for adoption.    Not getting a vote, Mrs. Bobrucz (Conchetta Ferrell) just cries.

When Donna sets an appointment for her daughter at the local clinic, Darcy agrees to go but insists that Stan take her.  Ever dependable, he picks her up at the house and drops her off on his way to work certain that the dilemma has been resolved.  The problem is Darcy can’t go through with the procedure.  Dreading what Stan’s reaction will be, she goes to the shoe store and apprehensively confesses; to her surprise, he is pleased.  Once again, the parents are kept in the dark.  Then on Christmas Day when everyone is together, Stan and Darcy announce that they’re moving into their own apartment, getting married, and keeping the baby.  Enraged, Stan’s dad immediately turns on Darcy, declaring that she needs to keep her mouth shut and her legs crossed.  This leads to another round of bitter arguing between the adults, which causes Stan and Darcy to walk out.  They rent a place over a laundromat which has a toilet sitting in the middle of the front room, paint peeling off the walls, and homeless people living on the street.  Since they have no furniture, Stan tries to take his bed, but his dad refuses to let him have it.  Then, as a show of faith in the decision, the couple holds a marriage ceremony in a little country church with all their friends in attendance.   

Besides dealing with the difficulties of being newlyweds, the two teenagers must also circumnavigate the problems they encounter due to their ages.  On top of going to school full time, Stan has to support his family, but since Mr. Bobrucz has fired him, he is forced to work for his father’s competitor.  Darcy also encounters roadblocks that are due not only her youth, but also to her gender.  Unlike Stan who is allowed to graduate with his class, she has to leave the high school and complete her education in night school because the counselor is concerned that her ‘condition’ will lead other girls to think teenage pregnancy is okay.   Darcy wants to contribute income to their household, but when Stan learns that she’s going to get a job, he responds that his wife will not work, reflecting an attitude toward women that is reminiscent of his father’s.  More like her independent mother than she would ever admit, however, Darcy ignores his order and finds a position at a fast food restaurant.  The two have divergent experiences as employees, as well.  When Michaela (Michelle Downy), a female classmate who has always liked Stan, comes in to flirt with him, he doesn’t get in trouble until the boss sees her leave without buying anything.  When Darcy’s pregnancy makes it difficult for her to use some of the kitchen equipment, on the other hand, rather than moving her to a position that is less physically demanding, the boss fires her. 

One evening Stan gets home to find a letter from Caltech; because Darcy respects his privacy, it is unopened.  The document states not only that he has been accepted to the prestigious school but has qualified for a full scholarship which includes a dorm room and meals.  Unfortunately, there isn’t any family housing, so he throws the letter away and tells Darcy that he didn’t get in.  Instead of dwelling on his missed opportunity, the couple focuses on the high school prom. Darcy, who is heavily pregnant, says she doesn’t want people to see her, but Stan, who always finds her beautiful, changes her mind by bringing home a pair of shoes that match her dress.  Predictably, when they get there, Michaela revels in pointing out how big Darcy’s gotten.   Refusing to let this ruin their night, Darcy and Stan go home to dance on their makeshift balcony and discuss baby names.  Suddenly, Darcy’s water breaks and Stan rushes her to the hospital.

After a hard labor, Darcy gives birth to a little girl; instead of showing any interest in the baby, however, she asks for her mom.  Mrs. Elliot arrives shortly thereafter bringing with her a woman (Patricia Barry) who can help arrange an adoption, but as soon as she sees the baby, the woman is sent away.  Unfortunately, Donna is unable to provide Darcy with what she is looking for; Donna wants to be her daughter’s friend, like always, but Darcy is deeply depressed and needs a mother.  Her ‘baby-blues’ continue after she gets home, forcing Stan to be both the mom and the dad.  He even has to name their little girl because they had never settled on what to call her, and Darcy seems to have lost all interest in the child.  The best person he can think of is his grandmother, so he names the baby Thea after her.  Mrs. Bobrucz, who has finally come to terms with the situation, comes over to visit with Stan’s younger siblings, in tow, but her husband, who has not accepted the unexpected turn of events, stays away.  The wisest person in all of this is Mary, who immediately recognizes Darcy’s problem as postpartum depression, which will only be resolved when the family pulls together.  To this end, she starts talking to her dad about his grandmothers, trying to remind him that the bond between children and grandparents is invaluable.   

Although Stan has acclimated to the disruption in their lives, Darcy remains unable to adapt.  Even after she has recovered enough to begin writing about the impact that becoming a parent has had on her, she continues to ignore the baby who is at the root of those changes.  One afternoon while Stan is at work, Darcy hears someone on the fire escape, picks up Thea, and calls the police.  For the first time she feels the baby’s need for her love and protection, and the overdue bond between Darcy and her child finally starts to grow.  The police show up and when they catch the culprit, he insists that he is family.  Doubting that this is true, the cops bring the man to Darcy’s apartment and she confirms that he is her father-in-law.  Naturally, the minute he sees little Thea, he falls in love with her, and Stan’s family starts to heal. 

