Side Out (1990)

Plot; A young pre-law student from the Midwest (C. Thomas Howell) spends the Summer in L.A. working for his Uncle's firm.While serving an eviction notice, he meets a washed up beach volleyball player (Peter Horton), forming an unlikely friendship that eventually leads to the two of them entering a high stakes beach volleyball tournament.'Side Out' is insultingly contrived--even for the genre--and beyond stupid. Its limited appeal lies in the trappings of its era (released in 1990, but a total 80s movie through and through) and whatever charm its game cast can scrape from the bottom of its barrel.

Seriously, if you want to learn the meaning of life, one man holds the answers - C. Thomas Howell.His embodiment of Monroe Clark is Christ-like without ever being obvious - we see his divinity in the way he sympathizes with Zach Barnes' financial plight, giving him communion through his generous offer to play volleyball with him. No other living actor could have captured the holiness and generosity of this basketball player turned lawyer turned volleyball pro from Milwaukee with such nuance and yet, such gusto. Holding hands high with Barnes at the end he evoked that incredible sense of pride, pity, and ultimately, hilarity that one gets when one sees a retard so proud of his Special Olympics participation ribbon.This movie is an absolute delight. Deserving of its place in the canon of all-time great works of art.

Down the years there have been some pretty good sporting movies – Grand Prix, Slap Shot, Rocky, Raging Bull, Chariots Of Fire, and Any Given Sunday spring to mind. One sport that film-makers haven't done to death is beach volleyball. It's not a sport I know much about (in England, where I live, it is not a widely played game), but clichéd and totally predictable hokum like "Side Out" hardly encourages the uninitiated to want to become fans of it. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with this movie is the way that it suggests an inexperienced kid could go from zero to hero in the beach volleyball rankings within the space of two weeks. You don't have to know ANYTHING about ANY sport to know that things like that simply don't happen. Becoming a champion at anything takes years of sweat, tears, dedication and sheer determination. "Side Out" is an insulting movie - to its sport, to sports generally, and to its audience.Milwaukee law student Monroe Clark (C. Thomas Howell) comes to Los Angeles for the summer, where he is meant to be gaining some work experience with his wealthy Uncle Max (Terry Kiser). It isn't long before the cocksure Monroe starts sniffing around for the affections of sexy Samantha (Courtney Thorne-Smith). And it only takes him a little longer to make friends with Zack Barnes (Peter Horton), a faded beach volleyball player who had the talent to reach the top but never quite made it. As the boring paper-work piles up, Monroe becomes more and more interested in learning how to play beach volleyball… and he believes Zack is just the man to show him the ropes. Pretty soon, Zack's passion for the game is re-ignited, leading to him and Monroe becoming a two-man team who enter an AVP tournament. Will the old pro and the young pretender be able to battle their way to victory? A quick summary of the plot synopsis is enough to confirm that "Side Out" is a formulaic, predictable sports drama of the most simple-minded kind. If you find yourself doubting at any point what the outcome of the movie will be, then you ain't seen many films of this kind! But it is not merely the predictability that spoils the film. For one thing, the people who made the movie are so much in love with California that they virtually paint it as paradise on earth, sugar-coating every facet of life in Los Angeles with embarrassingly over-the-top glitz and glamour. Another weakness is the performances – Howell's cocky youngster comes across as too smug and irritating to truly root for; Horton acts better from the neck down; Thorne-Smith is undone by a typically weak "pretty face" role; and Kiser still seems to think he's playing a corpse (as he did in the previous year's "Weekend At Bernie's"). Those knowledgeable about the sport might find some pleasure in spotting several real players in guest roles, and those who admire toned female bodies in tight bikinis will find sufficient eye candy to occupy their mind. But for everyone else, "Side Out" is a tiresome trip down a road travelled too often in cinematic terms – the sport might be different, but the clichés and the outcome are as obvious as ever!

If you lower your standards and go in there expecting a B-movie, this one is fabulous. First of all, the cast:Peter Horton, C. Thomas Howell (wow, he grew up), Terry Kiser (he's alive for this one!), lovely Courtney Thorne-Smith. Even Kathy Ireland shows up... This movie came out right around the time that I was getting serious about volleyball, so of course my gang and I simply LOVED it. Of course it is totally unrealistic: a guy from nowhere ends up playing in an AVP final in 2 weeks! I wish. Anyway, it's also great to see all the legends of the game: O'Bradovich, Sinjin, Randy, Hov, Dodd, many of whom I have since met in person, wow, it doesn't get better than this. Even if you don't like volleyball, there's a decent plot. If you're a B-movie fan, you can't skip this movie. If every movie must have a deep inner meaning and soul to it, or has to make a statement, by all means skip it.