Holstra
Boring, long, and too preachy.
Derrick Gibbons
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Lewis Pritchard
Back to the Beach (1987) Masked Criticisms ReviewHunterSo the premise is simple, we watch a film at random, sometimes it's good… mostly it's not, this is Masked Criticisms.EisensteinI think from the title alone one can tell which of the two basic categories this film belongs to. Hunter If you mean it was poop, then yeah it was poop.EisensteinNow let's not be too hasty. Back to the Beach is a comedy film from the 1980's that spoofs surfer pictures from the 60's. It follows two old film stars that return to the seaside to relive their glory days and embarrass their hip kids. This film is part of a series, but honestly I had no idea until just now when I looked it up on IMDb.HunterYou wouldn't need to see the others to understand what the hell was going on. It was so random and unpredictable and yet cliché at the same time. I guessed the ending ten minutes into the film, however I would never have imagined Pee Wee Herman to come out of nowhere to sing surfing bird then literally fly away, but that mind fart certainly happened.EisensteinThis whole film had a lot of set ups for cameos but I guess we're too young to recognize any of them. Except, that is, for OJ Simpson. Not the film makers fault, I mean they couldn't have guessed he'd kill his wife, but it did really date this film. Along with a whole pile of other 80's clichés; skateboards, waist high thongs, surfing, bad hairstyles…Hunter…cocaine…EisensteinThere was no drugs in this film.HunterI meant the director.EisensteinThat would explain the lack of choreography.HunterOh yeah, I kind of forgot it was a musical, I suppose that's a good thing though, I can't stand musicals.EisensteinYou liked Frozen…HunterAnother thing I have to give this film credit for is that everyone in it is fit, not the main family, granted, but everyone else is attractive, sadly no chubby chicks though.EisensteinMy main problem with the characters is that they were all wannabes. The punks who were supposed to be intimidating looked like pantomime Sex Pistols.Hunter… and since it's on a beach the girls are in thongs. I'm not usually a fan of those really long 80's thongs but some of those chicks, man. EisensteinYes well, anyways, what it all comes down to is an out dated film laughing at even more out dated films, unfortunately it really doesn't hold up as I can't tell what's an 80's cliché is and what's a 60's farce.HunterI was thinking of giving this film a 6 out of 10 just for the babes alone, but Eisenstein here says I have to rate the entire movie as a whole so I'm gonna have to say 3 out of 10. It's not so much a beach party, more of a tsunami of poop.EisensteinWhat a poetic analogy to end on. 4 out of 10.
marvy42
I just watched "Back To The Beach" last night after not having seen it for at least 10 years and I still think it's great. It isn't "Casablanca" or "Citizen Kane," but I doubt many people were expecting it to be. It's gloriously silly and does a wonderful job of skewering the old beach party pictures (which I thought were brainless fun too). Even though Annette and Frankie are all grown up, they still act like teenagers (and look like they're having great fun doing it). While most of us boys were looking a lot higher once, I was amazed at Annette's legs; at 45, hers were better than a twenty-year-old's. Sadly, it was her last movie, but at least, in my opinion, she ended her career on a high note. If you've never watched any Frankie & Annette beach party movies, see at least a couple before seeing this; you'll appreciate it more.
lane jarsonbeck
If you've been to film school or honestly believe black and white film noir somehow has the edge on all other genres then cease reading and go back to your bongo, beret and pretentious clover cigarettes because you will never understand how much fun this film is. Take the icon duo of Frankie and Annette put them in a parody of their own genre add a half dozen cameos from some of the most memorable characters 60's T.V. had to offer add some great casting especially the role of Bobby (Demian Slade) and you have Back to the Beach. Frankie is an over worked car dealer Annette is an overly optimistic housewife- they opt to take a trip to Hawaii stopping along the way in L.A. to visit their eldest daughter who happens to live on the very beach they once romped as teens. Did I mention their son Bobby (an ashamed to be Frankie and Annettes son donning punk garb and attitude) tags along creating the punchiest of the punchlines and the films narration. There on the beach Frankie finds his daughter dating a surfer and an old flame "losing" Annette in the process while ticking off the local "beach roughians". The plot is great as a parody with the perfect couple playing the leads while the story plays out in old beach film fashion.It's risqué enough to keep your eyes open but innocent enough in dialogue to show a six year old. Sure the acting is over the top but didn't I mention this was a parody of the "beach films". Add to this a great musical score including Dick Dale and Stevie Ray Vaughn and you have not so much a great film as a very watchable/researchable one. Is it as good as say Requiem For a Dream no of course not but let me ask: how often can you really watch a man lose his arm while his girl friend reverts to public sodomy for drug money...Go for the FUN!! Go watch Back To The Beach, you won't be disappointed!!!!!
Ripshin
Yes, I grew up with the Beach movies - well, I was a young child, but I saw them. No, this "reunion" isn't worth watching. It is produced by Frankie and Annette, and thus primarily self-serving. The director has been involved with only a handful of projects over the years, and the lack of experience is evident.Cameos by Gilligan, Skipper, Don Adams, and the "Leave It to Beaver" gang are forced. Pee Wee's little number is more in tune with the 50s-in-the-80s funkiness of the script.It's an innocent romp, but will appeal only to those who are hardcore fans of the original 60s Beach flicks. "Psycho Beach Party" actually did the retro thing much better, but that R-rated film with a drag queen as the lead sure won't make too many of you happy.
