The Beach Girls (1982)

It's not exactly meant to be "Richard III". It's a 1980s sex comedy. It's upbeat, it's engaging, it's often funny, and the characters are actually likable. In fact, this is frequently wacky stuff, with lots of off the wall incidental gags thrown into the mix for good measure. It's pretty much impossible to dislike. Granted, the main characters are clearly older than they're meant to be (they're supposed to be teenagers), but that's not really a quibble.Two carefree, boy crazy gal pals, Ginger (Val Kline), and Ducky (Jeana Keough) hook up with a more reserved, responsible friend, Sarah (Debra Blee), whose uncle Carl (Adam Roarke) has graciously allowed Sarah the use of his sumptuous beach house for the summer. The expected raunchy (actually, they're never really *that* raunchy) hijinks ensue.As one can see, the movie, directed by Bud Townsend and written by Patrick Sheane Duncan, is not exactly strong on story, nor does it need to be. It does have its little subplots, such as an amusingly sleazy local drug runner, Captain Jack (Paul Richards) sometimes running afoul of the local Coast Guard captain (Herbie Braha, who throws in impressions of Humphrey Bogart), and the misadventures of Carls' horny gardener (Bert Rosario) as he attempts to get an eyeful of all of the shapely ladies who start to frequent the place. The main set piece of the movie is a wild party, but the finale provides some of the biggest laughs. Sarah goes through a personality shift, finally starting to blossom when it's suggested that she's too uptight, but this bit of business never gets melodramatic.The acting is appealing all the way down the line, especially from Blee, who went on to appear in "Savage Streets". Viewers may recognize Keough from being a Playboy Playmate and a visual attraction in ZZ Top videos. James Daughton of "Animal House" plays a nice guy musician, Mary Jo Catlett ('Diff'rent Strokes') is a local busybody, and other familiar faces include Catherine Mary Stewart as a surfer girl, Tessa Richarde as Doreen, Corinne Bohrer as a partygoer, and George Cheung, one of the villains from "Rambo: First Blood Part II", as a chauffeur. As can be expected, a number of the ladies show us the goods, so there's no complaints in that department.In short, this is very simple, irresistible lowbrow entertainment, and it's never mean spirited, which is a big part of its charm. Lovers of this kind of movie should find it quite agreeable.Seven out of 10.

Debra Blee is Sarah the straight arrow bookworm tasked with housesitting for her uncle Carl (Adam Roarke). The fact that it is a fairly large estate on the beach makes it the ideal spot for the endless parties thrown by Sarah's polar opposite friends Ginger (Val Kline) and Ducky (Jeana Tomasina). Ginger and Ducky also bring a hitchhiking wanderer Scott (James Daughton) who seems to be interested in getting to know (in the biblical way of course) the shy Sarah. Meanwhile a drug deal gone bad leaves garbage bags filled with marijuana on the beach which are found by the girls and are kindly handed out to attendees of that night's celebration. Soon, Carl is notified by neighbors to return home immediately to put an end to the hijinks whereupon he becomes instantly smitten with the usually topless Ginger and Ducky. You get the jist.Don't expect "From Here to Eternity" as this is the typical early eighties beer, boobs and beach flick that doesn't require a strong storyline in order to display the next pair of breasts, though I'm not complaining. The women are all very attractive especially the voluptuous Sarah who finally shows off her wonderful assets toward the end of the movie. Ducky, played by Jeana Tomasina can be seen on "Housewives of Orange County" as a not so svelte anymore (Then again who is?) Jeana Keough. The sideplot involving Carl and the much younger Ginger and Ducky is too much to believe even for a silly movie like this. Why would these women saddle themselves with this old man when plenty of men their age are at their parties? Future Hugh Hefner "housemates" perhaps? All things considered watching this movie is like peeing in the ocean. It gave you quick relief and nobody has to know you did it.

The only reasons I am putting anything on here about this movie are: First of all, to correct the previous reviewer, Debra Blee does bare her ample breasts, although it is for just a second before her love interest covers them and secondly, just to let you know that Jeana Tomasina was my favorite playmate of all time and she plays her role just as she should.... a hottie that likes to party. The story is pretty standard of this genre...hot girls...great house on the beach... let's have a party, which of course, gets a little bit wild. But, hey, what else would be expected? The topless scene on the boat with Jeana reveals a perfect pair of beauties and makes me a jealous man.

I saw this film over 20 years ago and thought it was pretty funny back then. The one thing that always stuck in my mind was that the actress who played Ducky was one of the hot ZZ Top video babes. It was on cable the other day, and I was surprised at how much I still liked this. Pretty harmless R-rated fun with lots of nudity, drinking and drugs. A nice flashback to the early 80s when party films like this ruled the drive-in circuit. Watching it now is not unlike watching those old Frankie/Annette films. Tons of dumb humor, plenty of outlandish characters and a cheesy soundtrack make this appealing even to snobs who think they're above such low budget fare.