Watch For Keeps

For Keeps is a 1988 romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Molly Ringwald and Randall Batinkoff. The film follows Darcy Elliot (Ringwald) and Stan Bobrucz (Batinkoff), two high school students who fall in love and become pregnant. As they struggle to navigate the challenges of parenthood and balancing their dreams with their responsibilities, they learn the true meaning of love and family.

Darcy and Stan are both high school seniors with big dreams. Darcy wants to become a journalist and travel the world, while Stan dreams of becoming a pilot. They’re dating and madly in love, and one night they decide to take their relationship to the next level. Shortly after, they discover that Darcy is pregnant.

At first, their families are stunned and disappointed, but they ultimately band together to support the young couple. Darcy and Stan decide to get married and raise their baby together. But as they face the challenges of parenthood and the reality of their situation sets in, they struggle to make ends meet and follow their dreams.

Darcy drops out of school to take care of their newborn daughter, Thea, and becomes a stay-at-home mom. Stan works long hours at a fast-food restaurant to support the family while trying to save enough money to attend flight school. As they try to adjust to their new lives, they face obstacles such as financial difficulties, conflicts with their families, and the stresses of parenthood.

As Darcy's frustrations and regrets grow, she becomes increasingly distant from Stan and their relationship becomes strained. Meanwhile, Stan's dedication to their family and determination to succeed is tested when he discovers that he may not be able to attend flight school due to his responsibilities as a father.

Despite the challenges they face, Darcy and Stan’s love for each other remains strong. As they navigate the highs and lows of parenthood, they learn to appreciate the value of their family and the strength of their bond. In the end, they realize that true love means sacrifice and compromise.

Molly Ringwald delivers an emotional and raw performance as Darcy, capturing the character’s fears and vulnerabilities as a young mother. Randall Batinkoff also shines as Stan, bringing a quiet strength and determination to the role. The film boasts strong supporting performances from Kenneth Mars as Darcy's father and Pauly Shore as Stan's best friend.

For Keeps is a powerful story about the challenges of young love and parenthood, and the sacrifices we make for those we love. John G. Avildsen’s direction brings an authenticity and intimacy to the film, making it a poignant and compelling drama that still resonates today.

For Keeps is a 1988 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.9 and a MetaScore of 41.