Entertainment
Jamie Lee Curtis' Steamy 80s Rom Com Is A Spandex Infused Cult Classic
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer in some capacity because movies made it seem like such a luxurious profession. The idea of calling my editor to get clearance for airfare and a rental car on the company’s dime so I could chase down leads about the world’s largest cheese wheel at some podunk county fair for my column was my idea of living the high life. 1985’s Perfect captures that mystique around chasing hot tips in pursuit of a juicy story.
After a hard day’s free lunch spent interviewing a corrupt businessman who later gets arrested for moonlighting as a drug trafficker, the job somehow gets even sweeter in Perfect. That same editor who flew you out to Los Angeles also approves your pitch about the dating scene as it relates to trendy fitness clubs.
Smash cut to sweaty leotards, knowing glances, pelvic thrusts, and a fitness instructor who’s just a little too guarded about her past but willing to open up if you can earn her trust, and you’ve got a steamy rom com about how glorious a writer’s life used to be.
Sweaty Salutations At The Sports Connection
Perfect tells two stories in tandem, but the romance sits firmly in the front seat while the journalism plot drives idly along. Rolling Stone writer Adam Lawrence (John Travolta) is preparing to write a career-defining story about the downfall of corrupt businessman Joe McKenzie (Kenneth Welsh). Adam flies to LA to get McKenzie’s side of the story, but quickly decides to pursue a new angle he believes will be a real page turner: are fitness clubs the single bars of the 80s?
After getting a Bloody Mary thrown in his face, a recurring theme in Perfect, Adam starts gathering intel on that second story, which leads him to The Sports Connection, the hippest and hottest gym west of the Mississippi. While getting the lay of the land, Adam sneaks a glance at an intense aerobics class led by the thrusting and gyroscopically efficient Jessie Wilson (Jamie Lee Curtis). He approaches her with journalistic intent, but she’s understandably guarded after being burned by the tabloids in the past.
That journalistic intent quickly turns into romantic intent after Adam joins one of Jessie’s punishing group workouts, driving the point home with short shorts and chaotic, crotch-centric choreography. Once a mutual attraction is established in Perfect, things begin to unravel for Adam. He can no longer approach the story objectively thanks to his fiery romance with Jessie. Caught between the story that could make or break his career, the story that will determine his relationship’s future, and his own hubris, Adam has to figure out how to handle the situation or risk yet another tomato-based cocktail to the face.
A Box Office And Critical Bomb Turned Cult Classic
For all of these reasons, Perfect was not the runaway success writer director James Bridges expected. The film earned just under $13 million against a reported $20 million production budget, leaving theaters in the red. Critics were no kinder, handing it an abysmal 18 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally, I’ve always had a great time with this one because it’s so wildly stupid that it circles back around to being endearing. The Travolta workout scenes alone are prime meme fodder, and if you can watch them with a straight face, you’re a stronger person than I am.
Adam also isn’t especially sympathetic. He’s kind of a jerk, using his profession to weasel into a relationship he clearly can’t handle under the guise of being a truth seeker and master storyteller, complete with an 80 pound laptop and a sports jacket. Despite its creative missteps, Perfect has earned its place as a cult classic you should watch at least once for the love of the game. For the moral dilemma, the sweat, and the spectacle, you can stream Perfect for free on Tubi as of this writing.
Entertainment
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
BUY A DELTA GIFT CARD FOR $300+ AND GET A FREE STARBUCKS GIFT CARD: Through May 11, buy a Delta gift card for $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card.
Credit: Delta / Starbucks
The price of flying these days is shocking. If you plan on traveling soon on a route served by Delta, it’s well worth checking out this deal to get something for free. It’ll help ease the pain of the ticket price.
Through May 11, purchase a Delta gift card worth $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s as simple as that. You can also qualify for the deal by buying multiple gift cards that total at least $300. The deal with apply automatically and you’ll receive a separate email containing the free Starbucks card.
Booking flights these days is not much fun. Prices are ahh…. abnormal, but Delta has eased the pain a bit thanks to this deal. The carrier is positioning this free Starbucks gift card deal as a good option for Mother’s Day, but realistically, it’s useful for anyone who plans to book with Delta soon.
Keep in mind the Delta gift card and Starbucks card will never expire. Delta mentions this offer is valid until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET or for the first 11,000 purchasers, whichever comes first. That means it might be smart to hop on this deal soon since there’s no way to know if it’ll last until May 11.
Mashable Deals
If you plan on flying soon or want to gift a special someone a Delta gift card worth $300 or more, snag this deal to get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s a win-win situation for those who plan to fly with Delta.
Entertainment
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
SAVE $50: As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s a discount of 11%.
$399
at Amazon
$449
Save $50
If you want to experience your favorite music to the fullest, you need headphones that are up to the task. Bose can typically be counted on to provide that kind of quality, especially with its QuietComfort lineup. You can try its newest model for less right now for less thanks to this Amazon deal, which heavily discounts the cans so you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on them.
As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s $50 off and a discount of 11%.
Though an incremental upgrade from the previous QuietComfort model, these have some new features you’ll want to try out. But mostly, these comfortable headphones are all about feeling great on your ears and sounding fantastic. They offer noise cancellation and spatialized audio so it sounds as though you’re right where the music is. The new Cinema Mode can help to spatialize and balance background and sound and sound effects when watching movies to help put you right into the film as well.
Beyond that they can be used to take calls with their built-in microphones. They’ll last a long time while you’re on the phone too, with 30 hours of play time when listening to songs, podcasts, or taking meetings.
Mashable Deals
Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard took the headphones for a spin in her review and and called them a “well-rounded pair of headphones”, praising their blend of “comfort, noise cancellation, and sound”.
If you’re ready to pick up a new pair of headphones at a discount that’ll tick all the boxes for you, grab these before the discount disappears.
Entertainment
Score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
SAVE 64%: Between May 6 and May 17, you can score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
Get up to 64% off plus a free solar panel with purchase
I live in an apartment, so I don’t exactly have a “whole home” to back up. But if there’s one thing I hate, it’s losing power. There goes the AC, the internet, the food in the fridge — it’s a total nightmare. If you actually own a house and have been putting off buying a backup power system because it’s pricey, I have some good news.
The DJI Power 1000 Mini portable power station just launched — U.S. availability is pending
Right now, EcoFlow is running a Mother’s Day Sale through May 17 with discounts as high as 64%. They’re also throwing in free hardware to sweeten the deal: All single orders between $600 and $3,000 come with a free 45W solar panel, and orders over $3,000 come with two free 160W solar panels. If you’re looking for something more portable, their RAPID Power Banks are also up to 53% off right now.
Just keep an eye on the countdown clock — it’s for the Flash Sale items that have even better, limited-time price cuts. If you miss the flash window, the standard Mother’s Day and Home Improvement deals (including a $700 installation discount for larger systems) are still valid through mid-May.
Mashable Deals
Here are a few of the best deals I’ve spotted so far:
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
