Van Nuys Blvd.

I came across this movie when it was playing on BRAVO, and since they don't show commercials I had no time to get distracted by something else. It's not a particularly good movie, but fun, and something about it kept me watching until 3 in the morning. Probably because I missed the beginning, so I never figured out which guy was the hick, as mentioned on the satelleite summary. That and Cynthia Wood. Wow she looks sweet in this movie. Writer/Director Sachs somehow manages to attach a subplot to no plot. It's an interesting 'slice of life' film that rates high on kitch, low on substance.

VAN NUYS BLVD. is a near-plot less slice of late '70s exploitation from those guys at Crown International Pictures. This one attempts to gather interest from various sources so it comes across as a mix of road movie, disco flick, and teen sex comedy. There's nudity thrown into the mix, along with scenes of racing and even long, protracted moments of disco dancing that go on for twenty minutes or more.

None of it particularly sticks, and I think it's fair to note that this is a dull and relatively pointless movie. Unless, that is, you're interested in the era, in which case it's a fun snapshot of its time allowing you to checking out the fashions, the cars, and the music scene in the wake of GREASE and Saturday NIGHT FEVER. The young actresses are attractive, but the male performers are pretty hopeless, and the tries-to-be-funny script just doesn't cut it. Writer/director William Sachs also helmed THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, which on the strength of this I would say was his best movie.

I appreciate that having been born in 1946, I don't really have the right to review this film. My period is 1968/69, some ten years before this and boy does it show! Here, the car has already become God once more, the dancing looks more like aerobics and the music! Well, I got through prog rock and even punk but this disco sound was beyond me. Amazing though just how early the 'eighties' began because this really looks absolutely on the button for the eighties and yet was presumably made no later than 1978 if it came out in '79. As others have mentioned no plot to speak of, lots of very cute naked bodies, but, for me, too much motoring, too much fairground riding and too much of that music. For anyone ten years younger, however, probably absolutely essential viewing.

The film footage at the beginning and end of Van Nuys Boulevard accurately portrays the action and excitement of what life was like cruising the boulevard. By the time I cruised there in 1981 there were plenty of college and high school students hanging out, cruising and racing. Car clubs gathered in parking lots. I was 22 attending college and my dad bought me a 1978 Corvette. I cruised there in the summer and I will never forget the adventure. It truly was just like in the movie and better. You made friends easily and there were always street races. In the fall of 1981 the LAPD began barricading off the boulevard and closing off traffic. This killed the adventure and those times are gone forever. Having been there, Van Nuys Boulevard is a nostalgic return to the past and a memorable way of remembering a great time of American youth.

This movie has nothing but scenes stitched together BUT it's oddly fun and charming if only because its so aimless. Lots of nudity and clips of amusement parks and disco dancing make this a real treat for late 70's fans.