Revenge Of The Nerds

May 23rd, 2018 by Proprietor

It is interesting to me that I am now searching out DVDs of old movies, because somehow they are not available on streaming services. There were two movies I wanted to add to my comedy collection, and I found them at Half Price Books, except those movies were included in a Double Feature format. Disappointing, but not really bothersome, so I purchased them.

As I have stated, I love to laugh, that is why I love comedy. Some of the best comedies produced where in the early 1980s and were your coming of age teen comedy. Revenge of the Nerds is one of those. It follows two nerds, Lewis, played by Robert Carradine, and Gilbert, played by Anthony Edwards, as they acclimate to college life. Both nerds are going to Adams College home of the Atoms. As the two walk to their dormitory, they pass the fraternity house of the Alpha Betas which is mainly inhabited by the football team. Immediately they are assaulted with the term Nerd. At first they are in denial about their situation.

The movie plays on stereotypes, which most comedies do, it is a short cut to move the story quickly. The athletes are total jerks and self absorbed and date the sorority which contains all the cheerleaders, Pi Delta Pi. The cheerleaders are considered the most gorgeous women on campus, and any other sorority, in particular the geeky girl sorority, Omega Moo, contains ugly girls. Though some of the girls in the Omega Moo were attractive.

The lead jock, Stan Gable, played by Ted McGinley, takes a disliking to the nerds immediately, because Lewis dared to speak to the lead cheerleader, his girlfriend, Betty Childs, played by the gorgeous Julia Montgomery. The jocks have a party, and burn their house down, because the jocks have no where to live, they invade the dorm. All the dorm residents are faced with living in the gym.

Because of the housing situation created by the jocks burning down their fraternity house, the college was allowing other fraternities to immediately recruit new members. Unfortunately Lewis and Gilbert are not recruited, as well as half a dozen or so, social outcasts, considered to be nerds. After looking for off campus housing, and being rejected due to nerd prejudice, Lewis is walking along, and finds a run down house for sale at a reasonable price. Lewis and the nerds, after an obligatory 1980s building montage turn the house into a beautiful home. Stan and Betty see this, and the jocks burn the word Nerds in front of the house. The Nerds protest to the police, but are informed the police cannot do anything, and the nerds must take the issue up with the Greek Council. Stan Gables is in charge of the Greek Council. The Council rejects the nerds protest due to the bi-laws stating they are not a fraternity. If the nerds found a fraternity that would make them a charter, then the nerds could file formal protests or even compete to run the council.

The Nerds applications to all the fraternal organizations are rejected, except one, Lambda Lambda Lambda. Lambda Lambda Lambda was a fraternity started during segregation and intended to give black men a fraternity on colleges. Immediately the nerds meet resistance, but due to a bi-law in the Lambda charter, the nerds could be given a 90 day trial period. U.N. Jefferson, played by Bernie Casey, is shocked, reads the bi-law, and accepts. The Nerds decide to throw a party to show U.N. how they can party. Lewis goes to ask Betty if she would come, she rejects him, and calls Stan, who actually sees opportunity. The Delta Pis sing a song of acceptance on the Trip-Lambs front lawn. When the party happens, the girls do not show up. Gilbert’s girlfriend, who is a member of the Omega Moo sorority convinces them to let her call her sisters. The girls show up, and no party, because all the nerds, boy and girl are standing on opposite sides of the room. Thanks to joints passed out by Booger, played by Curtis Armstrong, the party turns into a rage. Unfortunately the Jocks crash the party with pigs, and after the pigs are shooed out, the Jocks moon the Trip-Lambs. U.N. Jefferson does not look impressed, but looks pissed.

The Nerds have had enough and plot revenge. First the Nerds stage a panty raid on the Delta Pis. This would just be normal hijinks in college, but the nerds move into felonious levels. The raid is cover for Lamar, played by Larry Scott, and Wormser, played by Andrew Cassese, to install spy cameras through out the Delta Pi house. There were no pin-hole cameras back in the 1980s, so massive cameras with periscopes had to be installed. This required drilling holes into ceilings. Why none of the sorority women ever noticed these massive holes and periscopes defies common sense, but it is a comedy. During the panty raid there is the gratuitous topless women running around screaming, etc. I am not a prude, but sometimes the nudity can be just for the sake of nudity. Though the women were naturally beautiful. In the 1980s women were not overly enhanced and trying to be perfect. The women might be fit, and maybe have a pooch belly, but they were still beautiful. The nerds leave and go home.

There is a cut to the nerds at home setting up a television with a large remote to control the cameras. The nerds peer into the Delta Pi sorority, and there is topless women, eventually one woman removes her panties, and the nerds go full squirrelly with comments. As stated before, women were more natural back then, so use your imaginations.

The nerds then turn there revenge toward the jocks. A bottle of undiluted “Liquid Heat” is removed from the training room. Liquid Heat is a liniment that gets hot to relax strained or knotted muscles. It is usually diluted with water. The nerds pour the liquid all over the jocks athletic supporters.

During Coach Harris’, played by John Goodman, pep talk the jocks begin to collapse in anguish and pain, eventually running away to shower. Ogre, played by Donald Gibb is the last man standing.

The nerds relay their revenge to U.N. Jefferson, who is delighted they stood up for themselves, and offers them a full charter into Lambda Lambda Lambda. Now a full chartered fraternity, the nerds set their sights on winning the Greek Council by competing with the Omega Moos in the Greek Games. This is where the movie becomes more interesting and intense, with plenty of highlights and performances. Watch the movie. Suffice it to say, the underdog succeeds.

The following night I watched, Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, to see if it was as bad as I remember it. It was. Sometimes when a really good comedy is created, making a sequel is not a good idea. Except, studios always want to milk the cash cow dry at every opportunity, the sacrifice it on the alter of stupidity.

Thanks for stopping by.