Surf II

I can't understand why those of you here that poo-poo "Surf II" DO poo-poo "Surf II". I saw it on HBO in the mid '80's shortly after it came out. I've ALWAYS thought it was a BRILLIANT movie! Very funny! And more stars than you can shake a stick at.

Most of the bad comments here tend to focus on all sorts of technical stuff and it detracts from the fun of the movie. Just sit back and watch the damn thing! Stop nitpicking! It's not SUPPOSED to be "Gone With The Wind". One of you said, "turn off your brain and enjoy!", (or something like that). I think you should turn ON your brain. There are so many "hidden" references and jokes in this it makes it fun to watch every time you see it, because you catch on to things you missed the previous viewing. The same thing happens to me everytime I watch The Monkees' film, "Head", or Patrick McGoohan's t.v. show, "The Prisoner", or when I listen to a Firesign Theatre record. It makes the movie fresh everytime you watch it.

There IS a plot line and the movie DOESN'T fizzle towards the end. For me, it's right up there with movies like, "Back To The Beach", "Hardware Wars", "Airplane" and the other Zucker Brothers/Kentucky Fried Theatre movies.

One of my fave scenes in "Surf II" is the garbage eating contest between Johnny Bighead and one of the punk zombies. That, and Johnny taking a chainsaw to the roof of a pink Cadillac as his mother, Mrs. Bighead, asks, "Johnny, which car are you taking?" Johnny says, "The convertible." Mrs. Bighead, still in her bathrobe and curlers, steps outside and says, "What convertible??!!", as Johnny and throws his brother, Little Bighead, into the back seat and drives off to the beach, "Bau Bau!!".

Contrary to what one reviewer here said, there was only one or two shots of naked breasts. Neither shot lasted more than a few seconds.

What got me interested in seeing the film in the first place was when Carol Wayne (who died shortly after the film was made) was a guest on the Tonight Show plugging the movie and said to Johnny Carson, "'Surf II' is the third part of a trilogy to which there is no first part". Aha! A Lewis Carroll style advertisement! Twisted logic! My favourite kind! (-;

So, please, kids, go see this movie if you EVER have the chance, and would somebody PLEASE release it on video or DVD already???? I've been looking for a copy ever since I first saw it on HBO. So far, all I've been able to get is a video someone copied for me from HBO 18 years ago, but it has lots of t.v. ghosts all through it (he was picking up signals from other channels at the same time), so it's almost unwatchable, especially during the night or dark scenes. )-:

Enjoy!! Oh, and Ron Palillo played the part of Inspector Underwear, not "Lt. Underwear".

On behalf of the previous comment I must state-that I can only wish I was fortunate enough to see this film in theaters when it opened in 84, being that i was only 5 at the time, and don't believe it played in the 'god forsaken South, at least not in Arkansas. I'm sure it wasn't a possibility for my viewing pleasure.

Guess what, I hate big budget films, save the Bond epics, and I love B movies, mostly the ones from the 80's- if you want a hardcore piece of hilarity this film is it.

By the by, Eddie Deezen is a geek Hero if they're ever was one, and I rather liked Eric Stolts as a surfer dude. Last but not least a totally radical soundtrack. Stray Cats, Oingo Boingo, and the Circle Jerks all on one album-this rules!

I picked up this movie mainly out of curiosity. The front of the box looked interesting and the back only featured a long list of bands whose music is used in the movie; no mention of actors or plot summary. In many ways, it's a very typical 80's party movie seeing as it features:

i) a weak plot- this is the strange thing about a lot of 80's movies. The plot is so weird it totally blows any chance of the movie focusing on character development or virtually any other element. This particular movie is about a nerd (played beautifully by Eddie Deezen) who is trying to get revenge on surfers because they spiked his cola back in high school. His plan is a new drink, "Buzz Cola" that is designed to turn its drinkers into punk rock zombies.

ii) formula characters- another great feature of 80's movies. You've got suffer dudes, loose girlfriends, a fat guy famous for his eating ability, an evil genius nerd, zombies who look like George Michael from his leather days; etc. Deezen is probably the best cast of the bunch.

iii) female frontal nudity- show me an 80's movie without T&A and I'll... well, I don't know what I'd do, I doubt such a movie exists. It isn't exactly gratuitous here so don't expect a softcore porn fest.

iv) gross outs- from eating contests involving engine parts and dead fish, to an autopsy and a sandwich filled with "special" sauce.

