Regreso a la playa

Twenty some-odd years after livening the beach scene, Annette and Frankie return, helping the viewers along with the already self-explanatory title.

Frankie is an obsessed car dealer who is married to Annette, the perennial optimist. They intend to travel to Hawaii with their son, to see if Frankie can relax. On the way, they stop to see their slightly more liberated daughter in California. When they meet up with members of the old gang, we see how Frankie and Annette re-evaluate their relationship. In the process, they and their children also have an opportunity to share with each other more openly. It's all in good and clean fun, and is more of a family movie than most that intended to be so.

Frankie and Annette, together again. The movie really does contain the silliness of the original beach movies. Not laugh out loud funny but smiles, chuckles and yes, the occasional groan (the good kind...). Nevermind the story, it's' light abnd totally improbable. Again, like the originals.. Look for the jokes, the spoofing of the genre and of Frankie & Annette and the cameos. I mean look at the list...Connie Stevens (more than a cameo, she again plays the "bad girl" that tries to lure Frankie away from Annette), Stevie Ray Vaughan (In a great duet with the King Of The Surf Guitar, Dick Dale... a rare appearance on movie screens by Stevie Ray..), Pee Wee Herman (typically goofy..), Don Adams. Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Barbara Billingsly, Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow (see a theme here?), Bob Denver and Alan Hale, Jr. Great cameos, worked in in insane ways. Hey, even the band Fishbone and Annette do a song called "Jamaican Ska". This isn't "Schindler's List" here, people, it's light, silly comedy for people in light, silly moods. Worth a try is in the mood.. particularly if you have seen some of the "Beach Blanket" movies..

Back to the Beach (1987) was an interesting movie that was produced during the 80's. The Big Kahuna (Frankie Avalon) is a family man now who's wife (Annette) is a preppy housewife who has a kitchen cabinet full of Skippy's peanut butter (creamy) with a 50's housewife aura. She's always smiling and just so happy. The kids are at the rebellious age and are weirded out by their strange behavior. That's until the family heads back to the beach and the kids discover their parents lively background!

You can't go wrong with this movie if you're a big fan of the 60's films that starred Annette and Frankie. A true nostalgia flick filled with several older stars (The Skipper and Gilligan) and new ones (i.e. Pee-Wee Herman). What keeps this from being a real keeper is the way the film ends, but if you're a fan of the stars it wont matter. A nice reunion picture.

Recommended for Beach Blanket Bingo fans. Others yield caution before viewing!

What makes Back to The Beach so enjoyable is the great cast and cameos that pepper this film. We get a followup to those old cheesy beach movies, with a Chevy Chase Vacation kinda feel. The parents are as mixed up as the teenagers and it's of course all just silly st up for some cute musical numbers. While obviously not a classic love story like Dr. Zhivago or even Sleepless in Seattle, it's just a fun kitsch filled family musical picture. How can you resist Pee Wee Herman flying above the beach doing Surfin' Bird with Fishbone, or Dick Dale rocking with Stevie Ray Vaughan? This film is meant to be enjoyed, not analyzed.

As A child I remember watching this film countlessly. I wasn't old enough to remember the beach movies, although throughout the years I came to know and love them. This movie follows Frankie and Annette after they've gotten married and have a couple of kids. I love how it's a movie about how just cause you get older it doesn't mean you have to give up the things that you use to love. This film, much like the original beach movie, is extremely camp. However, it's so funny, if taken with a grain of salt. And Don Adams as the boat master still cracks me up. It's a wonderful family film.