They give the entire film a slight softness that reminds you of Bad News Bears , Meatballs and Little Darlings , an almost subliminal callback to an era and a style that’s long gone but many viewers instinctually remember, whether on celluloid or in real life.
Movies like Stand by Me, The Squid and the Whale, Little Darlings and, if we’re going really dark, 1992’s Kids (wait, that’s NC-17, forget it) have made a lasting impression on popular culture.