Back to the Beach

Back to the Beach

I was completely blindsided by this movie. I don’t know what I expected from “Back to the Beach,” but it certainly wasn’t the funniest, weirdest musical comedy since “Little Shop of Horrors.” Who knew Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello could make a beach party movie 25 years later than any of their others?

For those who weren’t born before 1962, the beach party movies were a series of innocent comedies in which Frankie and Annette and company would hang out on beaches, surf big waves, neck a little and try to fight off old fogies trying to ban rock ‘n’ roll. They ranged from harmless to brainless.

Now comes “Back to the Beach,” an evil satire that pokes fun at Frankie and Annette and the whole genre but does so with plenty of good cheer and with the full cooperation of the victims. Avalon and Funicello do a better job at self-satire than anyone else possibly could.

The story: Frankie and Annette got married and moved to Ohio where Frankie sells cars on TV (riding a fake surfboard in his sharkskin suit) while Annette makes endless peanut butter sandwiches. They have two kids a daughter who has moved to Malibu, and a young teenager who is a punk rocker in leather with flick knives who mercilessly satirizes his parents’ banalities.

Demian Slade plays this kid; he nearly steals the opening scenes. He has spray painted graffiti over everything including the fireplace in their living room; he practices karate moves on their family dog; when Mom and Dad exchange empty headed clichés, he’s ironic: “This is just like something you’d hear at the Kissinger’s.”

They go on vacation together to Hawaii but are sidetracked through Malibu where upon arrival Frankie is horrified to learn that his daughter has shacked up with a beach bum (in beach party movies, sexes always slept strictly segregated). Meanwhile he discovers there are still some members of his old gang hanging around at The Beach such as Connie Stevens Miss Lip Gloss 1962 who still looks luscious.

Frankie flirts with her. Annette pouts about it. Then there’s confrontation between clean-cut surfers versus punk rockers surfing. A surfing contest ensues wherein Frankie comes out of retirement wins it for some reason but sings reggae along Anna Mae Wong style while Connie Stevens croons some classic hits back alongside Pee Wee Herman who jets in from nowhere does virtuoso version Surfin’ Bird then vanishes again.

None of these things sound like worthwhile cinema I suppose because they hardly scratch surface level plot summary suggests elements not style within film itself.

Lyndall Hobbs Australian making her feature debut directs with sharp eye ear throughout entire run time littered happily every minute satirical angles abound everywhere around here folks please come get yours today free samples available upon request!

No one was more surprised than me as I walked into this thing with sinking heart because studio Paramount had so little faith in picture they enforced various review embargoes deadlines shifts etc.. Guess they missed point altogether

It might be the most amusing comedy show in the summer lineup, a strange and delightful find with great tunes, tons of giggles and evidence that Annette can still make a polka dot dress look timeless.

Watch Back to the Beach For Free On Gomovies.