Vacances de folie

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).

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

Fraternity Vacation is the classic teen comedy that follows 'Mother' (Tim Robbins) and Joe (Cameron Dye), two fraternity boys, utilizing nerdy Wendell (Stephen Geoffreys) whose parents' promise of helping their fraternity if they "teach him a few of the tricks of the trade" will have them spending time in sunny Palm Springs committed to their mission but also on trying to win a bet with two rival fraternity members.

You can tell how influential movies like this were for what would later come in the late 90s and 2000s. Teens doing what they like better: partying, chasing romantic interests, drinking, pulling pranks, etc. As usual in movie of those years, the actors weren't exactly young enough to play these roles: Tim Robbins had 27 years when the movie came out; Cameron Dye 26.

One of the things the movie does well is in keeping you engaged since it is a very eventful movie despite the natural lacks of its kind. When the trio arrives at Palm Springs, they lose no time and go to the swimming pool to meet some ladies. It doesn't take long for two girls to approach them and what began in chit chat progresses to the boy's room where Mother and Joe's euphoria upon ogling the attractive Marianne (Kathleen Kinmont) and Chrissie (Barbara Crampton) would make the Cheshire Cat's smile pale in comparison. The fun continues when the duo meets Charles (Leigh McCloskey) and J. C. (Matt McCoy), members of a rival fraternity, and they suggest the idea of betting on who they consider the most attractive girl, Ashley (Sheree J. Wilson). The first one to be with her wins 1000$.

Fraternity Vacation leans on silly jokes and prejudices to produce humor, some of the times succeeding, other times not so much. It is full of implausible events as most of these movies, rushed situations, underdeveloped characters, and simplistic unpretentious aims. Nonetheless it manages to be better than most of its kind where bad-taste humor consists of the go-to formula. Comparing Fraternity Vacation to something like American Pie would be like comparing Caviar to a Hot Dog.

All I have to say is Kathleen Kinmont and Barbra Crampton's scene is worth the rental alone!!! But anyways, This is a pretty fun and entertaining 80's teen comedy with an all-star cast. Tim Robbins, Stephan Geoffreys (Fright Night), and Cameron Dye (Valley Girl) are three buddies from Ohio State who travel to Palm Springs to spend spring break. There happens to be some rival frat guys there on vacation too. Eventually they make a bet to see which one could get laid first. There are some classic lines and some unexpectedly funny moments. Geoffreys (who went on to do pornography) is yet again playing the weird and bizarre nerd role (much like Fright night). Amanda Bearse his Fright Night co-star even pops up in the film. You get scream queens Crampton (re-animator) and Kinmont(Halloween4) nude together in the same scene and there is some decent t&a through out. Tim Robbins and Cameron Dye are the real leads of the film and both do a great job playing the horny frat guys. John Vernon is great as usual as the hard-nosed Sheriff who hates vacationers.