All that being said, this movie is a lot of fun. It's a good movie to put on at a party because I'm sure alcohol would only add to its appeal. If you get a chance to cheaply rent it or buy it, it's no worse than a lot of other movies made around the same time. Give it a whirl.

Eddie Deezen you magnificent bastard! Hollywood never did come close to fully utilizing this remarkably nerdy actors full potential or talent, nor his singular screen presence. But rest assured it's with the epic comedy "Surf 2" from 1983 that they came their closest, as it is easily Eddie's best movie and a real treasure for Deezen fans and all fan's of 80's cornball cinema. Every single aspect of this ridiculous, somewhat scatter-brained comedy is distinctively and unmistakably 80's in nature and it's ONLY in the 80's when movies like Surf 2 were made. As some other reviewers have stated, this charming slice of celluloid boasts a "strange intensity" that few other comedies possess (film snobs would say that that's a good thing, but boo-hoo to them!) and they'd be correct as this movie, for the most part, is fast paced and riotous from the get go. "Coke-fueled madness from the 80's" is yet another amusing quote, which is probably accurate when speaking of the rampant lunacy that is Surf 2!

Surf 2 is a strange and scatter-brained comedic hybrid, being both a "beach movie" as well as a "mad scientist movie" and that's the part where Eddie Deezen comes in, he's an evil, vengeful "wizard" named Menlo Schwartzer, who wants his revenge against the local surfers. So what else is there to do other than to concoct "Buzzz Cola" which is central to this movies.... plot, if you're comfortable using such a word when describing the wildly zany shenanigans of Surf 2. To further his plan, Menlo uses (as a surfer-boy bait) a lovely young blonde hottie (Australian actress Linda Kerridge) to lure them into his madness, Menlo's Madness - which happens to be under the sea. "Given the evidence I think even eggplant could've figured that one out".

Some may be surprised by the R-rating that this utterly harmless and feather-weight comedy tote's. That's no doubt due to it's heavy T & A factor, because throughout this film there are numerous shots of hot topless beach beauties frolicking about the beach, plus there are a few F-Bombs dropped here and there and some other naughty words. I suppose it isn't suitable for viewers under the age of 12 - but if your kids are any older than that... please.

Blaring throughout it's duration is a loud and boisterous soundtrack that's a combination of Dick Dale, The Beach Boys, Oingo Boingo and many other artists, mostly from the early 80's if I'm not mistaken. The movies carefully picked tunes only serve to enhance the vibe of this cornball movie, in the form of a perpetual undercurrent of sleaze and tastelessness - not at all unlike what the soundtrack for "The Wraith" (see review) does for that movie; but one things for sure, in both cases their loud n' rockin' soundtracks really do quicken the pace of these movies - both of which are gems of the 80's.

And another thing, if you like the comedy "Joysticks" (an even better movie!) released just months earlier, then you should love Surf 2 as well, as their both VERY much cut from the same cloth, right down to the casting, because in at least a few cases it's the SAME cast.

Yep Surf 2, a movie of absolute pure-nonsense, simply rules if you just turn off your brain when watching it, because big fun is to be had - if you will let yourself.

To re-cap: This is definitely Eddie Deezen's best work, as the evil-nerd-wizard "Menlo Scwartzer" - the proud inventor/wunderkind of Buzzz Cola!

Surf 2 = A-Rate Cinematic Cheese. (Oh and just to be clear, there is no Surf 1 or Surf 3, so don't bother).

This is what a Frankie and Annette movie would have been like if everyone involved had been huffing bags full of airplane glue. The jokes are only (barely) funny if you're totally zooted (you know what I mean!), the performances suck and Eric Stoltz should be forever ashamed, but how can you totally hate a film whose John Belushi knockoff character is named "Johnny Bighead?" His mom is even named Mrs.Bighead! He even runs around screaming the wannabe-catch phrase " Ah Bau Bauu!!!" Oh, and the soundtrack is really, REALLY '80's, including a version of Oingo Boingo's "Only A Lad" that I've never heard anywhere else. And don't drink the BUZZ Cola!