Scream of the Bikini

In the tradition of Monty Python and the Christopher Guest's Mockumentaries, Scream of the Bikini takes the traditional spy movie of the 60's and 70's and turns it on its funny bone. Allowing a company of actors to mine every last drop of comedy out of the genre. It's is hard to watch a minute of Scream of the Bikini without laughing out loud. Only goes to show that the quality of the comedy is not dependent on the size of a film's budget. While you can tell the film was made on a shoe string budget, this is never a deficit to the quality of the film, but used to evoke the creativity of the film makers. Still the point of the film is to provide a reason to laugh and at that it succeeds.

An instant cult classic for this generation in the tradition of Monty Python's Holy Grail and Rocky Horror Picture Show. From the title to the movie poster to the film itself, Scream Of The Bikini is everything I love about the movies... inventive, sexy and brilliant. Beneath the James Bond cloak and dagger plot, the writers and Director find a rhythm that is refreshing and compelling. There is even a nod to Antonioni's Blowup that, among other references, makes you realize that you are watching a film that loves other films as well as the experience of watching films. The actors make this world of eccentric characters believable, accessible and lovable. At the same time, the cinematography adds its own character to the plot with striking colors and composition. Like the pillow-fight between the beautiful protagonists, Scream Of The Bikini is smart and flirty. It is only a matter of minutes before Scream Of The Bikini dominates the world.

If you look through the movies I've written about over the years, you'll see quite a few Eurospy films. As a rule, I love 'em. Imagine my delight to discover a modern movie that spoofs the Eurospy genre. Like a lot of the movies it pokes fun at, Scream of the Bikini isn't perfect, but it is a lot of fun.

The plot of Scream of the Bikini hardly matters. Let's just say that there is a super-villain out to take over the world. Trying to stop him are two female agents, Bridget (Kelsey Wedeen) and Sophia (Rebecca Larsen). They're super-models by day, spies by night. They'll have to use all their abilities to get through this tangled mess of a plot and save the world.

While I really enjoyed Scream of the Bikini, if I'm honest, I'd say it's a bit inconsistent - particularly when it comes to plot and acting. The plot can be very funny, but in places it can be a bit tedious. Surprisingly enough, I found the face-off with the chief baddie one of the more lackluster parts of the plot. Then again, given the limited resources they were working with, it would be difficult to do what this film attempts to do and not run short of ideas now and again. Likewise, the acting is inconsistent. Wedeen (especially) and Larsen are very good, funny, sexy, and actually able to carry the movie. They're great! However, some of the other actors don't measure up to their standard.

Finally, one of the really cool things about Scream of the Bikini is the way they've tried to make it look like a film from 1966. The movie would have you believe that it was filmed in the 60s in South America and dubbed into English by a bunch of Germans. You get the lip/voice inconsistencies and the strange translations you find in real Eurospy film dubbing. There are lines on the print, a few missing seconds of action, and other things you find in an old print that hasn't been taken care of. Think of Tarantino's Grindhouse and you'll get the idea. Really clever stuff.

For someone who is not a L.O.L.er, I found myself guffawing from beginning to end! What's not to love about Scream of the Bikini? The premise is wickedly clever, the writing is spot on. The director OBVIOUSLY knows what he's doing. Shot so well, so enjoyable to look at and you truly do believe this is footage from the 60's. Well acted with the two lead actresses taking the cake with their pitch perfect performances. Both drop dead gorgeous AND hilarious? When do you ever witness that combo?! They hold you in the palm of their tiny super model hands and you are theirs until the lights come up. And believe me when the lights come up, you let out a sigh of disappointment that it's over. Yeah, it's that good. The only negative was when I discovered it was just a special screening and that Scream of the Bikini isn't in the theaters! Considering it's better than 90% of the big budget movies out there, I know it won't be long before it hits the big time and when it does I'll be there to watch it again!

In SCREAM OF THE BIKINI, supermodels / international secret agents Sophia and Bridget (Rebecca Larsen and Kelsey Wedeen) must combat eeevil while sporting the latest fashions. The plot has something to do with a mysterious microchip known as "The Helsinki Device".

It's immediately apparent that the story is secondary. Packed to overflowing with brainless characters, idiot dialogue, and absurd situations, BIKINI is -obviously- not meant to be taken seriously. At all. Helped immensely by its miniscule budget, this movie is pretty damned funny!

BEST BITS: #1- The dead guy at the pool party! #2- The nefarious death cult!

View only if you're drawn to cinematic silliness...