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Back to the Beach (1987) More at IMDbPro »

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40 reviews in total

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15 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
tremendous watchability, 8 November 2004

Author: lane jarsonbeck (NTESLAFAN05@YAHOO.COM) from Tampa, Florida

If you've been to film school or honestly believe black and white film noir somehow has the edge on all other genres then cease reading and go back to your bongo, beret and pretentious clover cigarettes because you will never understand how much fun this film is. Take the icon duo of Frankie and Annette put them in a parody of their own genre add a half dozen cameos from some of the most memorable characters 60's T.V. had to offer add some great casting especially the role of Bobby (Demian Slade) and you have Back to the Beach.

Frankie is an over worked car dealer Annette is an overly optimistic housewife- they opt to take a trip to Hawaii stopping along the way in L.A. to visit their eldest daughter who happens to live on the very beach they once romped as teens. Did I mention their son Bobby (an ashamed to be Frankie and Annettes son donning punk garb and attitude) tags along creating the punchiest of the punchlines and the films narration. There on the beach Frankie finds his daughter dating a surfer and an old flame "losing" Annette in the process while ticking off the local "beach roughians". The plot is great as a parody with the perfect couple playing the leads while the story plays out in old beach film fashion.

It's risqué enough to keep your eyes open but innocent enough in dialogue to show a six year old. Sure the acting is over the top but didn't I mention this was a parody of the "beach films". Add to this a great musical score including Dick Dale and Stevie Ray Vaughn and you have not so much a great film as a very watchable/researchable one.

Is it as good as say Requiem For a Dream no of course not but let me ask: how often can you really watch a man lose his arm while his girl friend reverts to public sodomy for drug money...Go for the FUN!! Go watch Back To The Beach, you won't be disappointed!!!!!

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10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Frankie and Annette get back to their home turf, 3 July 2004

Author: cb795 from Chicago

For those of us who grew up on Beach Party movies, this is a fun revisiting of the genre. Done as a combination homage/spoof to these early/mid 60's drive-in specials, the movie reunites some of the principle players and revisits the myth of California as Shangri-La.

Annette, Frankie, Connie and dozens of guests in cameo roles gently rib the genre and themselves. As usual, Annette and Frankie have some difference of opinions and go off in different directions--even though they have been married for 20 years. Their plots to make each other jealous and the ultimate reconciliation are no surprise, but still make for a pleasant 90 minutes.

Annette and Connie are as lovely as ever. The villains are redeemed in the end and, of course, the "Big Kahuna" overcomes his anxiety and wins the surfing competition(even though he has not been on a board in over 20 years)..

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
If you're not a big old sour puss..., 2 July 2002
Author: Melisande Rupert from SoCal

you'll like this movie..

It's completely non-serious. It doesn't try to BE a beach movie of the 1960's...it tries to be a silly remake.

The costumes and sets are delightful - every known form of beachie cabana style is represented. Annette looks adorable in her cartoonish costumes, and is an inspiration to get out to the beach for all us "old folks."

The cuts with real surfing footage are enough to keep real surfers mesmerized, and the bathing suit styles are updated and sexy.

What more could you want on in the background on a Saturday afternoon?

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
A fun Movie Spoof of Baby boomers Coming of Age, 27 March 2004

Author: oandroplex700 (oandroplex700@aol.com) from BAYSIDE, N.Y.

This a movie that should be taken tongue and cheek, And just enjoyed for the fun it represents and the cameos of all the baby boomer stars. the songs are fun the story is a little silly but its fun to go back and realize how silly things were when we we younger,But I must say that I tottaly enjoyed frankie and annette as well as all the other stars of the flic, I heard a rumor that there was suppose to be a sequal however thats when unfortunatly annette was stricken with M.S. and so that was that ...so follow former mouseketeers and all others get this fun movie when it finnally arives on DVD this summer and enjoy it as I will

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Somewhat Cheesy..., 15 August 2003
Author: Annette Lance (MinxCat) from Davison, Michigan

but very enjoyable, none the less. I'm 26 and still enjoy watching this movie. :) Seeing Annette & Frankie together is like all those 50s beach movies returned - and ya gotta love PeeWee Herman because 'the bird IS the word'! ;)

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
"Say, do you want to hear about an accident I once had?", 18 May 2001

Author: missyp from Seattle, WA

This is a great piece of retro kitsch. Frankie and Annette spoof themselves and their squeaky clean image from the 60s. Loads of inside jokes for those who love the old beach movies. Appearances by Dick Dale, Connie Stevens, OJ Simpson, and Pee Wee Herman are all top notch.

This was the first PG movie I ever saw. I loved it and watched it over and over. Re-watching it for the first time in a decade revealed so many jokes I didn't get as a child. It's great, great, great!!

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Brilliant beach-party satire, 15 March 2003

Author: burtnath (ptrustinov@hotmail.com) from United States

This movie is amazing. Like many other people I used to watch this movie when I was a child. I used to LOVE this movie when I was a child but as I've grown up and have seen more movies I've fully realized the movie's intent. Watch some old beach party movies then watch "Back to the Beach" and appreciate it for what it is; brilliant satire of the whole beach-party genre with Frankie and Annette making fun of themselves better than anyone ever could.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Back to the Beach for Frankie and Annette!, 25 January 2005

Author: Captain_Couth (sirjosephu@aol.com) from Sacramento, CA

Back to the Beach (1987) was an interesting movie that was produced during the 80's. The Big Kahuna (Frankie Avalon) is a family man now who's wife (Annette) is a preppy housewife who has a kitchen cabinet full of Skippy's peanut butter (creamy) with a 50's housewife aura. She's always smiling and just so happy. The kids are at the rebellious age and are weirded out by their strange behavior. That's until the family heads back to the beach and the kids discover their parents lively background!

You can't go wrong with this movie if you're a big fan of the 60's films that starred Annette and Frankie. A true nostalgia flick filled with several older stars (The Skipper and Gilligan) and new ones (i.e. Pee-Wee Herman). What keeps this from being a real keeper is the way the film ends, but if you're a fan of the stars it wont matter. A nice reunion picture.

Recommended for Beach Blanket Bingo fans. Others yield caution before viewing!

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Great Movie, with Great Characters, and wonderful light touch, 10 August 2000

Author: Bill Davis from Ghent, KY

Of course this movie won't mean much to you if you don't know who Frankie and Annette and Connie Stevens are, but that makes you ignorant, that doesn't make the movie bad. I can't believe the negative comments I've been reading. This is a wonderful movie parody of the old themes of the beach movies. It has a great cast with many funny lines and a wonderful light touch that doesn't take itself too seriously and throws in bizarre touches like Pee Wee Herman appearing out of nowhere to sing "Surfin' Bird." It was quite a feat for them to make funny characters out of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello as a middle-aged couple; they weren't exactly known for their great acting or comedy talent. Their son in the movie was one of the most enjoyable movie characters of the 1980's. Every scene in the movie brings a smile. Great Stuff.

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
fun, family flavored fare, 20 February 2005

Author: lilmike-1 from United States

What makes Back to The Beach so enjoyable is the great cast and cameos that pepper this film. We get a followup to those old cheesy beach movies, with a Chevy Chase Vacation kinda feel. The parents are as mixed up as the teenagers and it's of course all just silly st up for some cute musical numbers. While obviously not a classic love story like Dr. Zhivago or even Sleepless in Seattle, it's just a fun kitsch filled family musical picture. How can you resist Pee Wee Herman flying above the beach doing Surfin' Bird with Fishbone, or Dick Dale rocking with Stevie Ray Vaughan? This film is meant to be enjoyed, not analyzed.

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