California Girls

I guess getting old is putting holes in my memory. I thought it was called "California Dreaming" or similar. I see on the art it also says "California Dreams", maybe it was called something else when it aired. Anyway. I was an impressionable 19 year old in 1985, living in a small town in Kansas. I saw this show and it inspired me to join the Air Force the very next day, as a way to get out of my routine. I'm sure I don't recall production quality or acting, but it did have an impact on my life as motivation to make a change.

This film essentially begins with a young auto mechanic named "Nathan Bowzer" (Robby Benson) telling his good friend "Ernie" (Ernie Hudson) about one day going to California in order to escape the harsh winter there in New Jersey. Having heard him say this many times before, Ernie simply nods his head and tries to keep things positive. Even so, thanks in large part to a television commercial featuring a beautiful model basking in the California sunshine, Nathan continues to dream about moving there one day. Then, as fate would have it, after enduring yet another family squabble at the dinner table the night before, Nathan actually books a one-way ticket to California where he hopes to start a brand-new life. Not only that, but he also happens to meet the exact same model from the television commercial and soon falls madly in love with her. What he doesn't count on, however, is how difficult it will be for a naïve young man from New Jersey to actually adapt to the California lifestyle. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, even though this film is billed as a comedy, there really isn't that much humor to be found here. It does, however, have an endearing quality due in large part to the acting of both Robby Benson and, to a lesser extent, Ernie Hudson. Likewise, I thought that Martha Longley (as the fashion model named "Heather") was a perfect fit for her part as well. Be that as it may, while I don't consider this to be a great film by any means, I suppose it had its moments and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I'm surprised nobody has reviewed this one. First post, I'll try to make it good. (Brief Story Line) Robbie Benson plays a young kid in search of a better life and better weather in California. Before his flight he falls asleep and dreams the perfect California dream. When he finally arrives, he finds the West coast a lot colder than in his dreams. Not the weather, the people. Near the end a tiny bright spot appears in that he sees a girl who appeared in his dream previously. A nice all around good film. Doesn't seem to be available anywhere but if it pops up on TV, give it a look. As Always, Martin Mull is fabulous as the selfish con-man. This film makes you really feel for the "nice guy".

This comedy movie has an all star cast which is why it is puzzling that it is not available anywhere on video, DVD and/or Blu-Ray. It is a great comedy displaying the stereotype between the laid-back style of the California West to the fast-paced style of the New Jersey/ NY East. When Robbie Benson goes out to L.A. to meet the girl of his dreams, he has all the preconceived notions of what it will be like and find in California. It is a very funny and enjoyable movie to watch. It stars Robbie Benson, Tawny Kitaen, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Martin Mull, Doris Roberts who plays the mom in the show Everybody Loves Raymond. Will some movie studio PLEASE put this out on DVD.

The complete movie is available on YouTube in fairly decent quality picture and sound come although there are some YouTube channels showing the whole movie in really old crappy VHS quality and sound, which goes along with one of them that included all the commercials of all the crappy cars that were being sold in this country in the mid 1980s. That one's a real time capsule; watch the movie on old 12 inch CRT TV.

Besides the light comedy, there's a deeper message of the idyllic image of Southern California sold to all of us during the 1960s, with the bikini cloud girls on the beach and the beach boys singing surfing songs against the reality of it being a tough place to make it. That was captured in songs like "do you know the way to San Jose" by Dionne Warwick and" they say it never rains in southern California"

Overall this is a really enjoyable movie made in better times as opposed to television in streaming services today which focus almost entirely on bad people committing crimes and doing really bad things.