spirit fingers
scene, but the brightest spot in the film’s legacy comes in the form of one Cliff Pantone, a young man with a lopsided grin and penchant for rock ‘n’ roll. Played to perfection by Jesse Bradford, Cliff was always the best of the teen heartthrob of the late nineties/early aughts bunch. Cliff was the kind of smart, supportive, and sexy high school boyfriend that became a barometer for future romantic partners. In short, Cliff is perhaps the last remaining timeless teen movie crush..
Nostalgia certainly helps keep connections with the characters we loved growing up, but it’s not just a trip down hormone-fueled memory lane that makes Cliff’s allure enduring. He possesses perpetually coveted qualities of a terrific partner: support , unyieldingand confidence . The fact that Cliff and Torrance were opposites in terms of interests, style, and personalities taught a teenage me that it’s not necessary to have everything in common with a partner.
The teen entertainment boom of the late ‘90s and early 2000s provided young viewers with a wealth of leading men to lust after. Each boy had different characteristics and attributes but compared to his genre peers, Cliff was the Goldilocks of the group, striking just the right balance of sweet and edgy. He was far less dangerous than