Latest news with #TeenWitch
Tom's Guide
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I'm obsessed with this overlooked '80s teen movie — and it's streaming free on Tubi right now
Like many kids of the early '90s, I caught flashes of the enticing movie "Teen Witch" on cable: a girl in a floppy hat, glittery title cards and what looked like a low-budget attempt at "Clueless" with a broomstick. I never gave it a chance at the time because I was too young to appreciate what it was trying to do. But one night, as an adult in the middle of a nostalgia-fueled binge, I finally gave in. And I confirmed to myself that I should have done so years ago. "Teen Witch" is a time capsule of shoulder pads, charm spells, synth-pop ballads and teenage angst, all loosely glued together. It's a story about wish fulfillment, discovering you have secret powers and then using them in all the wrong ways. And while many might call it a simple "bad" movie, I realized that it just hasn't gotten the flowers it deserves as one of the best teen movies of the '80s. "Teen Witch" is streaming free on Tubi, so now would be a good time for you to check it out, too. Louise Miller, played by Robyn Lively (yes, Blake's older half-sister), is your typical overlooked teen. She's not popular, not fashionable, and not on anyone's radar, especially not Brad (Dan Gauthier), the dreamy football star. Her best friend Polly (Mandy Ingber) is loyal but similarly sidelined, and their days are filled with longing for boyfriends and coolness. That all changes on Louise's 16th birthday when she crosses paths with a mysterious fortune teller named Madame Serena (Zelda Rubinstein) and learns that she's descended from a powerful line of witches. Suddenly, the awkwardness she's always felt begins to make sense. She's magical, not just the "weird girl," and she can bend reality to her will. She can even cast spells to change her looks, her luck, and the way people see her. It's the ultimate teen fantasy, but as Louise quickly finds out, getting everything you thought you wanted comes with consequences. The magic can make her popular, sure, but it can't decide who she really wants to be. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. "Teen Witch" didn't do well when it premiered in 1989, the year I was born. Its box office earnings were low, and the critics weren't kind. But over time, it gained a second life through cable reruns, fan reappraisal and its status as a comfort watch for a generation who grew up with it. At first blush, it certainly sounds like your standard teen makeover plot, but the movie goes in directions you don't expect. There's a full-blown fantasy framework here, complete with enchanted amulets and spellcasting lessons, and it all works insanely well with the addition of the melodramatic teen problems surrounding it. There's a real sweetness at the center of "Teen Witch" with a belief in self-confidence that ran through many other shows, movies, and even cartoons at the time. Louise doesn't just want to be popular, she wants to be seen. Once she realizes she doesn't need magic to make that happen, the movie gets believable and even relatable. And perhaps more importantly, it's palatable, even the bizarre addition of the rap song "Top That," which has to be seen to be believed. This isn't just a quirky teen fantasy movie from the tail end of the '80s. "Teen Witch" is a glittery Lisa Frank notebook filled with heartfelt scribbles and teen wishes. It's a movie that plays by its own rules and never feels manufactured or cynical. Whether you're coming back to it after years or discovering it for the first time, now's the time to take a look. Watch "Teen Witch" free on Tubi
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Blake Lively's sister's 90s romance with 90210 hunk and his bond with future Gossip Girl star
Inside Blake Lively's sister's 90s romance with 90210 hunk and his bond with future Gossip Girl star Have YOU got a story? Email tips@ Blake Lively may be making headlines for her protracted legal battle with Justin Baldoni but it was her older half-sister who was the It girl of the 1990s. Robyn Lively, now 53, who Blake's mom Elaine welcomed during her first marriage to Ronald Otis Lively, is an acclaimed actress who shot to fame aged just 16 in Teen Witch in 1989. But it was her storybook romance with future teen heartthrob Jason Priestley of Beverley Hills, 90210 fame that got her her first taste of worldwide stardom, and huge heartbreak. Like the four other Lively siblings, Robyn pursued a career in the entertainment industry, starring in her first film - Summer of My German Solder - in 1978 aged six. Her mom remarried to Ernie Lively in 1979 and they welcomed Blake and Eric together, with Eric adopting Robyn and siblings Lori and Jason Lively. