Forgotten Friday Flick – “Bachelor Party”
Keeping in tune with the current 80’s theme, but adding a little humor to the mix (I think we all need it today!) it felt like time to celebrate cinema with a little raunchy in the reels – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! For today’s selection we’re getting rid of political correctness, throwing caution to the wind and taking a swig off a stiff one all in the name of unbridled 80’s comedy. Starring a man who went on to become an acting icon alongside an eclectic cast of misfits, deviants and malcontents, it’s the tale a small get together that turns into one of the craziest soirees in movie history. Drugs, booze, guns, fire trucks and everything that makes life worth living for – Tom Hanks may be embarrassed by it but today we hail…Bachelor Party!
Rick Gassko and his girlfriend Debbie Thompson are a loving couple about to be married. The date is set, the arrangements made and the guests list has been constructed – all in celebration of their joyous union. But Rick also has a group of unruly friends who are a tad bummed that their buddy will be leaving his single guy status to be a strapped down house husband. So the gang decides to throw a bachelor party – they rent out room in a lush hotel, crank up the adult films and wait for the fun to begin. And it does.
Those who have seen the iconic Bachelor Party are well aware of its wild wares, but for those newbies to the crazed cinematic shindig I’m not spoiling any of the surprises. Helmed by Police Academy gents Neal Isreal and co-writer by Pat Profit, the two were not only experts at putting debauchery front and center, but making it funny as hell. How they came up with sick and twisted ideas involving sexual mules, S&M kidnappings and footlong male hot dogs is beyond me, but thankfully with Bachelor Party there’s gag after gag at a rapid fire pace that leaves little time to ponder and lots of time to laugh.
But it frankly comes down to the characters and the actors that play them that gives Bachelor Party its comic edge. All characters are thoughtfully (though at times grotesquely!) drawn out and are given ample intro time to help the audience become appropriately engaged. An early Tom Hanks as the loveable and earnest groom Rick, T.J. Hooker alum Adrian Zmed as the charismatic and sleazy Jay, Gary Grossman as the geeky Gary, Michael Dudikoff (not in American Ninja mode!) as the dim Ryko, William Tepper as Rick’s sex starved brother Stan, Bradford Bancroft as the sullen and sad Brad and especially Barry Diamond as the party hungry Rudy all fill out the groom side of the festivities with real relish. But of course there has to be foes to the fun and Bachelor Party has more than a few memorable ones. Wendie Jo Sperber as Stan’s suspicious and viscous wife, George Grizzard as the bride’s bitter father, Robert Prescott as a former lover out to reclaim the bride and Deborah Harmon as the bride’s caustic best friend (Banzai!) all give Hanks and his cronies some enjoyable obstacles to overcome.
Having seen the film as a kid a million times, there are so many funny moments, so many quotable lines and so many outrageous scenes that even the most uptight movie goers can’t help but crack a smile. (Grandma may not admit it, but she laughed dammit!) Designed in time when camp was killer and everyone involved would do anything to get a laugh (no matter how base the humor!), Bachelor Party is a throwback to a caution to the wind style of comedy that is missing today. A joyous journey to hoopla hell and beyond – you may now move about the cabin freely.
Jason Coleman
I'm a passionate and opinionated film critic/movie journalist with over 20 years of experience in writing about film - now exclusively for WhySoBlu.com. Previous sites include nine years at Starpulse.com where I created Forgotten Friday Flick back in 2011, before that as Senior Entertainment Editor for The213.net and 213 Magazine, as well as a staff writer for JoBlo.com. My other love is doing cool events for the regular guy with my company Flicks For Fans alongside my friend, partner and Joblo.com writer James "Jimmy O" Oster. Check us out at www.Facebook.com/FlicksForFans.
