By rights, this movie should get a 2. It is badly acted, there are any number of continuity goofs (like Moosie Dreier being in two places at once) and there are many racist and sexist jokes. However, if you want to laugh and forget the real world for a few minutes, then this film is for you. This movie launched the careers of Tony Danza, Bob Wuhl, Joyce Heyser, Gailhard Sartain, Stuart Pankin, and Michelle Pfifer. There were great cars and there was great music, although some of the music was post 1965. The California surf-and-drag culture was very appealing. I grew up in the Midwest and went to catholic schools during cold winters, and I can imagine was CA must have been like. Another favorite movie of mine is also set in 1965, Heaven Help Us. The contrast is extreme. To kids who were swimming bare in cold pools and getting the paddle in gym class, the prospect of endless sunshine and girls in bikinis would have been otherworldly. And no teachers to worry about, just two dumb cops who were easy to outwit. And what I would not have given to be a student at Beverly Hills High!

While Tony Danza had just achieved success in TV's "Taxi", others in this film, such as Robert Wuhl, Michelle Pfeiffer and Fran Drescher would take much longer to rise up the ranks, some longer than others, and I doubt that they'd consider this more than just a minor footnote in their earlier years. Drescher's nasal voice is recognizable right off, and has one rather memorable line (of a rather raunchy nature) that lovers of cinematic camp still quote. The plot is thin, in fact thinner than deli meat slices fresh off the slicer, but oh those songs, practically every chart buster of the mid 1960's heard here. But then again, many of these songs have been used over and over in motion pictures and Broadway jukebox musicals, with everything from Motown, "Jersey Boys" and "Sister Act" (the movie) popping up in the viewer's memories of where they've heard them or seen them performed.

Part of the plot I recognize from the musical "Rock of Ages" with uptight Beverly Hills matrons determine to stop the Hollywood Knights from having their annual Halloween madness down their streets, and of course, it's obvious that the one In charge of this protest is going to end up being seduced by one of the dashing hoods. Pfeiffer is wide eyed and innocent as a greasy spoon waitress, and while stunning shows none of the dramatic Chops and she would later become well known for. But I doubt that this part had any real meat in the script, so it was a good way to pay her dues and be noticed which obviously she was. Drescher gets the comedy, but when all of the bathing beauties around her are topless, she is the only one to have all of her clothes on. (Check her out in the following year's "Ragtime" to see her in a very different part.) This basically is a fun nostalgic film that the viewer can watch and not really have to spend much brain cells on outside of tapping their feet and moving their head to the rhythm. There have been better movies about this era with stronger plots, but for what is here, it's still fun if just for the soundtrack and a few amusing moments with a teeny bit of gratuitous flesh.

They obviously borrowed heavily from American Graffiti and Animal House, both of which are far superior movies. I hadn't seen this since around 1985, and at the time it was my favorite movie. In the 15 years that have passed, it hasn't improved, but it's not that much worse either. It is what it is, and it has a good time doing it. For that alone it is worth watching.