Gimme an 'F' (1984)

Director:

Paul Justman

Writer:

James V. Hart (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Can a squad of misfit cheerleaders with an over-age trainer possibly win the big cheerleading competition...

Plot Keywords:

Competition | Cheerleader | Cheerleading | Cheerleading Squad | Wet T Shirt

Cast

Stephen Shellen	...	Tommy Hamilton
Mark Keyloun	...	Roscoe McGuinn
Jennifer Cooke	...	Pam Bethlehem (as Jennifer C. Cook)
Beth Miller	...	Mary Ann
Daphne Ashbrook	...	Phoebe Willis
Karen Lee Kelly	...	Demon Janna (as Karen Kelly)
Sarah M. Miles	...	Falcon Eileen
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Japanese Businessman
Doris Hess	...	Wanda
John Karlen	...	Bucky Berkshire
Karyn Harrison	...	Sissy Williams
Tyra Ferrell	...	Rocket Rafferty
Patricia Duff	...	Rhonda Sikes
Leslie Ryan	...	Donna Duck
Audrey Saunders	...	Nun

Also Known As:

Gimme an F (USA) (video box title)
T & A Academy 2
The Big Cheer (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min | Germany:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Center Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Trivia:

In order to lower the MPAA rating, producers cut the following scenes. Scenes are listed in the order by which they were intended to shown in the film: - A sex scene between Sissy and Roscoe in the beginning of the movie. In this scene, Sissy is topless and is riding Roscoe while cheering: 4 minutes 12 seconds. - A sex scene between Tommy and Pheobe in the middle of the movie: 1 minute. - Roscoe and Sissy having sex in the woods - 3 minutes. - A shower scene between Sissy and Roscoe. In this scene, Roscoe and Sissy are having sex in the showers. They are almost caught when Pam walks in. Roscoe hides by crouching down in the shower. As Pam and Sissy talk, Roscoe performs oral sex on Sissy. The scene lasted 5 minutes 21 seconds. - Sissy and Roscoe trying to have sex. In this scene, Sissy and Roscoe try to have sex, but Roscoe's condoms keep breaking - 6 minutes - A short sex scene between Sissy and Roscoe: 3 minutes. In this scene, Roscoe and Sissy have sex in Roscoe's cabin. - Sissy and Roscoe: 1 minute. Sissy and Roscoe have a quickie in Sissy's cabin. - A sex scene between Pam and Roscoe. In this scene, Roscoe is drinking beer. Pam catches him. She tells him she noticed him in the shower with Sissy. She tells Roscoe that she heard all about him. She rips off her top and jumps on top of him. This scene is very graphic and features several shots of Jennifer Cooke's naked body. The scene lasted 3 minutes 40 seconds. - Roscoe apologizing to Sissy: 2 minutes. Roscoe apologizes to Sissy for sleeping with Demon Joanna. - Roscoe apologizing to Sissy: 2 minutes. Roscoe apologizes to Sissy for sleeping with Demon Joanna. - An extended version of the sex scene between Pam and Bucky. In this scene, Pam does several bawdy cheers while topless and on top of Bucky. 4 minutes 18 seconds. - Roscoe and Sissy arriving at the hotel - 3 minutes. - Sissy stripping for Roscoe - 5 minutes. - Roscoe chases Sissy around the hotel room. Then, they have sex - 8 minutes. - Bucky and Pam having sex in the limo - 3 minutes. - The lost ending. In this scene, considered the movies long lost ending, Pam and Bucky are in a hotel room, getting ready to have sex. This scene is inter-cut with a scene of Sissy and Roscoe having loud wild sex in the next room. Bucky yells and slams his fist against the wall. Roscoe recognizes Bucky's voice and stops having sex. As Sissy calls Roscoe to bed, Roscoe grabs his camera and tells Sissy to put on some clothes. Pam and Bucky start making love violently and loudly. Just as they are finishing, the firm alarm goes off and the sprinkler system starts. They run out of the room and are greeted by Roscoe who takes a picture of the naked couple. The films ends with a shot of a newspaper headline that reads "Cheerleading Camp Chief Caught in torrid sex scandal with former camper!" The entire scene series lasts over 12 minutes.

Quotes:

Pam Bethlehem: When are you gonna realize that sex has nothing to do with cheerleading?

Movie Connections:

Spoofs MASH (1970)

Soundtrack:

Let Loose and Lose It

Some Decent Elements

"Flashdance" meets "Meatballs III" or maybe it should just be called "Meatballs IV". This is my friend Wesley's all-time favorite movie, largely because he still has a thing about J.V. cheerleaders. As someone once said: "This is fine-more than fine-but as you get older you need to branch out. Whether you want to or not, society demands it".

"Gimme An F" has cinema's greatest J.V. cheerleader Mary Ann (played by Beth Miller), who looks like a sweet-faced Alicia Silverstone from before her "Clueless" days. Wesley hates Miller's other film, the horrific "Teen Wolf Too" made three years later, where she plays a fickle southern belle much like Martha Smith's character in "Animal House". Personally I admire Miller's range as the two characters could not be more different and she is convincing as both.

Anyway, Mary Ann is a naïve novice cheerleader from Moline (a member of "The Lucky Ducks" squad) who comes to Camp Beaverview for cheerleading instruction. She's befriended by Jenna (Karen Lee Kelly), the leader of the tough girl squad-appropriately named "The Demons". Jenna becomes protective of Mary Ann after her main rival takes an instant dislike to Mary Ann.

Later Mary Ann gets a crush on Tommy Hamilton, the head instructor. Tommy is spending his summer wrestling with the dilemma of having to grow up and move on, which is a problem as his only skills are teaching cheerleading and performing elaborate dance routines in the shower, for the enjoyment of viewers who get off on that sort of thing. Phoebe (Daphne Ashbrook) is Tommy's long-suffering girlfriend, she has a well-adjusted attitude and an experienced perspective. She even tolerates Tommy's flirtation with Mary Ann-trusting that Tommy will not actually take advantage of young Mary Ann.

While these four characters are solid and their relationships have a nice charm, the supporting cast is almost as weak as the material they have to work with. Which is a shame because had they brought some actual comic relief to the production it would have been a decent film. Jennifer Cooke plays Pam, a social climbing and terminally peppy instructor who is carrying on with camp's money-hungry owner Bucky. And there is another couple with a thing for the characters from "Mad Max". Since nothing is very funny you are left with only a cute semi-romance and some great dance routines.

An attempt is made to create some suspense by slowly leading up a final competition but unless this is your first movie experience the outcome is never in doubt. And there is a back-story about some Japanese businessmen Bucky wants to get money from, but it goes nowhere dramatically or comically.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.