All Is Fine in ’89 (2026) Movie Review: A tonally messy 80s throwback that works as a bleak reworking of John Hughes’ cinema

American cinema has been obsessed with the 80s for as long as one can remember. It has also been obsessed with John Hughes’ high school comedies, despite the problematic edges that they tether to. However, even in 2026, the colorful, immersive era manages to still catch the fancy of filmmakers and movie lovers alike. One of the many reasons is the cultural transition that the era brought with it. Matthew Lupis’ “All Is Fine is ‘89,” which is about a bunch of high-schoolers and the day of their last field party, is set right at the cusp of the 80s, although, beyond the getup and the vibes, it isn’t really interested in romanticising it. 

Shot on a minuscule budget, Lupis’s film is a tonally messy 80s throwback that works as a bleak reworking of John Hughes’ cinema. If you go into the film expecting characters to have some form of relief and catharsis, you will leave feeling numb because despite clear signs of coming-of-age themes, the film does not give any hope or respite to it’s characters that are moving away from the excess of the 80s to the post-Regan 90s – a cultural touchstone that is punctuated by setting the film on the demolition of the Berlin Wall, and the onset of the AIDS pandemic during an agressively homophobic time. 

In a way, Lupis’ film is based on a memory of the time that wasn’t as particularly exciting as the films make it out to be. It was a terrible time for people, especially for youngsters who were just trying to fit in as the time around them kept skipping a beat or two. The narrative follows half a dozen characters in Ramano High, beginning with Mark (Adam Lupis), the nicest guy you will meet in high school, who is slowly falling head over heels for a girl whose interest in him feels elusive. He is constantly bullied for no particular reason by Cole (Tom Keat) — the jock who has been hiding and possibly repressing his sexual identity because no one around him is feeling what he is feeling, and he comes from a family that is hellbent on overachieving. 

Then there’s also Linda (Dani Romero), Mark’s best friend, who is just going on about her life, despite living in an abusive household, managing to mother his small brother, and secretly hiding a teen pregnancy that she only manages to reveal to her trusted teacher, Mrs. Applewood (Shelby Handley). Mrs. Applewood, on the other hand, has been struggling to get her boring, sexless marriage off the ground whilst harboring a secretive crush on the school’s heartthrob, Dean (Dylan Hawco). Dean is a good-for-nothing flirt, who everyone seems to like at school. But Mr. Parker (Damien Gulde) seems to look right through him. Even though he is himself slowly slipping into a sense of paranoia that is exasperated by being completely alone. 

Now, juggling so many characters together is a tough ask, but Matthew Lupis does a fairly good job of making them feel like real people and not just stick figures. Despite the uneven performances across the board, “All Is Fine in ‘89” is pretty watchable. Where it lags is the way it co-joins the happy high school vibes with its more disturbing and surprisingly bleak underpinnings. One moment you are casually hanging out with a bunch of teenagers, and another moment you are witnessing a sexual assault. It’s the tone that does not work. 

It also doesn’t help that the film does not add anything particularly intriguing to the band of movies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, or “Dazed and Confused”, and despite the excellent cinematography by Christian Cocuzzo, accurate prodction design by Samantha Wolter and a little on the nose but era-apporprite score by André Gámez, the film fails to move you. The unnecessary use of shots of people smoking and eating French fries felt extremly odd and redundant when you are more eager to double down on the ironic nature of the film’s title. 

Overall, “All is Fine is ‘89” is a neat throwback, even though it does not remain as memorable as it could have been.

All is Fine in ’89 will be available on VOD, beginning March 3rd.

All Is Fine in ’89 (2026) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd

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