Every culture of humanity has had at least one thing in common; the use of rituals. Many are founded as part of a religion others may represent a lodge or other organization. Then there are those that are so wide spread that they are practiced by the general population such family dinner at Thanksgiving or a child’s birthday party. Whatever the origin rituals are vitally important to the human experience. One widespread ritual may have started here in the States but has since gone global; spring break. Colleges and universities all over the world give the students a week or two off in the spring. Technically the time is to visit their families or study but very few of the students use the time for those endeavors. Most head south to warmer climates to devote the time to the pursuit of binge drinking, drugs, parties and casual sex. Many films have been made with spring break as the plot device or setting since the activities that dominate the ritual precisely coincides with the requisite themes of the typical ‘R’ rated comedy. As they also overlap in their demographic the match is ideal. This is only fitting since the popularity of the modern spring break is often credited to the 1960 movie ‘Where the Boys Are’. The events that were depicted in that flick were considered wild by the standards of over forty years ago. Today they would be considered so tame as to not even register. One of the defining movies on this subject was released over a quarter of a century ago and aptly named ‘Spring Break’. The flick is, admittedly, very dated. Those out there watching this movie will most probably shutter when faced with hairstyles and clothing that must have seemed like a good idea back then. This blast from the past does have a certain nostalgic value to it and the kids today will get a real kick out of seeing what there bizarre behavior their parents may have been up to back in the day. In any case if you are in the mood to let your inner child go on an eighties style spring break this can be an entertaining movie for a lazy evening at home.

As you might imagine there is not that much oh a story here beyond s group of college guys looking for all sorts of debauchery but what plot there is can be attributed to David Smilow. He really didn’t have much on his credits list either before or after this screen play except for a couple of made for television flicks including ‘The Hustler of Muscle Beach’. After all, all that is required for a script in a flick like this is some semi-plausible reason for a willing young woman to disrobe and any setting that will facilitate the consumption of copious quantities of alcoholic beverages. Aside from that just added the title sequence and the closing credits and the film is in the can. Rest assured there are plenty of scenes depicting such antics to keep any aficionado of this particular type of movie more than happy. From a historical perspective it is interesting to see how little puerile behavior has changed in the last twenty six years; mostly it is only a matter of degree that separates the decades.

The director of this flick did enjoy a much longer and varied career than its author. Just prior to directing this flick he directed and produced the seminal horror movie ‘Friday the 13^th.’ He would go on to produce several other installments of the franchise and direct a number of thrillers including a personal favorite; ‘A Stranger is Watching’. Perhaps he got tired of the drunken, over sexed kid running around and turned to horror where he could kill them off. The pacing for the film is just what you would expect. In the absence of bothersome thing like a plot the exposition can be kept to a minimum. There is a modicum of a story practically lifted verbatim from an early sixties beach blanket movie, it provides the typical politician Ernst Dalby (Donald Symington) trying his level best to ruin the good times being had by the goofy kids. His son Stu (Paul Land) and his best friend O.T. (Steve Bassett) run off for a good time in Fort Lauderdale forcing uptight Dad to assign idiotic lackeys to keep them in line. Stu and O.T. are cool, wealthy and popular but due to overcrowding they have to share the accommodations with the nerdy Nelson (David Knell) and Adam (Perry Lang). The cool kids decide not to ruin the time busting on the geeks and decide to show how to party. They have to contend with another adult authority, a building inspector, who is determined to condemn and shut down the motel where they are staying. Along the way there are the usual fun and games including the mandatory wet tee-shirt contest that afford the required female nudity. It is extremely predictable and very juvenile but even after all these years is good for a laugh.

Posted 07/31/09