Endless Love (1981)

Imagine how your high school relationship would have been if you had been allowed to have sex at your house whenever you wanted. It would have been intense and probably awesome, right? That’s how the relationship between Jade Butterfield (Brooke Shields) and the political-sounding David Axelrod (Martin Hewitt) is in Endless Love (1981), except with a little arson and a stint at a mental hospital thrown into the mix. Jade’s Bohemian parents get really weird — her mom (Shirley Knight) watches her and David have sex, while her dad (Don Murray) is hellbent on separating the two. Eventually, David thinks if he secretly lights their house on fire and puts the fire out, they’ll think he’s a hero and let him hang around. Of course, his plan backfires (emphasis on fires) when the flames spread too quickly and the Butterfield house winds up burning down. As a result, David is sent to a mental institute. If that’s not problematic enough, Jade’s Mommie Dearest tries to seduce him while he’s on parole. Based on Scott Spencer’s same-named novel, this R rated flick was dissed by critics yet moviegoers bought tickets in droves and the pic was a box office smash. Maybe that’s due to its #1 hit theme song recorded by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie; the star-studded supporting cast including Tom Cruise, James Spader and Ian Ziering; and the fact that Mr. Hewitt displays his naked T&A when he gets busy with Brooke at the 27 and the 34-minute marks. Endless lust!