Spring Break Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Spring Break Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 15, 2016

Director Sean S. Cunningham stunned Hollywood in 1980 when his tiny horror feature, “Friday the 13th,” came out of nowhere to dominate the box office and spawn a franchise that remains beloved to this day. Handed a free pass to do whatever he wanted, Cunningham first returned to the genre that served him so well (1982’s “A Stranger is Watching”) and then issued 1983’s “Spring Break,” reuniting him with the low-budget comedy aesthetic he developed early in his career. Smelling blood in the water, Cunningham sets out to bite off a piece of the teen horndog genre, manufacturing his own ode to naked women, beach party shenanigans, and matters of the heart. “Spring Break” offers nothing new to the subgenre, and while it samples R-rated tomfoolery, it’s almost reluctant to truly dig into salacious business, offering a movie that, with some clever editing, could almost pass for a PG viewing experience. His competition arrives with cynicism and anger issues, but Cunningham keeps this nonsense good-natured for the most part.

Nelson (David Knell) is stuck in an uncomfortable position when his stepfather, Ernest (Donald Symington), demands the teen remain at home during his spring break and help him with his senatorial campaign. Sneaking out with help from best friend Adam (Perry Lang), the boys head to Fort Lauderdale for a celebration, arriving at a dilapidated and overbooked hotel, forced to room with New Yorkers Stu (Paul Land) and O.T. (Steve Bassett). Learning the ways of seduction from their new friends, Nelson and Adam set out to claim their independence through parties and experimentation, only to discover that Ernest has hired nitwit private detective Eddie (Richard B. Shull) to find them. While Adam, Stu, and O.T. carry on like animals, Nelson finds love with Susie (Jayne Modean), a nice young woman who offers the kid a chance to lose his virginity.

“Spring Break” isn’t an intensely cinematic experience. The screenplay sets limited goals for itself, primarily concerned with getting to the endless party that is Fort Lauderdale as quickly as possible, burning through Nelson and Adam’s expository introductions, establishing their dismissal of Ernest and his political campaign. In one of the production’s stranger creative choices, Knell and Lang look like twins, making it difficult to separate the pair once the adventure begins, with both actors delivering the same overwhelmed performance. However, quibbles about casting are quickly rendered moot by the movie, which soon enters the Floridian thunderdome, taking in the endless beaches and extreme curves of its female inhabitants. Cunningham knows what his audience wants, leaving the first act of the effort to bikini ogling and the arrival of Joan (Corinne Wahl), a voluptuous rock singer O.T. has targeted for seduction.

Of course, all this spring break insanity leads to…a belly flop contest? Cunningham provides some nudity (a wet T-shirt contest eats up considerable screentime) and a brief interlude with drugs, but the majority of “Spring Break” is relatively tame compared to the competition, content to keep the characters busy with beer drinking challenges and the private detective subplot, with Eddie out to reclaim Nelson (Knell slips into Matthew Broderick-esque line readings when tensions rise) as punishment awaits. It’s a little strange to watch the effort hold back while other pictures tend to revel in debauchery, but there’s a gentleness to the movie that’s interesting, even when it becomes a chore to sit through. “Spring Break” keeps it light, depending on Nelson’s flirtations with Susie to win viewers over (their meet-cute occurs at a “Galaga” machine), while the plot concerns the “kids” trying to stop big business from ruining the naturally decrepit charms of Fort Lauderdale hotel life.

Cunningham hits the highlights with relative ease, though he takes a whopping 100 minutes to work through the simplistic plot, allowing the feature to reach a sluggish conclusion when other films would be racing to the finish line. However, the helmer doesn’t seem all that concerned with storytelling to begin with, paying more attention to a soundtrack of rock and pop songs (including tunes from Cheap Trick, .38 Special, and NRBQ), including a few belted out by Wahl that carry on in their entirety, supported more by the actress’s hair-whipping stage authority in pink spandex than any type of songwriting craftsmanship. Cunningham’s a businessman, and “Spring Break” is an investment, sticking close to subgenre highlights to secure audience interest, selling them a record album and a theme of peaceful rebellion on the way out. It’s hard to argue with the math, but the production rarely scores a laugh or a genuine moment. It’s silly work, never offensive, but hardly the raucous atmospheric event promised by the title.

Spring Break Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation isn't exactly working with the most stunningly photographed motion picture of all time, but the small scale of "Spring Break" arrives on Blu-ray with an adequate viewing experience. Colors are on the muted side, but bolder hues from Floridian beach wear and nightlife visits come through as intended, and outdoor adventures carry sun-soaked charms. Skintones are accurate. Detail pushes through reasonably well, but softness still dominates. Still, tanned bodies retain their visual appeal, and facial close-ups are adequately textured. Source encounters speckling. Mild banding is detected.

Spring Break Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound mix battles inherent production limitations, finding slight muddiness to dialogue exchanges disappointing, while crispy celebratory extremes are periodically encountered. Ideal clarity isn't there, but dramatic moments aren't completely lost. Soundtrack cuts fare a little better, with mild force and instrumentation. Atmospherics are thick, with more of a blunt presence to identify settings.

Spring Break Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Spring Break Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Believe it or not, "Spring Break" was actually a surprise hit when it debuted in 1983, topping the box office during its opening weekend, besting "The Outsiders" (overall, it made more money than "The Right Stuff" and "A Christmas Story"). It's clear Cunningham had an eye for a trend, but his artistic impulses are open for debate, with his handling of this beach party movie exposing obvious fatigue and limited imagination. Not that something titled "Spring Break" was ever going to emerge with class (look fast for comedian Jeff Garlin, who appears briefly as an oafish character named "Gut Gut), but Cunningham's reluctance to judiciously whittle down the work dilutes the merriment the picture is trying to summon. It's not a disaster, just in need of a shorter run time, more focused plotting, and richer sense of naughtiness. Nobody wants to come away from a raunchfest thinking, "You know, my grandmother might actually enjoy this."