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Blake Lively may be making headlines for her protracted legal battle with Justin Baldoni but it was her older half-sister who was the It girl of the 1990s - pictured February 2024 Her storybook romance with future teen heartthrob Jason Priestley of Beverley Hills, 90210 fame got her her first taste of worldwide stardom - and huge heartbreak - pictured June 1991 She rose to worldwide fame in 1989's The Karate Kid Part III aged 16, playing the close friend of Ralph Macchio's protagonist, Daniel LaRusso. But it was her fateful casting on 1990's Teen Angel Returns which saw her spark up a romance with future Beverly Hills: 90210 hunk Priestley. In the original 1989 series Teen Angel, Priestley starred as the dashing 1950s guardian angel Buzz Gunderson who died in a car wreck in 1959. Buzz is tasked with helping others in order to get into heaven - and in the sequel he crossed paths with Lively's character Cindy. The series also starred his future 90210 co-star Jennie Garth. Lively was just 17 while Priestley was 19 when they first met in 1989 and it was love at first sight for the pair. Robyn said: 'I loved him with my entire being' and called the romance 'the sweetest, most trusting relationship.' 'He was my first love and we were so young, he was so wonderful to me.' Their two year romance saw the two teen idols regularly attend glitzy events - with Priestley showing his bond with the Lively family when he posed with a then-toddler Blake Lively for a sweet snap. However after Priestley was cast as Brandon Walsh on phenomenon Beverly Hills, 90210, their relationship began to falter. Before, Lively was the bigger star but Priestley's success far eclipsed hers. Lively is an acclaimed actress who shot to fame aged just 16 in Teen Witch in 1989 But it was her fateful casting on 1990's Teen Angel Returns which saw her spark up a romance with future Beverly Hills: 90210 hunk Priestley when she was 17 and he was 19 Priestley starred as the dashing 1950s guardian angel Buzz Gunderson who died in a car wreck in 1959. Buzz is tasked with helping others in order to get into heaven - pictured 1989 The young were regularly papped on the town together - pictured February 1990 Their two year romance saw the two teen idols regularly attend glitzy events - with Priestley showing his bond with the Lively family when he posed with a then-toddler Blake Lively for a sweet snap - Blake would repost the snap in 2015 Robyn and Jason are pictured with her mom Elaine and Blake in the 90s However after Priestley was cast as Brandon Walsh on phenomenon Beverly Hills, 90210, their relationship began to falter - pictured 1991 She told the 9021OMG Podcast in 2020: 'It was such a drastic shift in everything, the dynamics were just... we were so young at the time 'I feel for him for hanging into the relationship as long as we did, that had to have been hard for him. 'It was life-altering that fame, it was crazy. Discussing how they would be driving and girls would 'scream' at him, Robyn said: 'I'd think "this is so weird, this is so hard", I felt insecure over it 'How tempting, he could have anyone he wanted. 'His life got so busy. I was invited less and less to red carpet events, they wanted him to have an image as a single guy and it was really hard for me.' They split in 1991 after two years. She said: 'The breakup was hard enough as it was, then to go into the store and see his face on every magazine cover... Priestley would go onto romance his on-screen sister Shannen Doherty as well as 90210 co-star Tori Spelling. She said: 'The breakup was hard enough as it was, then to go into the store and see his face on every magazine cover...' - pictured 1990 Priestley would go onto romance his on-screen sister Shannen Doherty - pictured 1990 He would also have a summer fling with Tori Spelling Lively married actor Bart Johnson in 1999 and they share three children - pictured 2022 Priestley married Naomi Lowde in 2005 and the couple have two children together - pictured 2020 Dogged by rumors he and Brenda Walsh actor Doherty dated, he finally admitted it and added 'various combinations of [costars] slept with each other over the years. If you were in that situation, trust me, you would have done it too.' Spelling said of their tryst: 'It was a summer fling. It was off-set. It was our version of a summer romance. The 90210 version. And that was it, and we stayed great friends.' Lively and Priestley have remained friends more than three decades on from their friendship - with Blake even sharing a childhood throwback snap with the actor. in 2015. She wrote: '#tbt to when Serena Van Der Woodsen and Brandon Walsh were a thing. (Shh don't tell @robynlively).' In 2017 Robyn also posted a nostalgic birthday photo of her with Priestley, her mom and Blake captioned: 'Throwin it back! Can't tell what's better, the napkin, Simpsons, dating Brandon Walsh or Blakey's mangy barbie. welcome to the 90's! ' She went onto marry Landman actor Bart Johnson, 54, and the pair share three children. Priestley and make-up artist Ashlee Peterson married on February 2, 1999, and divorced 11 months later on January 2, 2000. He married Naomi Lowde in 2005 and the couple have two children together. At 19, Lively was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in the 1991 ABC Afterschool Special episode "Less Than Perfect Daughter". She appeared in Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., Chicago Hope and Landman. Lively also had a small part in her sister's now controversial 2024 film, It Ends With Us.
