It’s set in the 80s. Like you said – retro. It could simultaneously mock and celebrate all those tropes (that we all know and love.) Not that I’m writing anything according to the latest trend.

To re-iterate what I said earlier, they could easily run away or shun the father. The protagonist wants to prove his worth and beat the old man at his own game.

(Young vs old – that’s something that will always be relevant/familiar/universal.)

Okay…

Using your notes, Mike…

When the dean’s father forbids him from marrying his daughter, a bad boy rich kid has until graduation to get accepted into a snooty gentleman’s club.

– Marriage means stakes. More intense. More personal.
– I’m going with college. I’m imagining college now.
– Hopefully bad boy is enough to suggest he’s trouble making, a man-child, a rebel, etc. He’ll have to do a lot of uphill work to become a gentleman.
– “until graduation” – a ticking clock/deadline.
– Changed “social club” to “gentleman’s club”. (Not quite the same thing but hopefully does two things here. The other suggesting protagonist’s character arc.)

– End of the film, they let women and minorities into the ancient, ultra-traditional club. (Not sure if this kind of film should have that agenda. Though admittedly – REVENGE OF THE NERDS smuggled in an interesting message about “self acceptance being the key to maturity”.)

– On another note, REAL GENIUS was a very progressive film. Great article on how the female love interest was never a trophy but a fully realised person/hero – https://www.tor.com/2015/05/21/30-years-later-real-genius-is-still-the-geek-solidarity-film-that-nerd-culture-deserves/comment-page-1/

I might need to push on the obstacle I think – which is the “snooty gentleman’s club”.

What do you think?