Last Resort (1986) from Tuna

Last Resort (1986) is a Roger Corman low budget special.

Think "Vacation," but on mescaline. Newly unemployed George Lollar (Charles Grodin) leaves a snowy Chicago, and takes his family to a tropical paradise -- Club Sand. The accommodations are not quite what they expected based on the travel brochure, but the biggest shock is that Club Sand is a swingers club. On arrival, George's wife, daughter, and two sons want to return home immediately. Ala Chevy Chase, George convinces them to give it a chance.

The daughter finds a hot young revolutionary, and decides that two weeks of sun and sex is a vacation after all. The youngest son gets a real education watching the female guests, and the older son manages to "get laid." George's wife discovers that a combination of booze, pot, and magic mushrooms, together with the fun games, like "show us your breasts," a Club Sand tradition, also turn the trip into a real vacation.

NUDITY REPORT

Irina Maleeva plays a nudist

Brenda Bakke has a long topless scene

Wally Wharton shows her breasts through bushes

 

DVD info from Amazon.

  • no widescreen

  • no features

The acting is way over the top, with a host of totally outlandish characters, but the production values were up to Corman's usual standards, and the full-screen DVD transfer is a little over-saturated, but very crisp. The film was made for less than $1m, which is low indeed for 1985, and filmed on Catalina, off the coast of LA. I agree with Maltin. There are breasts, sunsets, and some truely funny moments, making it a good mindless rental.

The Critics Vote

  • General consensus: about two stars. Ebert 1/4, Maltin 2.5/4.

The People Vote ...

  • With their votes ... IMDB summary: IMDb voters score it 4.6
IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C+.

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