Amazon.com: Is Back to the Beach a masterpiece of postmodernism? Or just a slaphappy hoot? Hey, why can't it be both? Either way, this is a zippy tribute to/spoof of the 1960s Beach Party pictures. Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, landlocked in the Midwest since their surfing days, return to the California sun with their wild kids. There are mucho gags about the earlier films (including Frankie on a surfboard in front of a cheesy rear-projection wave), and cameos (much of the Leave It to Beaver cast, surf-guitar king Dick Dale). Pee-wee Herman sails in to perform "Surfin' Bird," and Annette teaches a thousand people "The Jamaican Ska." All that's missing is Erich von Zipper. This is a genuinely smart and funny movie, although it helps to know the original films, so you can savor the moment a beach boy gazes at Annette and marvels, "After all that surfing, her hair's perfectly dry!" --Robert Horton
HARMLESS, BUT NOSTALGIC INTEREST ONLY! 2 1/2 STARS! I'm sure big fans of Frankie and Annette may have found this movie very enjoyable, but for most of us this film is pretty lame and corny! Most of the jokes fall flat, but the film does have a certain amount of charm. The first 20 minutes are OK, with our favorite surfer couple's son "Bobby" delivering most of the laughs! There are many cameos from old TV show stars in this film, but they are not all that memorable. It's hard to come down so hard on a family friendly movie that means so well, but this film is mildly entertaining at best! The DVD transfer is fine with no extras at all!
One Last Romp More than 20 years after they were the rulers of the beach, Frankie and Annette finally got hitched and moved to Ohio! Frankie got a job as a used car salesman and Annette is busy making peanut butter sandwiches. The years have made them a bit uptight and square(Frankie especially). But when they decide to take a family vacation to Hawaii with their son(probably the most irritating and grating child ever put on film. He shuffles around the movie looking like he just stepped out of the Blue Oyster Bar), they decide to pay a quick visit to their daughter(Full House's Lori Loughlin) who still lives in California. They wind up back on their old beach and soon the fun begins. They have to deal with a daughter that's now engaged to a surfer, their son joining a punk surfer gang, booze, old flames, breakups and makeups. Basically they fall back into all those plot conventions of their early films. At the film's climax(if you can really call it a climax) Frankie has to regain his crown as he faces off with the head surfer of the rival surf gang for control of the beach, and in the process face down the same enormous wave that ended his surfing career back in the day and sent him packing to Ohio. You can be sure that by the end, Frankie saves the day, everybody kisses and makes up, and the entire beach parties the night away. Sound silly? Of course it is, it's a Beach Party movie!! It's all lighthearted feelgood goofiness. It may be the 80s, but it's got the same tone and structure of those old films, and we wouldn't want it any other way. There are some funny cameo appearances by Gilligan and the Skipper, Wally and the Beaver, Pee Wee Herman, and O.J. Simpson(!). Unfortunately, series regular Harvey Lembeck passed away before this film was made, so there's no Eric Von Zipper and his biker gang, The Rat Pack. Of course it wouldn't be a Beach Party movie without a few musical numbers as well, though not as many as the 60s films. The most impressive being a guitar dual with Dick Dale and Stevie Ray Vaughn who are performing the Chantay's immortal classic, Pipeline(unfortunately it's shown very briefly, but you owe it to yourself to see the official video on Youtube. Excellent song!). Fishbone even show up to do a song with Annette! Both Annette and Frankie do a great job of parodying their famous Beach Party roles, right down to some funny cracks about Frankie's hair style(he's referred to as looking like "an Italian loan shark" by one character) and pokes at Annette's goody twoshoes personna. It's brainless, it's silly, it's fluffy, and even corny(at the end of the film, Annette says to the camera, "Aren't we the corniest couple you've ever seen?"). But most importantly, it's fun!
Bobby!!!! If you like anything about surfing movies, or surf music, or old TV shows and actors, you will like this movie. It's goofy and predictable, sure. But what isn't anymore? If you are a Stevie Ray Vaughan fan, or a Dick Dale fan, then their scenes are worth owning the DVD for.
It is what it is! Such a classic that is all there is to say. If you like cheezed out 80s movies, you will like this.
Back to the beach very lighthearted a little bit slow in some places. On the whole a good watch. Frankie and Annette are always good entertainment. The son was a bratty kid who never seemed to get punished fot the things he did. Lori Loughlin was good in her character.
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