Back to the Beach Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Back to the Beach Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 9, 2022

Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello were staples of the "Beach" movie scene of the 1960s and they reprise their roles, as themselves, as older adult versions who rediscover the joys of the surf and turf but also learn that a return to normalcy can mean, for them, a personal distance that might prove irreparably large. The film's plot leaves little to write home about, but the sounds and sun and the scantily clad beachgoers more than negate the flimsy and floppy script. The movie is about pure escapist fun, returning a couple of familiar faces, now matured by time and life and distance from the beach to the place that made them famous. The film is rightly not concerned with telling a deep and affecting story but rather using the various narrative threads as a framework to hold together the spectacle and serve as an excuse to bring two legends together one more time on the screen for some chemistry laden fun in the sun.

Rebellious teenager Bobby (Demian Slade) introduces his parents to the audience. His father Frankie Avalon (himself) was once known as “The Big Kahuna” throughout the beach scene. He was loved by women, adored by teens, and lived a life of envy. Now, he owns a prosperous Ford dealership but is living a life of stress as he attempts to position the car dealership for maximum profit. His new career has turned to unhealthy obsession. His wife is Annette Funicello (herself). She was also prominent on the beach scene, once part of the Mickey Mouse Club, and adored by young men and boys. Now, she is a persnickety housewife, obsessed with keeping the pantry stocked with necessary items to excess. The family finally realizes the dire need for vacation. They board a plane to travel to California to get away from it all. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything! The first domino falls when they learn that their daughter Sandy (Lori Loughlin) is living with her hunky boyfriend Michael (Tommy Hinkley). The stress of this revelation causes a quick fissure between Frankie and Annette, which is exacerbated by the return of one of Frankie's old flames, the playfully seductive Connie Stevens (herself), who is determined to reel Frankie in -- even in front of Annette. Meanwhile, to get back at Frankie, Annette begins flirting with a hunky local. As the marriage weakens in a time meant to strengthen it away from the daily grind of the home routine, it will take a beach miracle to restore things to how they once were and need to be again.

This is a movie with a beach setting, but it is more of a family drama film than it is a “Beach” movie. It incorporates Beach scenery and Beach movie elements and plot devices, but the movie is best understood and approached as a story about love and life, family relationships, and past connections returning to redefine present situations. Director Lydall Hobbs and her team of writers nicely balance the content, capturing a spirit of fun and frivolity and a unique beach scene – which includes a gaggle of leather-clad ne'er-do-well types that offer an interesting visual contrast to the otherwise muscled, lean, and tan bodies that populate most of the movie. But at its heart is a film about the heart, and the beach merely serves as a backdrop for the story development.

The leads are, of course, the highlight. Older, but perhaps not wiser, Frankie and Anette are a fine screen pairing who make for a believably bickering couple. They embrace the change of lifestyle that has drawn them away from the beach and they go with the flow of how the beach draws them away from each other as the story develops. They are not tasked with herculean drama underlying their characters, but they are chemistry laden in pairing, whether with one another or at odds with one another. Support cast is solid, especially from Lori Loughlin and Tommy Hinkley as the young couple in love.

Back to the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount's 1080p Blu-ray release of Back to the Beach looks gorgeous. The image thrives in all areas of concern. The image is filmic and naturally grainy with little feel for processing to alter its naturel state. The results are sharp textures and excellent overall clarity, right down to sandy beaches and fine details on exposed skin, which is plenty. There's not an interior or exterior environment, and not a single skin detail or shred of clothing, that lack impressive sharpness and clarity, especially when considering the more densely dressed and complex wardrobe seen on the leather clad gang members. Bright, bold colors are the norm. The opening pink titles absolutely leap off the screen. Period attire enjoys superb punch and vitality. Flesh tones are full, black levels are fine, and whites are adequately crisp. There are no significant print or encode issue of note. Fans will be delighted!

Back to the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Back to the Beach arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is appropriately lively. There is a nice sense of wide atmosphere in bars and beaches and other densely packed and sonically busy locations. Surrounds are not used with any real intensity, but they do chime in with some scattered applause in the 26-minte mark, for example. The front end offers the sort of width and engagement necessary to fill in the blanks. Clarity is very good in support of music and support ambience, the latter of which is also presented with excellent width and balance. Dialogue drives the film, and its presentation is secure in the front center channel where it is both well prioritized and very clear.

Back to the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This "Paramount Presents" Blu-ray release of Back to the Beach includes one extra. Filmmaker Focus with Director Lyndall Hobbs (1080p, 9:03) features the filmmaker discussing her background in TV news, shift to filmmaking, landing the job to direct Back to the Beach, the shooting window and budget, the rigors of the shoot, favorite scenes, working with Frankie and Annette, cameos, critical response, legacy, and more. This release is the 34th in the "Paramount Presents" line and includes the slipcover with fold-open poster artwork.

Back to the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Back to the Beach may not reach "classic" status but it's a surprisingly solid little film that returns a couple of favorites to the screen looking a bit older but still demonstrating a very firm connection to the genre that elevated them to stardom a couple of decades before this movie's release. Fans are in for a treat with Paramount's new Blu-ray. While supplements are limited to an admittedly good, but also very brief, director retrospective, the picture and sound qualities are first-rate. Recommended.