Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Up the Creek Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 30, 2016

The producers of “Up the Creek” were smart. Instead of trying to mimic “Animal House” and “Porky’s” with a group of nobodies, they went out and hired the actors partially responsible for the success of those films. Playing into trends of the era, 1984’s “Up the Creek” is quite open about its creative pilfering, arranging a playful rafting chase that barely pays attention to the water, more consumed with pranks, bare breasts, and frat-house shenanigans, looking to become the next big thing in beer-stained, sophomoric entertainment. It’s refreshing to find a picture that’s honest about its intentions, but clarity of direction doesn’t make the feature any funnier. Strangely designed to avoid the one element of the plot that gives the effort a distinct personality, “Up the Creek” is a winded affair that’s always one step behind punchlines and sight gags, far too obsessed with other movies in the marketplace to land an inspired moment.

Longtime seniors at Lepetonmane University, Bob (Tim Matheson), Max (Dan Monahan), Gonzer (Stephen Furst), and Irwin (Sandy Helberg) are threatened with expulsion unless they agree to participate in an inter-collegiate rafting race, with a victory finally bringing glory to a dismal college. Accepting the challenge, the foursome heads to the remote campsite that’s hosting the competition, running into rivals from Ivy University, lead by Rex (Jeff East), who are guaranteed a victory by the corrupt event organizer, Tozer (James B. Sikking). Trying to keep a low profile as 13 college teams prepare for battle, Bob’s head is turned by Heather (Jennifer Runyon), a comely rival who happens to be Rex’s ex-girlfriend, and she’s looking for a quick rebound affair. As the race begins, the Lepetonmane boys, aided by canine companion Chuck, take to the water with pronounced fear, soon facing sabotage tactics from Rex and heavy fire from the Washington Military Institute, who aren’t taking their early disqualification lying down.

Despite its title and plot, it takes “Up the Creek” over 40 minutes before it even reaches water, with the opening act taking its sweet time establishing character and the film’s sense of humor. Promoted as a comedic rafting adventure, the picture is actually more of a smarmy exercise in grand theft movie, with the slobs taking on the snobs in an extended battle of wills and one-liners, offering stereotypes instead of characters. There’s a lot of wasted time in “Up the Creek,” which can’t tear itself away from Bob’s lit-quoting, cigar-chomping charms, following the “college senior” (Matheson was in his mid-30s during production) as his sizes up the competition and quickly beds Heather, who’s looking for a fling to flush Rex out of her system.

Time is also spent introducing only three of the 13 teams involved in the race, finding even Heather’s squad undefined despite her major presence in the effort. The screenplay concentrates on Lepetomane, Ivy, and the Washington Military Institute, who, after being ejected early for cheating, spend the rest of the film trying to kill other competitors, filling all cartoon requirements of the production as their plans quickly and repeatedly go awry. After traveling time (with a gaseous, highly opinionated dog) and extended visits to a gas station and a hotel bar to sort out motivations for revenge, “Up the Creek” finally reaches its destination, becoming the rafting extravaganza it was meant to be from the beginning. Sadly, director Robert Butler doesn’t have the vision for a water-based thrill ride, taking the race slowly, more interested in highlighting sabotage plans from warring teams, with Rex and the Ivys using explosive darts and radio-controlled airplanes (equipped with missiles) to try and stop the Lepetomane gang. Instead of creating a real sense of competition featuring a wide assortment of students vying for a title, Butler makes “Up the Creek” feel incredibly small, losing the competitive aspects of the screenplay to create a tiresome comedy. The story doesn’t even remain on water for very long, expanding to incidents of kidnapping and Chuck in hero mode (which includes canine charades and carefully edited reaction shots) before it returns to the rapids for brief encounters with white-water chaos.

Up the Creek Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a recent scan of the film, delivering a fresher look at low-budget antics, which provides a decent amount of detail. Facial particulars, group encounters, and outdoor adventures retain reasonable textures, not overwhelmed with softness. Colors are secure, providing healthy primaries and encouraging greenery, while more artificial hues from bar lighting are defined to satisfaction. Delineation is crisp, preserving evening encounters. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is stable, with only mild speckling detected. Some light judder is found during the main titles.

Up the Creek Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sharpness is a concern with the 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix, with dialogue exchanges on the crispy side, missing fullness. Intelligibility is never threatened, but dramatic power is missing, and the track hits a few patches of muddiness as well. Soundtrack selections also suffer from thinness, but rock and pop details are open for study. Atmospherics are acceptable, surveying bar crowds and water chases.

Up the Creek Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Without a Paddle" (11:37, HD) is a brief making-of featurette for "Up the Creek," showcasing interviews with actors Stephen Furst and Sandy Helberg, and casting director Harriet Helberg. The conversation includes memories of the casting process (where Michael Keaton and Steve Guttenberg were pursued for the lead role), rafting lessons, love for Matheson, and location shooting, which created a bond amongst the actors, who also spent time breaking hearts and soiling cars around town. Perhaps most interesting is a postmortem for the movie, where everyone tries to sound excited about a picture that clearly didn't meet their expectations.

• "Up the Creek" (4:32, SD) is a music video by Cheap Trick, with film clips and shenanigans featuring Chuck the Wonder Dog mixed with band antics involving bathtubs and sewer lines.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:16, HD) is included.

Up the Creek Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Up the Creek has the right idea. It returns Matheson to a position of broheim power, with Bob messing with the establishment and privileged rivals, romancing a willing woman in his own special way. There's some slapstick, and Furst is practically rabid in the fat-guy-is-fat role, stuffing himself with food while clad in ill-fitting t-shirts. And Butler is interested in satisfying genre demands, offering nudity and bad behavior along the way, trying to raise some hell to simulate a raucous atmosphere. And yet, "Up the Creek" doesn't develop into a runaway train of misbehavior. It's unusually cautious and mishandled in the directorial department, finding Butler focusing on inconsequential details instead of building a compelling movie about a rowdy river race. "Up the Creek" almost feels like a bait-and-switch, with marketing and the plot promising high jinks on the water, while the producers actually deliver a dreary college war film that mostly takes place on land.