Webchat with Hadley Freeman, Tuesday 26th May, 9-10pm

[SandyMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce that Guardian columnist and author Hadley Freeman is joining us for a webchat this Tuesday 26th May from 9-10pm.

Hadley will be chatting about her new book, Life Moves Pretty Fast, a love letter to the American films of the 1980s. In the book, Hadley discusses how the 80s flicks once seen as “junk” - Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller, When Harry Met Sally – were a formative influence on her ideas and way of thinking, and explores the life lessons that can be learned from them.
Join us on Tuesday evening at for the webchat, or post your early-bird question now!

Once you've marked the date in your diary or posted your question on the thread take a look at Mumsnet Films. You'll find threads on all the best of the 80s movies so you can jog your memory, or feel free to start one of your own.

@mynameisnotmichaelcaine

I went to uni with her sister. Which is utterly irrelevant, but it makes me like her more as her sister is lovely. Book sounds v interesting.

My little sister will be thrilled to hear that! I strongly suspect she is a fellow Mumsnetter.

Delayed thank you (sorry, breastfeeding). I cannot think from recent offerings...footloose, dirty dancing etc of any remakes which improve on the original. My 13 year old loves the Pitch Perfect movies and liked Easy A.
I was referring to your dream cast article, I think it was Mindy Kaling as a girlie ghostbuster

@southeastastra

i really want to write a reply to this book, a view from a 16 year old londoner in 1984. the american film portrayal was very glossy compared to the real life most of us lived in 1980s britain.

Well, most Americans' lives didn't look much like those depicted in the movies either. Certainly mine didn't - I grew up in an apartment in avery Jewish neighbourhood in New York City. But I don't think you need to live in a house like Ferris Bueller to feel an emotional connection to the film.

I have to admit I couldn't relate to the John Hughes films at all (I still watched them all though, obv). The Breakfast Club made me laugh. Do you think there's something wrong with me? Did and do worship Heathers though - and can I count An Officer and a Gentleman?

@southeastastra

the US had the breakfast club in the UK we had gregory's girl

the american films were pretty self-indulgent pap

I certainly don't think Breakfast Club is more self-indulgent than Gregory's Girl, and I'd be interested as to why you think otherwise. I'm a big fan of Gregory's Girl but I don't think this is an either or situation. You can enjoy both both UK and US films without having your patriotism questioned, y'hear?

Where do you stand on 70s movies? Do you like Blazing Saddles?

Do you ever, when someone gets your name wrong, shout:

@MorrisZapp

Solid as a cock EVERY TIME.

Hadley you're a fab writer, why do you (or your editors) persist with the irrelevant question at the beginning of your column? They might as well all say 'Hi Hadley, can you write a column based on this weeks biggest fashion story please? Cheers!'

Is it to retain the Ask Hadley thing? I just find it annoying, soz.

You'll have to take that up with my Guardian editors, I'm afraid! I'm just a lowly writer.

@HelenaDove

Heathers knocks Mean Girls out of the park.

Well, they're very different films, to be fair to Mean Girls. Mean Girls is looking at the way girls interact with one another in school in a faintly realistic way, whereas Heathers is satirising the 80s teen genre in a brilliant, surrealist way. I, too, prefer Heathers, but I would never dismiss Mean Girls.

@Trills

What do you think is the ideal age to watch Dirty Dancing?

I first watched it aged 19 and I was too old.

I suspect that it is only any good if you are 14 or younger when you first see it, which is a bit of a problem as it's a 15 certificate.

I don't think you were too old, exactly - I think you were both too old and too young. I first watched it when I was 10 and LOVED it. Now I watch it in in my 30s and love it in a different way. I agree, the 15 certificate here is tricky (in the US, kids can watch anything if they're accompanied by an adult), but, if I ever have a daughter, I'll definitely encourage her to watch it when she's 10 or 11.

@Yarp

Hi Hadley

Thankyou for your wise funny columns

What is your opinion of models, and other grown women in the 'fashion arena', who stand with their toes turned in in photographs, like 5 year olds? Is it setting a good example?

Funnily enough, I wrote on this ages ago in my fashion column. I'll try to find the link at some point this evening...

In an alternative present where you were loaded, what designer would you wear all the time? Would it be Celine?

I am hoping you will say yes as I like to think of you as an alternate me, but younger and skinnier.

@JuniDD

Hi Hadley, I am a huge fan of yours and love your interviews. I read the Michael J Fox one when I'm feeling sad.

Do you get to choose who you interview? The Judy Blume one was so wonderful. Do you try to find the best in people even if they aren't as nice as you make them seem?

Warm hugs!

Oh that's so nice of you, thank you. Interviewing Michael J Fox was really, really special experience for me - definitely one of my career highlights.

