BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Movie Review

Stud alert! Stud alert! If you are hot, young, and hung then come on in! That’s the party call in this sex comedy that stars Lisa Hartman, Russell Todd, Lorna Luft, Wendy Schaal and Lynn-Holly Johnson. Critics might have panned this Spring Break-themed comedy, as outrageous and low-fi as it is, when it was originally released but director Hy Averback’s film lives on thanks to Scorpion Releasing’s blu-ray release.

Wild and fun, Where the Boys Are probably pissed off a lot of folks due to its role reversal. Rock and schlock gets the female treatment in this female-centric comedy.  The girls are all over the guys they meet and they objectify them at every opportunity.  There’s nothing brainy about this flick. It’s there for the good times alone and, if you ask me, it knows how to through one hell of a party.

The film is low brow, sure.  It creates a comedy that is both silly and sexy.  And, as expressed by one of the girls as they pull up to the beach, their destination, full of cucumber spankings and stripteases, is a relative "supermarket of sex" for the vacationing girls in this comedy. They’ve got blow-up dolls, swimsuits, the right attitude, and some of the best one-liners this side of Porky’s.  The Godfather it isn't.

The girls also have Happy Gilmore’s Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) videotaping the entire weekend and their exploits for later use. What could possibly go wrong?! If only Kenny Loggins was on the soundtrack! We get Rick Derringer instead and, for a B-movie like this, that’ll have to be good enough to get the drawers dropping.

It’s time for the girls to GET IT ON in this comedy hailing from day-glow splash of the 1980s. Where the Boys Are is, not surprisingly, a cheap production from the mind of Grease’s Allan Carr, so expect the pop music to be wild (it is!) and – as the girls are headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for some fun, some sun, and some buns – the comedy to be boisterous and bawdy. The girls want primal sex and, when pulled over by the police for drunk driving, they also want a cheeseburger, fries, and cherry coke.

Most of the scenes in this comedy are downright hilarious as the brainy good girl, the awkward chick, the southern belle, and the wide-eyed slut take their chances and party until the break of dawn. There’s cheese, of course, but there’s also a vibe – reflecting back at us in all the shiny red sports car hoods – that can’t be matched by its spirited roll-out.  

The girls are foul-mouthed and the scenes, punctuated by clever lines and situations which land them in jail, dancing for money, and planning hookups with male gigolos, absolutely work to create a fun-loving slice of 1980s cherry pie. The girls in Where the Boys Are ’84 might get shitfaced, but they do so with dignity, well, mostly.

The cast looks like they are having a lot of fun and, truthfully, it is contagious. There’s nothing much to this flick besides sex, sex, and more sex, but it’s good for a laugh…especially when the girls accidentally kill the blow-up doll and bury him at night on the beach. Hilarious.

So what’s keeping you from hanging out Where the Boys Are?

Film Details

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 94 mins
Director: Hy Averback
Writer: Stu Krieger, Jeff Burkhart
Cast: Lisa Hartman, Lorna Luft, Wendy Schaal
Genre: Comedy
Tagline: When girls want a vacation filled with sun, fun and romance, they go to Fort Lauderdale.
Memorable Movie Quote: "We'll pray. We'll pray. We'll pray for the last time. We'll pray."
Theatrical Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Official Site: Release Date: April 6, 1984
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: September 25, 2015
Synopsis: Four college coeds, virginal Jennie, outgoing Carole, wealthy and spoiled Southern belle Sandra and horny Laurie, travel to Fort Lauderdale for their Easter week of Spring Break, and become involved in a the series of adventures and misadventures, which include the naive Jennie being pursued by musician drifter Scott and Sandra's snobbish musician cousin Camden. Meanwhile, Carole is seeking a break in her relationship with the jealous Chip who follows her down to Florida. Sandra pursues a romance with local policeman Ernie who arrests her on the first night for being drunk and disorderly, while Laurie just seeks any man she can get her hands on.

Blu-ray Review

Home Video Distributor: Scorpion Releasing
Available on Blu-ray - September 25, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: None
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Scorpion Releasing’s 1080p transfer is a relative goldmine of previously unseen colors and vibrancy. The whole film pops now. presented with a 2k HD transfer from the original camera negatives. The aspect ratio is 1.78:1 and the sound features a crisp DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Colors – especially blues and greens – are solid and the night shoots are epic. Black levels are strong throughout. And the details in the clothing and the interiors are impeccable. Skin tones are golden brown and appropriately saturated.

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

We get interviews from stars Wendy Schaal (32:33) and Russell Todd (22:09) and a theatrical trailer. This release is limited to just 2000 copies.

Wendy Schaal Interview (32 min)

Russell Todd Interview (22 min)

Theatrical Trailer