Movie Review: Revenge of the Nerds

Revenge of the Nerds
Twentieth Century Fox, Interscope Communications, Zacharias-Buhai Productions, USA, 1984.

Long before "Big-Bang Theory" or "IT Crowd" there was a film series "Revenge of the Nerds."

Geek-friends Lewis (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert (Anthony Edwards) (you have to know some chemistry to get the joke) go to college. Maybe they can meet some girls there. Unfortunately there are bullies who hate nerds. Ogre (Donald Gibb), Burke (Matt Salinger) and Stan (Ted McGinley) and other idiotic Alpha Beta jocks burn down their own frat house so with support from Coach Harris (John Goodman) they invade the freshman-dormitory kicking the new students out.

Lewis and his dad (James Cromwell)

Judy (Michelle Meyrink) and Gilbert

Ogre

The nerds are not accepted to fraternities so they decide to start their own. But the system is rigged so they are not allowed to do so. They join U.N Jefferson's (Bernie Casey) black fraternity Lambda-Lambda-Lambda and throw a party but the Alpha-Betas ruin it. The nerds plan a revenge with some juvenile pranks. Stan's girlfriend Betty Childs (Julia Montgomery) plays dirty tricks but ultimately can not resist love skills of the nerds.

Coach Harris and Dean Ulich (David Wohl)

Stan and Betty

Lamar, Takashi and Booger

Although starring nerds it doesn't make the jokes intelligent, rather on the contrary. College-comedy has similar raunchy and low-brow jokes as "Animal House." There is a lot of crude fun but somehow it could have used the nerd-theme better. There are many laughably bad jokes too. It has the usual elements of college-comedies, wild parties, topless girls and silly contests so the genre hasn't really evolved much since that. The cast has typical side-characters for the comedies of the era, Gay, Oriental Guy and Pot-head that are fun but do not quite fit the definition of nerd but represent the social outcasts of the college world. In the end, though, there is talk about tolerance and sort of declaration of nerd-rights. 

Sorority girls

Robot vacuum cleaner model 1984

Remember, mopery is exposing yourself to a blind person!

The Moper

Rating: Average

Starring: Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield, Andrew Cassese, Curtis Armstrong, Larry B. Scott, Brian Tochi, Julia Montgomery, Michelle Meyrink, Ted McGinley, Matt Salinger, Donald Gibb, James Cromwell, David Wohl, John Goodman, Bernie Casey, Alice Hirson, F. William Parker, Roger Carter, Kres Mersky, Marianne Muellerleile, Lisa Welch, Suzanne B. Hayes, Shawn Siqueiros, Sandra Katzel, Henry Kendrick, Fumio Kodama, Lance Lombardo, William B. Wilson, Carl Cherry, Adam Frank, Taylor Samuels, Brad Grunberg, James Anklam, Matthew M. Haugh, William C. Horning, Angela C. Gardaphe, Lisa Kolasa, Kristen Kinderman, Kay Strunk, Gamble Baffert, Brian Lover, Jerry Kurinsky, Tonja Sue Philbee, Monique Sorenson, Calon Blackledge, Scott Bird, David Moskowitz, Steven Duran, Thomas Obeid, Theodore Kerpez, Michael Urena, Vincent Lindsley, Laura Bell, Linda Felker, Deborah Bernstein, Renee Mintz, Donna Costello, Lillie Nusz, Romy Dushoff, Rhonda Tinsley, Felicia Fagan, Jennifer Wilcox, John Almon, Brian Nelson, Daniel Egan, Thomas Repp, Jay Galland, Andrew Salan, Dean Heindel, Scott Spangler, Robert Melton, Steve Yeatras, Madaline Blinder, Colleen Madden, Lucy Craig, Susan Myers, Jennie Gaio, Kristi Nelson, Carolyn Hoover, Melissa Perlman, Karen Knutzen, Lori Stock, Chris Stravolo, Kelly Reed, Lloyd Sherr, Malcolm Gregor, Clinton James Austin, Greg Berg, Kris Levario, Peter J. Wacks, Michael L. White

Director: Jeff Kanew