[[quoteright:252:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/myscienceproject.jpg]]
''My Science Project'' is a 1985 science fiction teen comedy written and directed by Jonathan R. Betuel.

Teenage gearhead Michael Harlan (Creator/JohnStockwell) has two weeks to turn in a science project he hasn't even started, or he won't graduate high school. He and his date Ellie Sawyer (Creator/DanielleVonZerneck) break into a government aircraft boneyard looking for some machinery he can restore and use as his project. He takes a mysterious device that resembles a plasma globe attached to some other equipment. In auto shop the next day, he and his TV-obsessed friend Vince Latello (Creator/FisherStevens) discover that the device is a time machine, capable of creating a time warp where things from different time periods can interact.
----
!!''My Science Project'' contains examples of:
* AllCavemenWereNeanderthals: The boys are attacked by a completely hairy, chimpanzee-like FrazettaMan. Sherman identifies it as a "Neanderthal man", which even in TheEighties we knew weren't like that.
* AutoErotica: Vince makes out with his girlfriend Irene (Candace Silvers) in a car decorated with a disco ball and Christmas lights.
* BadAssDriver: Michael. He's able to drive his GTO at 120+ to outrun an electrical "probe", crashes through a road closed sign, and brings the car safely to a stop off-road near an electrical tower with no damage.
* ButIReadABookAboutIt: At the climax, the group gets their hands on M-16 rifles but Harlan and Latello don't know how to reload them (Latello didn't even knew the shotgun he brought into the school [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets was not loaded until he tried to use it]]). Sherman, the nerd, then [[HiddenDepths reveals he read an Army field manual and demonstrates how to do it]]. He also recognizes the baseball court has been remodeled by plants from the Creataceous and when Latello asks how the heck would he know, Sherman says a deadpan "I read".
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Sherman identifies the Neanderthal Man, Latello says that he doesn't care where he's from.
* CoolCar: The Presidential Limo seen in the opening scene, Harlan's customized Pontiac GTO with an electromagnetic-clutch-activated supercharger, and Vince's Buick Rivera equipped with a deployable middle finger.
* CoolTeacher: Robert Roberts is this with somewhat mixed results. That said, all the main characters respect him and ask for his help to understand what the Gizmo is. [[spoiler:When he ends up going into a warp, the three friends are horrified. Ellie and Michael clearly show concern for him, and are relieved and delighted to see him again when he returns.]]
* CowboyCop: Detective Nulty, who investigates the power failure, dynamite theft and explosion because he hasn't had a interesting case in a long time. He even looks the part with his Cowboy hat and treats Michael and Vince a bit roughly; though Vince more than Michael because of the former's wisecracks.
* DistantPrologue: The first scene has a UFO crashing into the desert after a apparent malfunction during a engagement with US fighters and brought to a military base hangar. The President is called in to see for himself. Knowing that they can't keep word from getting to the public indefinitely, he orders them to "get rid of it" except for the "engine" which was already removed. After that, the movie skips ahead to 1985.
* DueToTheDead: Cleopatra tosses a flower to Vince; after knocking out a Neanderthal, Vince lays the flower on his chest.
* EekAMouse: In the aircraft boneyard, Ellie sees a rat and screams, attracting the attention of a security guard. Michael has to coax her off the piece of machinery she's climbed onto before they can run.
-->'''Harlan''': There are worse things than rats, Ellie.
-->'''Ellie''': Oh yeah, such as what?
-->(cue the guard)
-->'''Security Guard''': Hey, you two! Hold it right there!
-->'''Harlan''': Jail!
* {{Fainting}}: The nerd Sherman (Creator/RaphaelSbarge) faints when he sees the T-Rex.
* FireForgedFriends: Sherman, Vince and Harlan bond during their quest to shut the Gizmo down and save Ellie.
* FirstNameBasis: HippieTeacher Robert Roberts (Creator/DennisHopper) insists that his students call him Bob.
* FlippingTheBird: Vince flips off a guy honking at him from behind with a light-up hand that emerges from a hatch in his trunk.
* FunctionalAddict: In his opening scene, Mr. Roberts seems to have retained the ideals and attitude of the 1960's, but is otherwise a clean and sober guy -- and then it's shown that he huffs a little nitrous to take the edge off after class.[[note]]Incredibly, this ''isn't'' an Actor Allusion to Hopper's role as Frank Booth in ''Film/BlueVelvet'', as that movie would not be made for another year.[[/note]]
* GenreSavvy: Michael quickly recognizes Ellie's sabotage is an effort to get his attention and he asks her what's going on.
* GrailInTheGarbage: Michael finds the device gathering dust in an abandoned fallout shelter.
* HippieVan: Bob drives a colorful van with spots and peace signs painted on it.
* MissingMom: We never hear what happened to Michael's mom, but she's clearly out of the picture.
* NiceGuy: Despite Michael's assertion that he's better with machines than people, he's a quiet, laid back, pretty friendly guy who undergoes some CharacterDevelopment.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Michael's father Lew (Creator/BarryCorbin) impulsively marries Dolores (Ann Wedgeworth), a cosmetics saleswoman he barely knows who uses her company's products to redecorate their apartment, to Michael's displeasure.
* SlowElectricity: Michael's car can outrun the electrical "probe" from the time warp device, allowing the protagonists to beat it to an electrical tower in its path and blow it up.
* SunglassesAtNight: Vince wears sunglasses all the time. When asked why, he says:
-->'''Vince''': Because when you're cool, the sun shine on you 24 hours a day.
* TerrifyingTyrannosaur: A StopMotion one is summoned in the basketball court. Its entrance is surprisingly similar to the better known one from ''Film/JurassicPark'' despite predating it by 8 years.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: PlayedForLaughs.
-->'''Detective Nulty''': What's your name, cowboy?
-->'''Bob''': Robert Roberts, Esq. to you, honky!
* ThreatBackfire: Ellie warns Sherman that the Gizmo is dangerous and he could wind up in another dimension. In his excitement, he completely ignores her warning, finds the wires and plugs the device back in to the electrical outlet.
* TitleIn: "1957" for the first scene, "1985" for the second.
* TrapDoor: In the boneyard, Michael falls through a trapdoor into a fallout shelter. There he finds the device.
----