Very disappointing...

Good movie but grossly overrated

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Okay, leave your brain behind. After all, this is the first installment of moviedom's biggest celebration of mindless fluff. Okay, no one's expecting Oscar bait from a title like Beach Party, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Between the sunny swimsuit foreplay and California's sand, sea, and surf, it's the peak of pre-Vietnam hedonism. And a heckuva lot of fun it is for those unashamed to say so. Annette and Frankie, Frankie and Annette, he loves her, she loves him. But first they have to find each other amid all the other shaking' and wigglin' going on. And, oh yes, there's one-finger warrior Bob Cummings to carry the acting load, along with a perfectly groomed Dorothy Malone to keep him company. Add a goofy Jody MacCrea and a fractured Harvey Lembeck, and there're chuckles aplenty. Then there's perpetual motion Candy Johnson. Hook her up to a power plant and she'll light up LA. And catch those sunsets over the glorious Pacific. Hard to believe there was ever a carefree time like this for teens. But then, isn't this what the Hollywood Dream Machine is for. Here, it's hitting on all eight, and happily so. (It seems not fair to rate this ad for Surfin' USA on the usual scale. But on the Fluff Meter it rates a '10'.)

"Frankie" (Frankie Avalon) and his girlfriend "Dolores" (Annette Funicello) are on their way to the beach for what Frankie hopes is a weekend alone with Dolores. Unfortunately for Frankie, Dolores is slightly more conventional and has invited the rest of their surf gang to meet them there. This results in a spat between Frankie and Dolores. At the same time, a professor by the name of "Robert Sutwell" (Bob Cummings) just happens to have rented a beach house right next to the place where Frankie and the gang are staying so that he can study the primitive mating rituals of American surfers. For his research he needs to make the acquaintance of one of the surfers and Dolores is only too happy to spend time with the professor because she wants to make Frankie jealous. In return Frankie decides to make Dolores jealous by showering his affection on a beautiful foreign barmaid by the name of "Ava" (Eva Six). Throw in some bikers, beatniks, beach music along with some scantily clad men and women into a sexually charged atmosphere and the end result is a fun movie which stretches the boundaries but doesn't quite break them. Now, although this is not the first "beach movie" ever made this particular picture—along with its predecessor "Gidget" a few years earlier—was pretty much responsible for the introduction of a brand new sub-genre of film. Although it is certainly dated and some people may not quite understand all the nuances it's still worth a watch for people who enjoy movies of this type.

I find it very difficult not to like Beach Party. While it may seem dated by today's standards, it is interesting to see surfing done this way and how people acted and I thought it added to its charm. My only real problem with Beach Party actually is the banal subplot between Sutwell and Marianne that seemed to come from a completely different movie altogether. Bob Cummings however is very likable, and Dorothy Malone is resourceful with some nice lines. Her character may seem somewhat worthless compared to this subplot, but not because of her performance. The rest of the performances are also fine, Harvey Lembeck seems to be enjoying himself, and the leads Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello(it's easy why anybody would have a crush on her) are really charming and sweet. Vincent Price also has a nice if brief cameo. The film looks colourful, and the soundtrack is very catchy and drives it wonderfully. The pacing is zippy, the characters are appealing and the story is rarely dull. The dialogue has its wit and fun too, if perhaps very of the time. All in all, charming, likable and fun, very difficult not to enjoy regardless of whether it's perfect or not. 8/10 Bethany Cox

*Spoiler/plot- 1963, A young couple rents a secluded romantic summer beach house but their friends 'crash' the house only to use it for a beach party and crash pad. The couple is furious at the gang and themselves. They attempt to make each other jealous with concocting summer romantic 'flings' with many beach area locals. A local motorcycle gang intervenes in this lover's spat when it's leader gets infatuated with the lead female character. Only through the intervention of the young couple's beach gang and a mysterious anthropologist temporarily living at the beach to study the summer 'surf youth' culture does the film resolve itself with a pie-throwing conclusion and Big Daddy finally speaking to the beach locals.*Special Stars- Bob Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Harvey Lembeck, Jody McCrea, Meredith McRea, Candy Johnson, Morey Amsterdam, and Dick Dale and the Del Tones.*Theme- Kids just want to have fun at the beach.*Based on- Southern California 'Surf' culture and Motorcycle culture.*Trivia/location/goofs- The first of the southern Californian "surf and beach" film genre. Features many pop songs by Avalon, Funicello, and Dick Dale & his band. Funicello was still under contract to Walt Disney from her Mouseketeer Days and got Uncle Walt's permission to do the beach shows in an un-revealing matronly bikini. Two new actors (kids of major movie stars) are featured: Jody McCrea and Meredith McRea. 'Candy' Johnson is the Go Go Dancer of special note. Harvey Lembeck's comedy motorcycle character is a spin-off of Marlon Brando's "The Wild Ones" role (Jonnie) and Lembeck's real son will become a famous and wanted TV sitcom director. An interesting cameo role is Vincent Prices near the end of the film as "Big Daddy". Mr. Price was a American International main star and made his career in its horror genre films with other classic actors. Eva Six plays the "Frankie" bar waitress love interest in a delivering a confusing "Marilyn Monroe V.S. Zsa Zsa Gabor" performance. The beach sequences were shot at Leo Carrillo and Latigo Beach above Malibu Beach. Look for some continuity goofs with the Yoga Girls wearing their wrap-around sunglasses, Ava's black hosiery 'changes' in mid café dance, and some obvious microphone boom shadows in the café "Big Daddy's".*Emotion- An enjoyable but rather crazy surf movie featuring the sights, dances and songs of that early 60's era. It's a vintage American International (Orion Pictures now) B-Movie drive-in comedy laced with laughs, morality & music fun. A bouncy musical about the 60's beach party vacation break society with some exposure of the rough motorcycle club crowd. This film is a comedic 'slice of life' for the era and age group.