I'm very lucky in that I do pretty much get to choose who I interview. I've been at the paper now for almost 16 years so I can say if I don't want to interview someone who doesn't interest me. I find doing interviews quite labour intensive: I spend at least two days researching them; then you have to go do the interview, which often involves traveling abroad; then there's the transcribing which is the worst part of the job; and finally the writing up, which I like to spend at least two days on. So I have no interest in devoting that amount of time and energy on people who don't intrigue me, which means I'm now in the happy position of largely interviewing people who I admire. I would never lie - or write a puff piece - about someone being better than they are. I try to convey exactly how the interviewee seemed to me. But it is true I am now lucky enough to get to interview people who I mainly like.

@bryte

I'm looking forward to reading your book. I'm currently reading the young adult novel (despite being 40ish) Eleanor and Park. It's beautifully written and the characters seem to me like they'd have fit into a John Hughes film. Have you found any modern films that I can encourage my daughters to watch in their teens (almost there) which include the themes and characters of those films of the 80s?

Well, I reckon they should just watch the 80s teen films! Pretty in Pink and Dirty Dancing are both terrific films for teen girls and they are amazingly undated today.

@MorrisZapp

Is there room in this conversation for Weird Science? My then boyfriend was obsessed with this film and its star Kelly le Brock.

I think it's very much second tier, possibly third tier.

I completely agree with you, and so did John Hughes who wrote it. He called it "a dopey ass comedy." But boys who watched it as adolescents all freaking LOVE Mad Science.

@MorrisZapp

Is there room in this conversation for Weird Science? My then boyfriend was obsessed with this film and its star Kelly le Brock.

I think it's very much second tier, possibly third tier.

Sorry! That should have been Weird Science, not Mad Science! I got distracted by my supper there for a moment - apologies!

@TravellingHopefully12

Hadley, how are you so awesome?x

As Ferris Bueller would say, Just practice x

@ElviraCondomine

Hadley you've pointed out that 80s films have a much more enlightened attitude to abortion than current Hollywood productions, but are there some films you simply can't watch because of the change in attitudes? I'm thinking of the obvious (rape and Sixteen Candles) but are there any others?

Oh for sure, 80s films weren't perfect. 16 Candles kind of is unwatchable today, mainly for the rape, as you say, and the racism, and I talk about both in my book. But it's not like movies today have progressed so much. There was that terrible Will Ferrell film, Get Hard, which came out last month in which the entire premise was how hilarious male rape is.

@gingercat12

No real questiin here. Just pove your writing (and 80s movies) and cannot wait to read your book. Thanks for all your thought-provoking articles in the Guardian.

Thanks! I really hope you like it

@lemonpoppyseed

I am totally your demographic -looking forward to reading your book! My question: what is your favourite 80's movie soundtrack?

I find this question almost impossible to answer, to be honest, as I love so many songs from so many films. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship in Mannequin; Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds in The Breakfast Club; Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen in Dirty Dancing; Let the River Run by Carly Simon in Working Girl; The Heat is On by Glenn Frey in Beverly Hills Cop; everything by Kenny Loggins in Footloose and Top Gun... I could honestly go on all night here.

Hi Hadley - LOVE your fashion columns in the Guardian, mainly because (as I'm sure many of your readers will agree) you write in a slightly different way to most fashion journalists...how does it play when you're at a fashion show or party? Are they jeal? Is it awkward?

@hackmum

Hadley, from some heavy hints dropped in your columns recently, I surmise that you are up-duffed. Will you be joining us on Mumsnet for baby tips when it arrives?

PS I would ask you a question about 80s films, but the 80s were a bit of a lost decade for me and I didn't watch (m)any films.

Hahaha! This question really makes me laugh as I certainly didn't mean to drop any hints. But yes, I am pregnant - I'm having twins in September. With a bit of luck, they'll look just like Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I read your book over the weekend, thanks for a lovely weekend! And then I bought Ghostbusters as a result and watched it over again! and no, I am not joking! Bill Murray, I had forgotten how sexy...But really Hadley, you were too young to watch all these moves as a teenager first time around (I am not, sadly, these were the movies of my university years) so kudos to you for the insights in the book! Gave me some great nostalgia trips too!

Yay. Congrats Hadley.

@HandMini

Hi Hadley, loved your recent piece on Judy Blume (and love your writing generally). What's you're favourite Blume book and why?

That's very kind of you, thank you. I love the Superfudge series very dearly. They are just hilarious. When I was growing up and reading Judy Blume's books for the first time, my favourite by far was Just As Long as We're Together, which I still have a real fondness for.

You say you would never write a puff piece - I bought "As you wish" because of the article you wrote on Cary Elwes. I found it a slightly odd book - a book about a film by someone who wasn't really one of the more interesting people in it. Should I have read more into the fact that you didn't really write about the book at all?