Crazy Weekend

The "In" place to go during the '80s was Club Med. If you were good looking, had some money and the time it was the best place to find a willing partner to share the beach blanket with. Jack Scalia looks good without his shirt on, Linda Hamilton fills hers out well. Patrick Macnee adds whatever British charm he has left from the Avengers. Gloria Estefan and the "Miami Sound Machine" play the house band and improve the show with their music. Sinbad plays Sinbad. It's not rocket science but a formula and this one works. When it pops up on cable I'll watch it just to see the 80's again, before people worried about AIDS and terrorists, etc.

Club Med is a made for TV movie and may not have ever been released on video. Yes, it is a little "corny" and "silly", but it was fun to watch. Jack Scalia, Bill Maher, Sinbad, Linda Hamilton and Patrick McNee were the most notable actors. It's a fun in the sun down Mexico way. I would actually rate it a 3. However, if you asked me if I would like to see it again, my answer would be yes! Sounds crazy, I know, but the predictability and the 80's party animal life style is to be enjoyed! There is a little bit of Love Boat, a little bit of Love, American Style (if anyone remembers that Friday night program with the fireworks). If you see Club Med on TV, go ahead and waste an hour and a half. It just might be worth it!

Sure, it's cheesy and gives us some of the worst 80's hair ever. But it's light, funny, entertaining and even moving. Not only is Jack Scalia's child with Linda Hamilton fatherless (okay, but he didn't know, all right?), the young French girl has an unhappy home life and has run away, the teenage boy who has just lost his father (Scalia's friend) is confused and devastated, Linda Hamilton is still in love with the Scalia character, the Englishman has just lost his wife, Scalia loves Linda but just can't commit, etc. There is a lot of back story here, and what better place to lose your blues than Club Med? I have stayed at that Club Med, and I sure wish Jack Scalia had been the Chef du Village when I was there! Silly movie, but with a lot of heart. I have it on tape and enjoy it ever time I pull it out, or it shows up on cable. Compared to what we see on cable these days purporting to be "comedy," this looks better and better. No nudity, no cursing, no car chases, no exploding heads - but I love it and find it thoroughly entertaining. "Hands up, baby, hands up...."

Upon arriving at my second Club Med vacation I was told that we were going to be "lucky" enough to have a film company at work around the village during the next week or so. This seemed kind of cool at first, but got old quickly. Often the quickest and most convenient ways to travel from one place to another were blocked by the crew. They took over a bar. If you wanted to watch the filming (and be a background person) you had to stay for hours and hours. After a few days the only way the producers could get anyone to be in the movie was to provide free booze *and* prizes. At the time Jack Scalia was the biggest name in the movie but many of us remembered Patrick McNee and it was fun to see him. I was told that Linda Hamilton was a soap opera actress. Little did I know that she would be in one of my favorite movies. Anyway, I'm in the movie twice (if you don't blink) and at this point I'm glad the crew was there 'cause I pull the movie out once every few years and take a brief look at some of it -- and me all liquored up singing "Hands Up." P.S. A few years later I went back to the same Club Med and one of the people riding on the bus from the airport to the hotel had seen this movie and was telling us how he knew everything about this Club Med; that soon we were going to go on a boat ride to the Village (as they had done in the movie). I tried to tell him that was just made up for the movie; the bus was going to take us to the front of the Club Med building, but he went on about the boat... until the bus pulled up to the front of the hotel.

This is a movie worth missing. However, if you are in the mood for an eighties style love-comedy-drama, it just might fill the bill. Frankly, this is a too be missed movie unless you want to see a cute french girl in full eighties attire, a thin looking Sinbad, or Bill Maher cracking lame jokes.

The funny thing about Maher is that he looks exactly like he does now (even back in 1986). I'm sure he wasn't happy about the over expired ham jokes he related in this film. But, his appearance was like seeing a brand new corvette in a run down used car shop. In essence, totally out of place.

I would love to know what the french beauty looks likes now. I'm betting fat and sassy. Overall, this movie ranks a generous 3 out of 10.