The Last American Virgin (1982)/Lemon Popsicle (1978)

Being that it is now Summer I am going to review one of my favorite teen sex comedies, The Last American Virgin. Released only five months after Porky's, The Last American Virgin became a cult classic and has helped pave the way for the teen sex comedies we know and love and the modern ones we have ultimately grown to hate in comparison.

Israeli director, Boaz Davidson made a film called Lemon Popsicle (A.K.A. Eskimo Lemon A.K.A. Going All the Way) which was loosely based on his own teen exploits while growing up in 1950s Tel Aviv, Israel. Released in 1978, Lemon Popsicle was a success and spawned nine sequels with the latest, The Party Goes On, released in 2001. In 1982, Davidson directed The Last American Virgin for American audiences while making some changes like setting the film in Los Angeles and the music from the golden oldies to modern rock music. The plot and even some sequences are basically identical, so I will talk about both here but focus mostly on the American remake.

Gary (Lawrence Monoson) is an average high school student and pizza delivery boy. He and his two best friends, Rick (Steve Antin) and David (Joe Rubbo) have what every teenage boy has on their minds: Sex. The horny trio are at their local hangout when they spot three hot girls, or rather two hot girls and one not-so-hot girl. The boys convince the girls to come back to Gary's house for the night in an attempt to have sex and after some comedic moments, Gary's parents come home unexpectedly and ruin the party.

Later on Gary crosses paths with Karen (Diane Franklin) and falls desperately in love with her. Gary attempts to get her to go on a date with him but is shot down and later finds Karen at David's party, dancing with Rick. Lovelorn Gary continues his quest for Karen's affection while she dates Rick, who just wants to take her virginity.

Since there isn't much to the plot and that there are some moments you have to experience for yourself, I won't go any further.

Now, there are a lot of interesting scenes in the film and while some are funny, some are serious, while others are down right perplexing and unintentionally funny. First off, Gary is a bit of a stalker. After seeing Karen at the local teen hangout, Gary asks David who she is and one morning before school, he pops her bicycle tire, backs his car up, drives up to her and asks her what's wrong. Since she is without transportation to school, Gary offers to drive her while pretending he didn't know which one she went to. I know that as a teenager, I often played dumb or did some things that were foolish in order to get closer to a girl but Gary is just plain creepy. If you think I'm overreacting, check out this picture below of how Gary stares at Karen in the beginning of the film:

The look Benji ( Lemon Popsicle's Gary) gives to Nikki (Popsicle's Karen) when he first sees her is nowhere near as creepy and seems more natural compared to Gary's which is guaranteed to make any modern girl reach for that pepper spray.

Nymphomaniacs, hookers, crabs, teen drinking, drunk driving, abortion, that cheap feeling after bad sex and a creepy Gary round out this brutally honest and groundbreaking teen comedy that I can't seem to get enough of. There is also a very interesting scene that takes place in the boy's locker room at school where the boys make a bet as to which guy has the larger penis and then proceed to line up and (hold onto your hats people)...

...MEASURE EACH OTHER'S ERECT PENISES!

I am seriously not joking and find it to be one of the most humorously disturbing scenes I've ever seen committed to film. The scene is also in Lemon Popsicle and I don't know much about Israeli film or culture but maybe this was just another instance of what teenage boys did in 1950s Israel but I can say that in 1980s America, this would just not happen.

I do have one small pet peeve about both films and that is the music. No, the music isn't bad (in fact the Virgin's soundtrack was used heavily to promote the film) but it's that there are a few songs that are repeated a couple of times throughout the film; while I see that as a different film making technique it can get a little annoying. I do tend to enjoy the music of Lemon Popsicle a little more as I am partial to oldies and think that the music is a better fit to the corresponding scenes.

What I love about the film the most is that it has no shame and is ready to give up the real side to being a sex-starved teenager while finding out about some of life's important and life-altering lessons. Lemon Popsicle is the more stylistic film of the two and while I enjoy it immensely I prefer The Last American Virgin mainly because of the things it got away with even for 1982. There is a part of me that wishes I had seen Lemon Popsicle first because I couldn't help thinking of Virgin while watching it which didn't diminish my enjoyment, however it's tough to watch a film that is almost identical without thinking of the other film. One enjoyable aspect of watching the two back-to-back is comparing identical scenes and seeing how small, practical things are handled differently from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles.

While the film isn't a hilarious knee-slapper there are some pretty funny moments and even some emotional ones. Last American Virgin is more-so a funny film with serious moments, perfect for parties and drinking games while Lemon Popsicle seems more of a serious film with funny moments. While that doesn't make either film better or worse, it is simply a difference of each film's tone. Virgin is also a great time capsule of the 1980s and the successes and failures of being a teenager with raging hormones. The last thing I will say about The Last American Virgin is that it has one of the most memorable and unconventional endings I've ever seen in any teen film.

Both films: 4 Pizzas (Out of 5)

See It or Be It! 
Check Out the Trailer for The Last American Virgin:

Stella Wants You to Check Out the Trailer for Lemon Popsicle:

Watch Lemon Popsicle (The Full Movie):

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Being John Malkovich (Criterion Release)/The Avengers

Next Tuesday (5/15), Criterion will release Being John Malkovich on Blu-ray and DVD. This new edition features an updated image transfer and lossless audio and comes highly recommended by myself and the guys over at Bluray.com.

