SEAN S. CUNNINGHAM'S BEACHY EXPLOITATION OF 'SPRING BREAK'

David Knell facing Jayne Modean in SPRING BREAK Year: 1983 Rating: ***1/2

Most 1980's beach movies or in this case beach movies set in SPRING BREAK Florida are bikini, not character, driven, but there's something different about this cult gem ironically directed by FRIDAY THE 13TH horror pioneer Sean S. Cunningham and it's the characters, four guys as in, two pairs...

The first two are geeks and the others are fit, handsome jock-types that in a less original outing would have been bully-villains... but slick Paul Land and his muscular sidekick Steve Bassett wind up helpful party-mentors, sharing an "only motel room left" with skinny goofball David Knell and his horny yet equally dweeby/virginal pal Perry Lang...

Perry Lang, David Knell and Paul Land in SPRING BREAK

Having played the friend of the lead character before, in Steven Spielberg's 1941, Lang's characterization is both underrated and underused (albeit chock full of exposition), shadowing his even more quirky and insecure friend, whose climbing politician father wants to end the good times rolling...

But nothing's gonna stop this party wave started by our four eclectic heroes as they take part in a poolside beer drinking contest, traipse the beach on foot, the boulevard on wheels, and then spend a large amount of time in a girl-band bar where geek's dream/down-to-earth beauty Jayne Modean lights up the screen and, well, there's really no plot here but it's a good time had by four fellas who deserve it, and the audience can only be glad they're having it. 

Bikini babe in SPRING BREAK

Jeff Garlin tries outdrinking Steve Bassett in SPRING BREAK

Perry Lang, David Knell and Paul Land in SPRING BREAK with Steve Bassett

Perry Lang, David Knell and Paul Land in SPRING BREAK with Steve Bassett

HOT DATE band in SPRING BREAK with Lois Chamberlain

HOT DATE band in SPRING BREAK with Lois Chamberlain

Tammy Lynn Leppert in SPRING BREAK who'd vanish forever after the shoot

David Knell and Jayne Modean in SPRING BREAK

David Knell and Jayne Modean in SPRING BREAK

Perry Lang and David Knell in SPRING BREAK

Paul Land in SPRING BREAK

Perry Lang in SPRING BREAK

David Knell in SPRING BREAK

End credits in SPRING BREAK

David Knell and Jayne Modean in SPRING BREAK

Bikini girls in SPRING BREAK

Jayne Modean in SPRING BREAK

Paul Land's girl Corrine Wahl in SPRING BREAK

Steve Basset in SPRING BREAK

Opening sequence of SPRING BREAK

The near-future tragicmMIA murder victim Tammy Lynn Leppert in SPRING BREAK

Tammy Lynn Leppert as the boxing contest girl in SPRING BREAK

Steve Bassettl and Perry Lang in SPRING BREAK

Markus T. Pellicori and Corrine Wahl in SPRING BREAK

Perry Lang and friends in SPRING BREAK

Perry Lang, David Knell and Paul Land in SPRING BREAK with Steve Bassett

Tammy Lynn Leppert as the boxing contest girl in SPRING BREAK