Juke Box

After so many years, I finally watched this, the original Israeli version that was remade in America as The Last American Virgin by the same writer/director Boaz Davidson. Possibly set in the late '50s or early '60s, it concerns three teen boys and their attempts of having sex with various girls/women. But one of them, Benji, has a crush on a new girl named Nikki. Nikki, however, seems more into Benji's friend Bobby. The third boy is their heavyset friend, Huey. Since the set-ups are mostly the same as The Last American Virgin, I'll discuss them when I review that one. For now, I'll just say that I find the characterizations somewhat inconsistent but I guess that's to provide some excuse for easy laughs concerning sexual situations before the surprising ending concerning who ends up with who. Having said that, I did indeed still find those situations funny. And the conclusion is the kind that you'd rarely find in this particular genre of film...

Taking a trip smack dab to the origins of Cannon Films founders Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, I wanted to see the movie that (in a way) launched it all. Equal parts a coming of age story and prerequisite sex film, 'Lemon Popsicle' was pretty much what I expected ... but what a doozy that ending is.

The story is your simple boy meets girl and falls in love in 50's Israel. He tries to get her attention, but to no avail (she's not interested). He has two schoolyard friends and when the good looking, confident boy of the trio sets his sights on his dream girl he isn't able to say or do much. Saying anything more would venture into spoiler territory and give away the third act.

An Israeli production you can see it with an English dub or keep the original language and go for subtitles. The acting is raw, but solid. There's some light crude talk between the boys, but nothing highly offensive. Light nudity as well. There's a lot of vintage American music tracks featured.

'Lemon Popsicle' is a everyday tale at its heart beyond the lite sexual escapades. It holds a lot of real truths and hurts that young boys and grown men alike come to learn the hard way. Potent for 1978, director Boaz Davidson and Cannon Films would do an Americanized remake years later.

Rated R for Language,Sexuality/Nudity and drinking - all involving teens

I was curious to see the film The Last American Virgin.Since I am a teenager(im 15 years old) I enjoy teen movies.I do not just like newer ones such as American Pie or Superbad but I also like the classics such as Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Sixteen Candles.I wanted to see The Last American Virgin because I heard it was fairly realistic.I had heard that it was a remake of an Isreali film from 1978 entitled Lemon Popsicle.When I found the entire movie on youtube, I watched it.Unlike Last American Virgin which took place in the 1980's, Lemon Popsicle takes place in the late 1950's or early 1960's.The best part about this film is the 1950's soundtrack.There are plenty of hits from the fifties in this film.The film is about Benji and his two friends.Benji meets this girl who he falls in love with but this girl has the hots for his best friend who is the stud of the group.The first part of the film is like any other teen sex comedy, there are plenty of funny sexual situations that the characters get into.Then suddenly the film turns from comedy to drama as the girl Benji likes tells him that she is pregnant and his friend will not pay for the abortion.Benji then helps her out and confesses his love to her.You probably will not see the ending coming and I will not spoil it here.Lemon Popsicle is a teen sex comedy which is pretty funny at times and has a good amount of drama as well.It is a fairly hard to find film and has not been released on DVD yet.

Originally available in the UK on Hokushin Home Video (remember them??), this, the first of the Lemon Popsicle series, kind of showed what growing up in the 60s was really like (after the sanitised schmaltz of GREASE). Three horny teenage friends spend most of the film searching for love, sex, and parties, and they find all three in abundance. This film has a magnificent soundtrack of late 50s early 60s classics (which was released on blue vinyl in the UK) and some way over the top comic sequences which belie its non-mainstream production values; this film was made as a German-Israeli co productionby director Boaz Davidson. One of the stars, Zachi Noy, Huey (the overweight kid) has gone on to become a major star in his home country (even starring in a 9th instalment of the series released this year - see the imdb for further details). So, besides the music, I love the romance, I love the comedy, and I love the sex scenes which come across as very dirty in certain scenes. The first two sequels, Going Steady and Hot Bubblegum are also sheer brilliance; the fourth film Private Popsicle is okay, but the fifth in the series BABY LOVE is possibly the most awesome teenage film EVER made!! See it if you can find a copy - come on lets have DVD releases please!! Number 6 is total rubblish, and 7,8, and 9 don't seem to have been translated into English yet (or released in English anyway).

Footnote: Lemon Popsicle was remade in the US in the mid-80s as THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN which also features a phenomenal 80s soundtrack and is recommended to all!! Any other fans of the series please contact me.

Well now then after a comment like that how can I back it up. Well firstly by stating that this is obviously a subjective view.

But to the movie.

This was released in the UK on video in the early 1980's. It's the story of Benji, Bobby and Huey, well atleast those were the names in the English translation. This is an Israeli [not sure if that's how you spell that but you get the point] movie. It tells the story of the Boys search for Love and..... Sex basically. Making the point early on that the two are not necessarily connected.

Benji the "quiet" one falls for a girl who he invites to a party, she says no but then turns up with his best friend, the `good looking' one, True to life or what! She eventually succumbs to Bobby's advances, and gets pregnant, at which point he dumps her. Benji stands by her organising an abortion and paying for it, well I never said this was a family film. At which point as soon as they return home .. well check out the end yourself, if you can get a copy that is, why I don't know but this is almost impossible to obtain a copy of. Other stories revolve around the boys visit to a prostitute, their catching of an embarrassing condition, And their run in with an Italian nymphomaniac while delivering ice.

So basically if you want to categorise this movie it's a sex comedy set in the 1960's. But it's more than that. For a start it has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and the story and characterisation is in my opinion well up to the standard of Hollywood