Vacances de folie

Well, plenty of film producers during the 1980s, eager to capitalize on the success of Animal House, released hilarious movies that all had the same basic formula: good natured but mischievous college kids, naked coeds, a minimal plot, and plenty of gut bursting comedy scenes. Fraternity Vacation, like its predecessors (Porky's, Caddyshack, Revenge of the Nerds) has all of this and more, this time in opulent Palm Springs. It's such a shame that film critics turn their noses up at these fine flics and instead praise inferior "dramatic comedies" for their alleged intellectual complexity, when in reality it is political opinions and pressure which shape their faulty viewpoints. I would much rather watch a good natured comedy like this than something like Kramer vs Kramer, Mrs Doubtfire, or Scent of a Woman, all of which are excessively hyped because of their issue based themes. Fraternity Vacation has everything that's fun: love, friendship, light sex, beer drinking, jokes, music, and no violence or heavy mood dampeners (of which all true comedies are devoid). The actors are all talented and pleasing to watch. Fraternity Vacation is often shown on network tv, premium cable and basic cable, although on tv it is heavily edited (I recommend the unedited version). I urge anyone who hasn't seen it but loves good comedy to watch Fraternity Vacation, it's definitely a fun, witty film.

Wow, what an impression this movie and other movies like this made on me as a kid. I had thought, "Wow, I can't wait to go to college!" Upon a more recent viewing of this film, it had lost its luster. There are some great moments, for example the arrival to Palm Springs in traffic, which is pretty much dead on accurate, at least compared to Myrtle Beach spring break, even to this day. Unfortunately after that, very little could be considered realistic. The biggest issues I have with this movie are the 35 year old college frat guys, particularly the rich guys who were nothing but a 80's "Biff" device that are not believable in the slightest. These guys not only look 35, they act and dress as if they were 45, even while on spring break?

Also, the fun of the movie turns purely mediocre once the whole tired "bet" sequence begins (haven't we seen this before verbatim?).

Luckily, the ending turns out pretty solid however. One note to mention, the "nerd getting his day", another overused 80's device, is actually done better than average in this movie. One "neat factor" in this movie is seeing Tim Robbins in a role that most people would never believe he was in, but keep in mind that this was before his breakout success in Bull Duram. Heck, if someone offers me a role in a B level spring break movie, I wouldn't turn it down either! The only problem is that I am not 35 yet, and these days you have to be near 30 just to play a high schooler on TV shows (like Smallville) so maybe when I am 40? Overall, this is a fun movie that is best watched with a few beers and some friends, but don't even try to watch this one dead sober!!!

White suits college and chicks, the s***, shame for many of us this only a fantasy. No where near believeable, this movie dishes out a lot of crap for us to try and swallow, it was shallow and amterial, I loved every second of it

One of my favorite pastimes is scanning old pawn shops and video stores for movies that are long out of print and fit firmly in cheezy genres like campy horror or teen sex romps. Thankfully, cheap DVD pressings of these movies are starting to surface more and more often. I picked up this title at Walmart for $2.88 Canadian.

It's neat to see Tim Robbins in one of his earlier roles. The movie itself is quite watchable, but far from a masterpiece of comedy. The acting is not as bad as some I have seen and there are a few laughs. Pick this one up if you get the chance. It's got a pretty good soundtrack (if you like 80's cheese)and a no brainer plot whose twists you can spot from 20 miles away. The DVD is a really clean print and is not filled with digital artifacts like so many of these cheaper releases. The audio (music and dialogue) is crisp and well mastered. COnsidering this film is nearly 20 years old, I was surprised that I hadn't heard of it sooner. It dosen't quite have the potential for a cult classic, being inferior to Animal House and Ski School, but it would be fun at a party. Tim Robbins is really great and gets quite a bit of screen time. The women are quite attractive and there is some gratuitous nudity (classic 80's formula).

I wouldn't say this was the best movie ever made, but it is highly watchable. Basic plot: Tim Robbins ("Shawshank Redemption") and Cameron Dye (...don't really know) go on a free-ride vacation to Palm Springs with nerdy frat pledge Stephen Geoffreys ("Evil Ed from "Fright Night") in the hopes of partying and getting laid. Meet Hot Chick, check. Meet rival frat boys, check. The 'bet' about who gets to nail Hot Chick first, check. Boobs and beer, check. Feel-good ending where everyone becomes friends, check. Typical 80's Sex Comedy Formula.

Good points: Seeing Tim Robbins before he made it big was interesting. The Hot Chick wasn't the stereotypical dumb bimbo, also refreshing. Lastly, Stephen Geoffreys was adorable as the good-hearted nerd Wendell. Always had a soft spot for that actor; he plays downtrodden nerds/geeks/dorks with such verve. All the more surreal when you think about his future career in, erm, adult cinema...not that there's anything wrong with it! (couldn't help the "Seinfeld" reference there!)

Bad points: the MUSIC! I know 80's cheese is 80's cheese, but this was particularly bad. Shocking that it was Brad Fiedel that did the music for this movie, when you compare to his later work in "Fright Night" and the first 2(or 3?) "Terminator" movies. Truly iconic scores in those flicks...