Shag (1989)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Zelda Barron

Writers:

Lanier Laney (story) &
Terry Sweeney (story) ...

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

On a summer weekend in 1963, four girlfriends made memories that would last a lifetime.

Plot:

Summer of 1963. Carson is getting married to her boyfriend so her friends Melaina, Pudge and Luanne...

Plot Keywords:

Weekend | Beach | American South | Contest | Coming Of Age

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Phoebe Cates	...	Carson
Scott Coffey	...	Chip
Bridget Fonda	...	Melaina
Annabeth Gish	...	Pudge
Page Hannah	...	Luanne
Robert Rusler	...	Buzz
Tyrone Power Jr.	...	Harley
Jeff Yagher	...	Jimmy Valentine
Paul Lieber	...	The Manager
Donald Craig	...	Senator Clatterbuck
Shirley Anne Field	...	Mrs. Clatterbuck
Leilani Sarelle	...	Suette
Carrie Hamilton	...	Nadine
Jay Baker	...	Big Bob
Joe Seely	...	The Creep

Also Known As:

Shag: The Movie

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Florence, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Palace Pictures

Trivia:

The interior set used for the Clatterbug's main home is the exact same set used for their house in Myrtle Beach. A few small changes were made to make it look different.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the announcer introduces the judges, Senator and Mrs. Clatterbuck, Mrs. Clatterbuck's hair is parted down the middle and feathered under her pillbox hat. A minute later, in the same scene, she's wearing the same hat but her hair is just combed back with no part and is not feathered.

Quotes:

Luanne: I think somebody's been here!

Movie Connections:

References "Rocky and His Friends" (1959)

Soundtrack:

The Shag

Lots of romancing and a little dancing

Compared to "Dirty Dancing" or "Footloose," movies of the genre, the content of this film doesn't quite gibe with the title. The Shag was a complicated, embellished and sexually- charged dance between a couple; the film could have expanded on that. If dancing was supposed to be the thread throughout the film, this movie fell a little short. However, the fascinating final dance sequence, about a full five minutes, gave 'the Shag' the focus it deserves.

The plot revolves around four recent high school graduates taking a detour from the parentally-mandated, boring summer weekend at Ft. Sumter, NC; instead, they head off for fun and thrills in Myrtle Beach, SC. The trip is one last fling together for the four girls, with one thing on their minds, landing the man of the marrying kind (this is 1963 after all). Actress Phoebe Cates (Carson), Bridget Fonda (Melaina), and Robert Rusler (Buzz) all do a fine job of acting in the film (Fonda a knockout, Cates a hottie, and Rusler, shirtless, looking buff in his jean cutoffs); however, more impressive were scenes by actor Scott Coffey with Annabeth Gish (Caroline), and Coffey with Donald Craig (Senator Clatterback).

If the film was supposed to be a 'breakout' film for Tyrone Power, Jr., his part was so minimal to the film's progress, and his pairing with the Senator's daughter, Luanne, (horribly overplayed by Page Hannah and overdone by the costuming department) is so improbable that one wonders why he bothered to sign on. He might have been more interesting in the part of "Buzz." All in all, an enjoyable film, a great nostalgia trip of beaches, dancin,' cruisin' and cars. Music, crucial to this type of film, included rhythm-and-blues classics such as Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee" and Billy Ward and His Dominoes' "Sixty Minute Man" (recorded in 1952 and one of the first records to jumpstart rock'n'roll). The final dance sequence was highly enjoyable and endearing, with Coffey and Gish portraying innocent tenderness and joy. One wonders why more weren't included in the film. (Note: A legal dispute ensued regarding the film's soundtrack. This writer review the MGM/UA home entertainment 1998 VHS version. The DVD version, released in 2001, includes the original soundtrack of the theatrical release).