Zuma Beach

September. 27,1978      
Rating:
5.2
Trailer Synopsis Cast

A fading rock singer goes to the beach to get away from it all and winds up getting involved in the lives of the teenage beachgoers.

Suzanne Somers as  Bonnie Katt
Steven Keats as  Jerry McCabe
Kimberly Beck as  Cathy
Perry Lang as  Billy
Michael Biehn as  J.D.
Les Lannom as  Stan
Rosanna Arquette as  Beverly
Gary Imhoff as  Frank
Leonard Stone as  Johnson
Steve Franken as  Rick

Reviews

CrawlerChunky
1978/09/27

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

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Livestonth
1978/09/28

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

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Guillelmina
1978/09/29

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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Billy Ollie
1978/09/30

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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moonspinner55
1978/10/01

Pop singer in Los Angeles is told the record business has forgotten her--she had a hit single two years ago, but her last album lost money. She responds to this rejection by driving to the beach, her childhood sanctuary, to play in the sand and flirt with the impressionable kids. This is history repeating itself: a sun-kissed 1970s update of the beach party genre, which hadn't been in vogue since the mid-'60s. Although written by John Carpenter (in his salad days) and William Schwartz, from a treatment by John Herman Shaner and Alvin Ramrus, this TV-movie has sunshine and wet sand to spare but doesn't have the hormone-crazed teenager lingo down right (everyone under 18 talks like a beleaguered adult). Suzanne Somers, still riding high with "Three's Company", shows polish in the lead, but the younger players are hit-and-miss. Rosanna Arquette needs help rolling a joint, P.J. Soles is tired of playing volleyball, Timothy Hutton is training to be a lifeguard, Michael Biehn ("J.D.") ruins Suzanne's sandcastle, and Tanya Roberts (with a belly-chain) is a knockout pretending to be just another dateless chick in the crowd. Not credible for an instant, and embarrassing when it tries for seriousness, but at least the scenarists keep it relatively clean. These kids want romance! How's that for a beach come-on?

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charlespc007-1
1978/10/02

I was 15 when this ABC movie of the week came out. Miss Somers being hot off the second season of Three's Company and growing in popularity, was adorable in this beach movie. Shot on the West Coast, the scenery was breathtaking. In 1978, i'm sure that executives at ABC must have wanted to capitalize on this 'Blonde of the hour' but giving her this role. Her acting in this movie was fine. It wasn't a comedy like Three's company, but it was more on relationships and the coming of age with these teenage kids. I liked the way she talked to the teenagers, she was some kind of mother figure to them. Anyway she was real pretty and really approachable. I like Suzanne Somers, i think of all the sex bombs of the 70's she's the one that aged most gracefully.

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lockwood-10
1978/10/03

Hi people. Hey, this movie came out when I was about 21 and I remember feeling about the same way everyone did in this movie. I was in Los Angeles (Hermosa Beach-Hi Terry) and was unsure of myself as were most of the people in this cute movie. O.k, it lacks critical substance and Ms. Sommers seems to glide throughout the movie like her acting is similar to her character of not knowing what is up with her life. But, hey, who hasn't been there, done that, and wondered where there next step in life should be or as in the proverbial saying from my brother in law, Nick, if 'if's and but's were candy and nuts, oh what a wonderful Christmas we would all have. This simply means just watch the movie and quit trying to blame yourselfs for everything in life you did right or wrong which is what all of the characters are trying to cope with here. It is a good movie and a clean one from the long gone year of 1978 and will always remain true to my heart since I live in a land commonly now hated by the Dixie Chicks called Lubbock Texas.... Hey, you all, watch it on a late evening channel and enjoy!!!!!!!

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dna007
1978/10/04

It is true that there are a lot of beautiful people in bathing suits in this movie. While this is not necessarily a bad thing it probably has distracted some people from the wonderful character development throughout this film. The dialog is clever and the scene's flow evenly from one to another. It has always amazed me that so much is happening in just one afternoon on a beach in California. Watch it with an open mind. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and magnificent bodies but also revel in the simple story of changing lives. This is a pleasant easy going movie, no bad language, nudity or serious violence.This was made for TV and cannot be bought but it shows up every so often on cable.10 is a really high number to put on a movie. I look at films and if there is nothing that I would change then it should have a 10. This is rating the movie on itself and not ranking it in comparison other movies. Of the 1000 or so movies that I have seen I would rank this one around 985+. I cannot readily think of 15 movies that I thought were better. Movies that I would watch multiple times rank highest. I have seen this one at least 6 times and will watch it again

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