Click the image below to check out their review:

Pick up the Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon:

      

Go Through the YouTube Portal and Check Out the Trailer:

On another note, if you are into comics and superhero movies, you've probably already seen The Avengers but if you haven't you should go right away...

...Right NOW!

I know it's a new film that appeals to the masses, which is something I don't usually recommend on this blog but I feel it is my duty to let you know if there is a film out there that is worthy of recognition regardless.

That being said, The Avengers is one of the most entertaining and overall fun movie-going experiences I've had in a long time and I rarely go out to the theaters because of the garbage that gets released on a weekly basis. Over the years, I have lost faith in the Summer blockbuster but The Avengers has completely restored my it! It proves movies can still have a big budget, be entertaining and above all fun!

This Summer is looking good for superhero/sci-fi fans as I am also looking forward to Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises so we'll see how they all stack up after they are all released but for now, go see The Avengers!

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

This next review is a film that holds a special place in my heart that reminds me of my youth and the beginning of my high school years: Allan Moyle's 90s dramedy, Pump Up the Volume.

Christian Slater plays Mark Hunter, a teenager who has just moved with his family from New York to Paradise Hills, Arizona. Like every teenager thrown into a new environment, Mark naturally hates it. Mark also has a very unique and bleak outlook on life which he voices through his pirate radio station anonymously under the moniker, Happy Harry Hard-On. As Harry, Mark is an outgoing, outspoken persona, commenting on everything from high school, parents, homosexuality, embarrassment, loneliness, masturbation, and what is wrong with American society, however, during the day he is a shy, timid loner.

When a fellow student, Malcom Kaiser calls the show saying he is going to commit suicide, Mark berates him but later identifies with Malcom, who hangs up and is confirmed dead the next day. After Malcom's suicide, Mark decides to stop broadcasting but quickly decides against it and goes back on to talk about how suicide is a stupid, selfish act. He then goes on to say that nobody is perfect and making everyone believe that you're crazy is a lot better than going crazy internally, possibly leading to suicide. The teenage listeners riled up and more and more of them believe in Harry, while teachers, parents and the media start paying attention to the show. A free-spirited and rebellious fellow student, Nora (Samantha Mathis) finds out that Mark is Harry and she inspires him to keep up the good fight and to "Talk Hard".

Now as usual, my loyal readers, I will not go into the rest of the plot because that would take the fun out of actually watching the film although I will say that there is a slightly contrived sub-plot regarding corruption at the high school. What is most interesting is Mark's monologue radio rants and his overall persona he displays to the world as Happy Harry Hard-On. Mark acknowledges that he can't talk to his parents, girls or anyone else for that matter, but when he is on the air, seemingly speaking to no one, his true personality comes out and we see that he is smart, outgoing and opinionated. I identified with Mark because, in a similar way, I acted completely different at school than at home, didn't have many friends and spent my lunches alone. After Mark's show goes viral, an interesting thing happens and all of the students, including the jocks, the achievers, the outcasts, and everyone in-between (including some parents) believe in him and his message.

The dream of the 90s may be alive in Portland but it's also very alive in Pump Up the Volume. If you were alive in the 1990s you may recognize the neon, the permed hair, the gigantic boom box radios and that not one of the students walking around the high school have their heads buried in a cell phone. This film seems dated, even to those who weren't alive or conscious of their surroundings during that time but what works the best in Pump Up the Volume is its universal message about the perils of being a teenager and how speaking your mind, believing in yourself and standing up for what you believe in is all that matters. It also speaks to a generation of teenagers who felt that there was nothing new to do in a society that had seemingly reached its zenith by the late 1980s.

Christian Slater turns in an awesome performance, which may not have been Oscar worthy but definitely should have been acknowledged by more critics. Even though he was 21 at the time this film was made, Christian Slater does a great job at making us believe he is a troubled teenager. A lot of the film's laughs come from Slater's on-air persona and the off-the-wall things he says. Samantha Mathis also shows some talent here in her first major film role. Mathis delivers a few lines here and there which might make some chuckle but overall she handles herself well as a rebellious teen, in love with Mark's message of "Talking Hard" - "The idea that a voice can just go somewhere uninvited and just kind of hang out like a dirty thought in a nice clean mind." This would be the first in a series of three films in which Slater and Mathis star in together: The other two are the 1992 animated film, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest and the 1996 John Woo action extraordinaire, Broken Arrow.

What I like the best about Pump Up the Volume lies in it's overall sense of not taking itself seriously, while effectively getting across a message. It may seem like a serious film but what makes it work is its heart and humor, mainly thanks to Christian Slater. Don't get me wrong, this is nowhere near being a perfect film, in fact it has many flaws, especially in terms of editing, dubbing, continuity and some hammy acting by some of the supporting cast. If you're able to look past these flaws, and just have fun with it, Pump Up the Volume is a great watch that will make you think about the struggles of being a teenager, and possibly make you feel nostalgic if you are an adult.

TALK HARD!

4 Microphones (Out of 5)

Do Your Homework in the Dark, Eat Your Cereal With A Fork and Check Out the Trailer:

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