When I was a youngster I stumbled on Revenge of the Nerds on that bastion for 1980's entertainment cable television. I came away with three things about college: 1) Everyone is well defined into cliques. 2)No one actually goes to class. 3) Everyone chants all the time. I could have put in every one's quest to have anonymous sex with multiple partners, but that was just as common outside of college.The film is about a group of freshmen who are social outcasts at Adams College. They're the butt of numerous jokes by the jock Alpha Betas who, as I stated before, chant "Nerds!" at them whenever they appear on screen together. After securing a house and national recognition from a fraternity (one that's been all black since its inception) the nerds go to war with the jokes in order to take over a fraternity council and redeem themselves as well.
The basic story comes straight from the Meatballs playbook. A group of misfits earn their stripes and fight back. We've seen it before and we'll see it again (I'm sure a remake is down the line somewhere). It's the revenge from the title that peaks are interest. From X rated surveillance to burning jokes the nerds use their intelligence to extract their revenge. The script is average but is also helped by the amount of improv that the actors were allowed to do. It doesn't feel like the assembly line sex comedies of the 1980's. It gets a little bit of soul.
The cast has some unknowns that you would know in a few years. Anthony Edwards, James Cromwell, John Goodman, and who could forget the immortal Ted McGinley. The acting is a little better than the typical genre piece which is once again helped with the open shooting style.
Revenge of the Nerds has maintained a cult following since its release and frequently reappears at colleges and on-that's right-cable television. It's not a great movie, but it does leave you with laughs and a few grinning to yourself moments. Maybe it's because we're all nerds in our own way.
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