Recruits

I keep watching Rafal Zielinski's 1980s T&A comedies even though I readily acknowledge that they aren't very good. They all seem to have a hard-to-explain likability to them even though the jokes consistently miss the mark and there isn't much to enjoy about them except for bare female flesh and a nostalgia factor if you're a child of the 80s.

In Recruits, the characters we are supposed to like are actually somewhat likable, which is not generally the case in Zielinski's films. As in all of Zielinski's efforts, the cast seems to be having a good time and they aren't taking their roles too seriously. And from a purely superficial perspective, there's plenty of attractive nude skin on display, most notably from Lolita Davidovich.

Unfortunately, the film simply isn't funny, which is obviously a fatal flaw for a comedy. Had I watched this movie when I was 13, or before the internet made nudity a click away, I might have enjoyed the over-the-top slapstick combined with copious amounts of nudity. But at three times that age, the proceedings got old pretty quick.

Worth watching if 80s sex comedies make you nostalgic. Otherwise, I suggest you pass on this one.

The dreaded 'Police Academy' series was considered by many a snobbish movie buff to be the ultimate in low-brow, tasteless humor. Imagine how those film-snobs must feel seeing something like 'Recruits' - an even more tasteless take on the same premise.

I, for one, love it! Never had a problem with (most of) the 'Police Academy' movies, and this makes me laugh even harder because the humor is even more juvenile and gross. There's something about a movie that just doesn't even try to show a little restraint that tends to crack me up in a 'I can't believe they did this' kind of way. Another good example of this is 'Hamburger: The Motion Picture".

The jokes are brazenly funny, the acting isn't very good - even by a young Lolita Davidovich (who was still going by Lolita David at the time) but it works, there are generous amounts of gratuitous t&a, and the bad guy's right hand man is so over the top I can't stop laughing anytime he's on. He barks everything he says to the recruits and shouts one specific word for greater effect (e.g. "There will be no WOMEN in your ROOMS!!!"). It's hard to describe how funny it is in the movie, you just have to hear it.

Anyway, 'Recruits' is great - I first fell in love with it when I rented it back in 1986 (if I remember correctly, the store just got it in and I was the first one to rent it) and I now own my own VHS copy which I watch every couple of years and laugh all over again. We need a DVD!

Despite the obvious restrictions in low-budget commercial film-making, the numerous funny, stupid, gritty and sexy ideas in this 'Police Academy' take-off, spring out at every turn, due in most part to the creativity of Canadian producer Maurice Smith of Maurice Smith Productions.

Kudos to lovely Lolita Davidovich riding around nude in a mayor's limo during a big-city parade; the gorgeous Elizabeth Harden and her sweet turn as a yacht owner's wife; 6-year old Sasha Dolgy challenging a Harley-riding cop to a drag race; the absolutely wild motorcycle stunts; and a great theme-song "Recruits - Ride Hard Live Free" by Michael Stevens and Curtis Lee (ideal for any number of motorcycle/car commercials).

There are some good ideas here ...

Does this film look like a Canadian Type film??? No, especially since it was done in Toronto back in '86 when most Canadian films all looked like CBC had it by the balls. This film has a lot of up coming actors ...like Lolita D. / Mike McDonald / .... It looks very American and if it were released in the year 2000, it would still hold up as being entertaining. Any ways...most of the best Police Academy films were done in Toronto.

This was clearly made to cash in on the Police Academy films which were popular at the time. It's about a bunch of dopes who are recruited to join the police force in a small town and the predictable comedic problems which ensue. The comedy is about as desperate as you can get and there is lots of footage of people on motorbikes. It makes you wonder if the producers were trying to make a biker film. Stick with the Police Academy films instead!