Joy of Sex

Most people would probably say that the "National Lampoon" franchise jumped the shark in later years, but it was bad as early as this time. They just happened to be making better movies featuring the Griswold family. This isn't quite one of the worst comedies I've ever seen. That's probably only because modern bad comedies are worse and constantly use fart and poop jokes. Much of the humor in this film comes from making jokes about animal genitalia. The funniest bit is when the teacher says she wishes she could teach in kindergarten where sex was a word no one understood.

The basic plot is that a girl thinks she's going to die soon and tries to lose her virginity. They use the old out of context eavesdropping trope. The fact that there's a bunch of misbehaving young adults makes it seem like they were trying to cash in on the success of "Animal House". Then again, this was based on a book...loosely apparently. It's weird how this could even be considered a National Lampoon movie if it was based on something else. The story is mostly pointless and the characters are bland. *1/2

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.

Pretty tame and in spite of the random humour of site gags, a few wacky characterisations and the very occasional one-liner, it's also mostly bereft of comedy. What's left is a coming-of-age story concerning high school senior (Meyrink), who mistakenly believing she only has weeks to live, tries to "seal the deal" and lose her virginity. Lisa Langlois plays her bestie, as the two manufacture a series of oddball situations in which the deed can be done.

There's a couple of funny moments (e.g. Paul Tully's self-absorbed anchorman trying to cajole Meyrink into a sleazy motel shag), but mostly the capable cast is just wasted in embarrassing, undignified characterisations. An exception to this is Joanne Baron's bookish school mistress characterisation, humiliated by her adolescent tormentors at every opportunity; sexualised pranks are the order of the day for the ill-disciplined students of this particular school establishment, much to the frustration of hard-line principal Ernie Hudson.

Interesting to see Hudson and Lloyd just ahead of their career-defining moments in "Ghostbusters" and "Back to the Future" respectively, while I could have sworn it was Jeff Daniels playing the sleaze-bag reporter, alas, it was Paul Tully (no disrespect intended). Hastily concluded the plot holes have been papered over and the film leaves you to presume more than it resolves. It's quirky but ultimately not among the best of its eighties' breed.

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 has several scenes that are very funny to watch interspersed with a lot of chaff. The director attempted to juggle far too many subplots, many of which are given short shrift in the mixed-up editing. In the end, it looks like one person directed about two films' worth of footage which was then thrown in a blender by another person to create the finished work. Names change from one scene to another, subplots are forgotten, characters are introduced only to be left by the wayside. All that aside, however, there are a few very funny scenes; the two main characters, both of whom spend the entire film trying to get laid (you'll never guess what happens at the end) are appealing.