Scream of the Bikini

I saw this moving in Los Angeles recently, and I think the title of this review accurately describes how sexy, funny and entertaining this film is to watch. A spoof on foreign crossover films of the 1960's; it's a sexy-spy-thriller by a fictional South American director and stars. Fernando Fernandez directs Jasmine Orosco (Kelsey Wedeen) as Bridget and Paola Apanapal (Rebecca Larson) as Sophia, in their first English language film. It's kitschy, edgy and silly, set against a '60s hipster backdrop. Beautiful and delightfully dingy Bridget and beautiful and exotically dingy Sophia are super models with secret identities -- they are spies! -- brutal, yes, but they would never miss a nail appointment or go outdoors if they weren't dressed just so. Self-absorbed and narcissistic, but with hearts of gold, or at least, to naive to be conniving, the girls are unlikely but delightful heroes.

Intrigue follows them on their adventure. Humbert, debonair man-about-town and dangerous, is a mystery man. The girls seem taken with him, but where do his loyalties lie? Who are the bad guys, who are the good? Whom can the girls trust? After stumbling across a clue that set them on their way, they romp, stalk and tip toe -- mostly dressed in bikinis -- from a hip Hollywood Hills pool party to a haute couture fashion shoot, out decipher and spoil the hellish plans of evil mastermind, The Chairman. Nevertheless, there's always time for a cocktail or a pillow fight. The girls prove that in the world of spies, it's better to be lucky than good.

The film is very well acted; great characters and unlikely situations abound, along with good pacing and lots of laughs and knee slaps throughout. With a great score, costumes, sets and dialog cadence, director Kiff Scholl does a wonderful job of staying true to the look and feel of this 1960s genre. It's a fun movie going experience I can recommend without caveat or reservation.

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!

Scream of the Bikini, which looks like it was made on a limited budget, is a very funny spoof of those international caper movies of the 1960s. Specifically, the conceit of this film is that it was made in a foreign country in the 1960s and then re-dubbed in English by different (?) actors. Two lovely actresses, Rebecca Larsen and Kelsey Wedeen are the two leads, beautiful supermodels involved in international intrigue. Both actresses are very funny and look gorgeous throughout. Equally beautiful in Kimberly Atkinson as their nemesis. Also contributing very funny performances are Darrett Sanders, Bryan Krasner and Brad Light. There are also cameos by some familiar faces: Taylor Negron, Randolph Mantooth, Walter Koenig and Kirsten Vangsness, among many others; the film is filled with a lot of LA theater vets. I give it a 9/10 - I really enjoyed it but it went on a little too long.

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.