Starring - Richard Gabai, Richard Rifkin (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Lords of Magick), and Joe Whyte (Night Visitors, Hotel Translyvania 3: Summer Vacation)
Release Date - 1989
Genre - Comedy
Tagline - "When the nerds get crazy it's the frat bash of the century"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
I love the era from which I grew up. I was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s. The video store and late night television were my homes away from home. I've always been a fan of cinema in some form or another and I remember spending a lot of my time, especially on the weekend and summer breaks, watching movies on tape or checking stuff out on cable. When I was little I remember staying up late to watch shows like MonsterVision and USA Up All Night. I will occasionally watch episodes of both of these on YouTube just to get that nostalgic feeling. A few months back I saw that Terror Vision was releasing Late Night Classics Vol. 2: Assault of the Party Nerds 1 and 2 on blu for Culture Shock Releasing. I had never heard of these two films before but when I saw that the bonus features an Up All Night appearance with director and star Richard Gabai it reminded me how much I loved the show. I snagged a copy and worked it into my review list.
The film follows the last remaining four members of their frat and are about to graduate. They have just a few months to recruit new members and decide to throw the biggest party campus has ever seen. However, they don't have the funds and decide to trick their frat's main office in order to make some quick money. With the money in hand, they plan on throwing the party while dodging another frat that they tricked into failing their mid-terms.
I watched several movies as they aired on Up All Night but I don't recall seeing Assault of the Party Nerds. I have a pretty good memory, especially of films that I've seen, so I'm almost positive I never watched it when it was on television. I wish I had watched during it's airing but I'm sure if I did a little looking I could find a VHS rip on YouTube if I really wanted to. As for the film itself, I really liked it. I could see myself watching it over and over again if I would have discovered it when I was young. It was a lot of fun especially when you consider it was at the tail end of the raunchy sex comedies of the 80s. The acting in this one is enjoyable for a low budget comedy that went straight to video. The cast had solid careers up to this point and several would continue to act or provide voice for film until now. This is my introduction to Richard Gabai and I have to admit that I do like his style of comedy. His character is not the most original even by 80s standards. The raunchy sex comedies became a staple of cinemas and video stores long before 1989 so by this point it's a bit difficult to create something a bit more original. With that being said, he does a solid job but anyone could have portrayed this paint by numbers character. The film also introduced me to Richard Rifkin who would find success in other films and voice acting but nothing I had really seen before now. I really liked his character here even though it was rather cliched as well. He is a mix between Booger from Revenge of the Nerds and Bluto from National Lampoon's Animal House. One of the main reasons I snagged this was for Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer. It was cool to see them in another 80s flick but their characters were also rather cliched and unoriginal. The story for this one is a melting pot of so many different college comedies from the late 70s through the 80s. The nerdy frat plans a party as one big bang before graduating. A rival frat tries to stop them and college girls love to show their breasts. Honestly, it's not original but it's still fun for a late night flick. The humor works at times and when it doesn't we have the nudity to fall back on it. Finally, no blood in this one. However, is college girls in the nude, along with Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer are your thing then this one is for you. Overall, Assault of the Party Nerds
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