Joy of Sex

I love finding 80s teen comedies that I haven't seen before. This was one of them and it has some really funny moments. It might not be as good as other main ones like animal house or porkeys but still deserves a higher rating.

This is one example why I take reviews for movies with a grain of salt.

This is the worst film Martha Coolidge has done, as only having seen a few of em. Hey, I like this movie, as it only gets funny in the latter part of movie, with consistency, thanks to two characters, who are classics: a geeky teacher, who's the butt of the student's jokes, the tall one with the glasses, an absolute extroverted world class d..khead. The other is a t.v host gigolo, who doesn't mind making out with young girls. Yes we see a few familiar faces from other around the time Coolidge movies. Cute Meynick, who's very good, is convinced she's gonna die, thanks to this mole she has, as overhearing a conversation with her doctor. Hardly the case. Meanwhile a narc is one of among the students at Lincoln High. Meynick desperately wants to lose her virginity. She's not the only one. And yes, what are the chances these two make out. Joy Of Sex, is a disappointment, as in the fact, it's been adapted from a novel, so you expect to be quite good, but it just joins all the other cheesy 80 sex comedies, which painfully, I knew it would be, as not really being anything special. It's entertaining though, and that's thanks to a lot of good actors wasted in a movie that's dreadful. Christopher Lyodd is a classic, as a highly strung P.E. teacher and Meynick's Dad, while Camp as the narc (god, why did she do this) flashing her goodies is funny and really good. Langois is cute as Meynick's best friend, while exchange student, Abdul, bringing a very familiar Sixteen candles scenario, as the enigmatic stud, was fun. Dye as the student, who's missing out is typecast, and brings a good attracting performance. The short, frizzy haired "all woman", seen in sleazy prison films, was another fun character. On the whole, Joy Of Sex is worth watching, yes, too for 80's fan, a VHS rental, even hard, to acquire at the time, but like I said, it's simply dreadful and wastes so many good actors, some of them we don't see on the screen, anymore, and boy, do we miss em' too. Wipe this one under the carpet, Martha.

If one sat down to watch a movie called "The Joy of Sex", you'd at least think there were some steamy sex sequences therein. Surprisingly, that is the main thing that's missing from the film. Look quick and you may catch one topless girl in a mob running by toward the end of the picture, the film's sole nude sequence. The sex scenes we do see are obscured from view half the time and most of which is left up to imagination. And surprisingly the film still bares an "R" rating, primarily for language and content. But what would be considered as the naughty sexual content in this film is no more risque that what I've seen in other PG and PG-13 rated films currently in the theater and in new release at the video store. Boy the times have changed. Suddenly in the late 90's and the new millennium we can almost get away with just about any innuendos these days.

Not too many highlights in the film. The laughs are few and far between. The film features the attractive Colleen Camp who is squandered in this opportunity. She receives far little film time as an undercover cop masquerading as the new hot girl in class at the high school where the film is based. Robert Prescott ("Bachelor Party" and "Real Genius") has a few humorous moments as a class clown, but not enough. The only real bright spot of the film is Christopher Lloyd as Coach Hindenberg. Lloyd's deadpan delivery never fails to win a laugh or two, but Lloyd can't support what is an unremarkable cast and a less than average teen sex comedy. The film is also known as "National Lampoon's: The Joy of Sex." Save you money and time. Rent "Animal House" instead.

No surprises… typical bubblegum teenage sex comedy of the times by the director (Martha Coolidge) who gave us the romantic teen flick "Valley Girl" the year before. "Joy of Sex" must have slipped by, as I've never even heard of it but it amusingly delivers in what makes these films work. Raunchy (without really going all the way), crude and randomly madcap with its slim story cobbled together by running gags and visual humour aplenty… namely sexually orientated and being a virgin lusting for one thing. While not always funny, it remains engagingly bouncy. Thanks to some memorable support roles. A boisterous Christopher Lloyd is fun as the school's coach, Colleen Camp goes oddball, but with a feisty edge as the new student, Joanne Baron is simply eccentric as an uptight teacher and Ernie Hudson frowns his brows as the stern principal. Cameron Dye and Michelle Meyrink are likable enough as the leads… looking to fulfil their urging hormones. Also the lovely Lisa Langlois appears.

Leslie Helenberg has just entered senior year, but going to the doctors to get a moll checked out she mistakenly believes she hasn't got too long to live and goes about trying to lose her virginity. However it's quite hard when her father is the school's PE coach. While on the other side of the coin is Alan Holt whose pals brag about their sexual encounters, which leaves him rather frustrated as he can't stop thinking about sex as he goes about trying to loose his virginity anyway possible.

Quite juvenile with a stereotypical script, however some serious issues are brought up (teen pregnancy), but the focus never stems away from the upfront humour. Undemanding teen fodder.

This movie pulled out none of the stops. 80s High School movies aren't usually this painful to watch. The story had potential to be a fun High School movie, but fell far short of the mark. If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't sleep and it's the only thing on TV, I wouldn't have seen it -- and right now I wish I could have gone with my first impulse and given those sleeping pills a shot.