Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Fraternity Vacation Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 14, 2020

Directorial careers can be very strange, with most helmers struggling to find work, jumping from project to project just to maintain a living. James Frawley (who passed away in 2019) is in possession of that kind of wild resume, primarily working in television, laboring to make lackluster shows presentable. And then, in 1979, Frawley was offered a shot to guide “The Muppet Movie,” allowing Jim Henson a chance to focus on performance and puppet work while someone else managed day-to-day business. Frawley ended up with one of the best films of the year and arguably the finest Muppet cinematic endeavor of all time. However, he couldn’t get anything going with such a credit, returning to television, with his next theatrical offering being 1985’s “Fraternity Vacation,” taking command of a teen horndog production meant to be made as cheaply and quickly as possible to compete with the rising tide of R-rated comedies that delivered juvenile antics and naked bodies. It’s difficult to understand what Frawley was thinking when he accepted the job, besides collecting a paycheck, suddenly in charge of realizing a simplistic screenplay (by Lindsay Harrison) and supporting limited actors, stuck with pure formula to make multiplex (and VHS) fodder. Where’s Kermit when you need him?

During a brutal winter in Des Moines that’s carried into the Easter holiday, the boys of Theta Pi Sigma are ready for spring break, booking a week down in Palm Springs to warm up, cut loose, and seduce women. For Mother (Tim Robbins) and Joe (Cameron Dye), the prospect of bikini-clad prey is too much to handle, eager to get their hands on any female they can find. For nerdly Wendell (Stephen Geoffreys), such pursuits are alien to his existence, but he’s happy to join the fun, finding a level of acceptance at the fraternity, also providing the accommodations for the vacation. Arriving in California, the trio set up shop at a condo complex, but also in town are Chas (Leigh McCloskey) and J.C. (Matt McCoy), from rival frat Beta Epsilon, and they declare war on the Theta Pi Sigmas. Presenting a challenge, a $1000 bet is made, with both sides competing to seduce Ashley (Sheree J. Wilson), a shy complex resident, sending the guys off to do their best as they try to catch her attention. For Wendell, meeting Nicole (Amanda Bearse) at a club connects him to his first real love interest, but her obsession with fatherly approval complicates the whirlwind union.

Instead of using a Floridian location like many similar Spring Break movies, “Fraternity Vacation” travels to Palm Springs to unleash its mischief, making a mess in Frank Sinatra’s backyard. Frawley certainly doesn’t sell the town as a paradise, repeatedly showcasing crippling traffic and depressing condo life, where the frat guys secure a bed for future conquests, scoping out the pool for targets. Palm Springs isn’t really the star of the show here, merely providing a few buildings and some outdoor time, with “Fraternity Vacation” preferring to go a little smaller with its monkey business. However, before the seduction games begin, there’s the issue of Wendell, a self-described “awkward” guy who’s ready to have an adventure away from his pig farm home, with his father (Max Wright) supporting any devirginization plans, though the teen is mostly interested in astronomy, letting Mother and Joe have all the fun with complete strangers.

Wendell’s a good guy, and his journey in “Fraternity Vacation” is one of respectful courtship, also providing mild slapstick as the dork deals with unmanageable items such as pool toys, causing mild disasters as he tries to keep up with his frat brothers. This should be comedy, but Frawley doesn’t have a clue what to do with Geoffreys, who’s not a funny actor, strangely playing the nerd as someone with mental issues, not lovable gawkiness. The director seems to be channeling silly business from the 1930s to liven up material created for the 1980s, but he doesn’t have the cast to help pull off such a tone, with so many scenes in “Fraternity Vacation” dying on impact as untrained talent are tasked with creating snappy interplay and broad antics, with Wendell hardly a focal point of dynamic physical humor.

As Wendell tries to navigate the pitfalls of love with a demanding Nicole and her high society family, “Fraternity Vacation” also tracks Mother and Joe as they strive to win a big bet and claim Ashley for Theta Pi Sigma. A good chunk of the movie is devoted to their panicky plans to trigger her sympathies, hoping to get her shirt off in the process, and while it’s interesting to see Robbins in his younger years, following his agent’s advice to join a filmmaking trend, he can’t do much with a stale script, leaving scenes of botched come-ons and games of deception borderline torturous in their numbing stupidity. There should be a raucous sense of life to “Fraternity Vacation,” but such excitement never arrives, as Harrison’s screenplay soon gets bogged down with another antagonist in Chief Ferrett (John Vernon), a cranky old cop who hates young people and local streetwalkers, with Wendell befriending a few prostitutes during a stint in jail. Ferrett is a superfluous addition, but he does take screentime away from the whole Ashley saga, which is rife with cruelty involving a gentle young woman, but this is 1985, and such mean-spirited manipulation is meant to translate into impish amusement.

Fraternity Vacation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows its age, doing what it can to deliver an acceptable viewing experience. Detail isn't stunning, offering a more serviceable appreciation for skin surfaces as the college kids frequently disrobe during their Palm Springs hellraising. Close- ups offer some sense of age, and costuming has mild textures, doing okay with bathing suits and casualwear. Colors are muted, working better with the brightness of period outfits, which present bright pinks and blues. Location greenery is passable. Skintones are a bit bloodless at times, but do reasonably well. Delineation is acceptable. Source is in decent condition, but the third reel has a lengthy black scratch running down the middle of the frame. It's thin but noticeable. Grain is chunky.

Fraternity Vacation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is very basic in design, delivering satisfactory dialogue exchanges, preserving comedic delivery and softer, sensitive confessions. Scoring is inherently thin, with the chirpy synth selections supporting as necessary, balanced with the action. Soundtrack selections are a bit more aggressive, but performances aren't drowned out. Atmospherics are simple, but group activity is preserved.

Fraternity Vacation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:55, SD) is included.

Fraternity Vacation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Fraternity Vacation" doesn't have any likable characters or comedic inspiration, though Frawley gets uncharacteristically focused on sexploitation interests, highlighting Kathleen Kinmont and Barbara Crampton as daffy, easily undressed Beta Epsilon agents sent in to humiliate Mother and Joe during a game of sexual sabotage. The rest of the picture isn't quite as attentive to the basics of the subgenre, with Frawley not doing enough to make "Fraternity Vacation" into a snowballing good time with lewd material and hilarious mishaps. It's limp work all around, with only casting curiosities keeping it periodically watchable.