INTERVIEW: David Henrie explains why he & Selena Gomez made an ’80s teen comedy for today’s moviegoers

If you’re reading this, you likely share the same opinion as David Henrie and Selena Gomez: what the world needs now is an ’80s teen comedy. There’s something buoyantly carefree about those times as reflected in those films. That’s not quite how you’d describe 2020 and 2021. So, as Henrie tells our ’80s Movies: A Guide to What’s Wrong with Your Parents podcast hosts Riley Roberts and Tara McNamara, he and his Wizards of Waverly Place co-star went back to their Disney Channel roots to make This is the Year, a feel-good romcom that’s appropriate for the whole family to watch together. Adding more fun: This is the Year tip its hat to many beloved ’80s teen comedies — it’s up to you to spot the easter eggs! (In our interview, he shares one that we didn’t even spot!)

This is the Year is in theaters and on demand today.