Since selling shoes doesn’t pay much, Stan gets a second job as a roofer, and between his work and Darcy’s night school, the couple has trouble figuring out how to take care of the baby. Darcy needs to take classes in order to graduate so she can go to college, and he needs both jobs because they can’t pay their bills.  The power is out, the hospital is owed thousands of dollars, and their phone is turned off.  Then when Thea gets sick, causing new doctor bills, it begins to dawn on the young couple that they’ll never be able to afford the college education they’ll need to have a decent life.  They start arguing constantly, which generally ends with Stan going out drinking or hanging with his friends and leaving Darcy home alone with Thea.  She tries to help out by getting a job, but when Stan comes home hung over, he can’t be trusted to take care of the baby.  Desperate, Darcy turns to her mother who pays their debts and lets them move into her house. 

If there was not so much animosity between Donna and Stan, this would be a good solution, but the two hate each other and bicker constantly, which drives a wedge between Stan and Darcy.  One night when she refuses to have sex because she doesn’t want her mother to hear, Stan purposely makes loud noises pretending they are ‘doing it.’  Darcy gets so mad that she goes to sleep with her mom, and Stan, once again, goes out; he runs into Michaela who tries to talk him into leaving his wife. To demonstrate how much he loves Darcy, however, Stan accidentally lets it slip that he turned down a free ride at Caltech to be with her.  Knowing that this is the weapon she’s been looking for, Michaela goes by Mrs. Elliot’s house to tell Darcy that it’s her fault Stan abandoned his dream of becoming an architect.  

Racked with guilt, Darcy calls Caltech and discovers that Stan’s scholarship is still available.  After convincing his best friend Chris (John Zarchen) to help her make things right, Darcy waits for Stan to get home, tells him that his behavior is unacceptable, and says she wants a divorce.  When he refuses to listen, Mrs. Elliot forcefully throws him out.  As Darcy knew he would, Stan turns to Chris who informs him that he can still go to Caltech, but when Stan asks how he knows this, his friend caves and divulges the pact he made with Darcy.  Finally understanding why his wife sent him away, Stan goes to the house and tries to get her back but fearing that her daughter will give in to his pleas, Donna calls the police and has Stan arrested.  Mr. Bobrucz bails him out and advises his heart-broken son to do whatever is necessary to save the marriage. 

I’m not going to spoil the ending.  If you want to know how things turn out, you’ll have to watch the movie.  Instead, I am going to discuss a few things that struck me about the plot.  The first is that although this is another movie that depicts teenagers having sex and an adolescent girl getting pregnant, the perspective is much different than the others I’ve discussed.  Stan and Darcy have a long-term relationship that they cement by making love.  Rather than ending a pairing that was never meant to be, the unplanned pregnancy brings the couple closer together and they marry.   I also was impressed with the writer’s attempt to show how much harder society is on adolescent girls who end up pregnant than it is on the boys that are equal actors in the conception.  This is most clearly portrayed by the way Mr. Bobrucz talks to Darcy, the way classmates gossip about her, and the way the boss fires her rather than giving her tasks she can perform. 

As an aside, I’d like to point out that this movie seems to have been influenced by a short story named “The Gift of the Magi” which was written by O. Henry in 1905.  The tale is about Jim and Della, newlyweds who are nearly as poor as they are in love.  When their first Christmas rolls around, each wants to buy the other a special gift, but neither one has the money to do so.  Somehow on Christmas morning however, each of them has something to give.  Jim hands Della an expensive comb to wear in her beautiful hair and Della presents him with a platinum chain for his pocket watch.  Ironically, Della had to sell her long locks to obtain the money needed to buy the chain, and Jim sold the watch in order to buy the comb.  The moral of the story is that people are willing to sacrifice that which they hold most dear for the ones they love.  In For Keeps? Darcy and Stan make similar forfeitures when he gives up the chance of going to Caltech to be with his family and she files for divorce so her husband can have the future he has always wanted. There is one more twist that I won’t divulge, but you know how to find out what it is.

For Keeps? isn’t streaming for free anywhere, but it can be rented on many services for $2.99 if you don’t have to see it in HD.  Since this movie is not as well-known as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, or Pretty In Pink, the DVD is neither easy to find nor inexpensive to buy.  I located it on Amazon for $72 and someone on eBay was willing to let it go for $45.  I did see it on raredvds.biz for $7.99 but whether or not the site is reliable.  If you can’t be happy just renting the movie, however, you can purchase a digital copy at Amazon or Google for $12.99.  

I was going to move into a new series next, but before doing so, I want to discuss The Magdalene Sisters which is a movie about the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland that housed “loose”, mentally challenged, and pregnant unwed women from the early 20^th Century to the late 1990s.  This movie can be extremely difficult to find, but if you want to check out a film that portrays the topic, you can watch Philomena which is a true story about a girl who stayed at one of the facilities and is streaming for free on a few sites.  Until the next time enjoy some flicks and stay well.