Adorkable: Lucas himself — he's highly intelligent, socially awkward, and absolutely adorable in his earnest mission to win Maggie's heart.
Diagnosed by the Audience: It's never spelled out, but many viewers speculate that Lucas has Asperger's Syndrome or some other form of high-functioning autism. He's incredibly smart and knowledgeable about his interests, but has a difficult time reading social cues and relating to other kids at their level.
Harsher in Hindsight: Cappie and Lucas' friendship takes a more sinister turn in light of Corey Feldman's autobiography Coreyography, where Feldman claimed that Corey Haim was molested by a grown man on the set (which might have contributed to Haim becoming addicted to drugs later in life). He would later claim in a 2020 documentary (My) Truth: The Rape of 2 Coreys that the abuser was Charlie Sheen himself.
Jerkass Woobie: While Lucas certainly doesn't have it easy in high school, and has a rough home life with an alcoholic father, he still comes off as rather insensitive, and even slightly domineering at times towards others- especially when he tells Maggie to "keep an open mind," when she's clearly upset that her dad left her mom for a much younger woman, likewise when he tries to dictate everything she does (like cheerleading) and when he makes a very homophobic comment towards another football player in the locker room- which was far worse than anything that this bully said to him.
Narm Charm: The film actually contains a textbook example of the Slow Clap, played unironically and with a completely straight face. And y'know what? We'll give it to you, Lucas; you earned it.
Overshadowed by Controversy: The film has been dogged by the allegation that Charlie Sheen (then nineteen) raped the-then fourteen year old Corey Haim onset, a charge that Corey Feldman reignited in his 2020 documentary (My) Truth: The Rape of 2 Coreys.
