The Big Bet (1985)

An older woman helps a teenager seduce a schoolgirl.

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writer:

Bert I. Gordon

Stars:

Lance Sloane, Kim Evenson, Sylvia Kristel

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lance Sloane	...	Chris
Kim Evenson	...	Beth
Sylvia Kristel	...	Michelle
Ron Thomas	...	Norman
Robert Anthony Marcucci	...	Jeff
Kenneth Ian Davis	...	Frank
John Smith	...	Thomas
Stephanie Blake	...	Mrs. Roberts
Eldon Quick	...	Rev. Lowell
Ermal Williamson	...	Mr. Roberts
Deanna Shapiro	...	Rita (as Deanna Claire)
Norman Budd	...	Mr. Brown
Con Covert	...	Melvin
Troy Mack	...	Gregory
Jill Terashita	...	Koko

Storyline

A teenage boy that had early sexual encounters is having trouble finding them now, and spends a lot of time fantasizing about the women he knows. When a beautiful new girl comes to town, he makes a bet with the other guys that he can get her into bed within 10 days. His chief rival stacks the deck, though, by threatening to expose the new girl's sordid past (she was wrongly accused of being involved in an orgy at her previous school) if she sleeps with our hero. Confused about his situation, the boy seeks counsel from the sexy older woman across the street, and she helps him come to terms with his predicament.

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Plot Keywords:

bathtub | sex | voyeurism | female nudity | independent film

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Nachhilfe in Sachen Liebe

Company Credits

Production Co:

G.T. Productions, Golden Harvest Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Malicious (1973)

User Reviews

"Another day, but hey....If you can find this movie in your video store, you're in for an amusing evening."

Whilst "The Big Bet" may not have the highest production values in the World, nor may it be a brilliant comedy, there's still no denying: It's pretty damn entertaining and more-funny-than-most eighties Hollywood teen sex comedies. Based around the usual theme of the likeable but slightly geekish 17-year-old teenager unable to get a gal, Lance Sloan is our hero for this picture, who, somehow or other, finds himself smitten with the new lass in town, a certain Kim Evenson. Ok, Ok, I haven't heard of any of these actors either, but this isn't a high budget movie.

It's more fun puzzling over just why a school bully is allowed to EXIST in a year at school that contains only seventeen and eighteen year olds, but this movie is just for fun. Meanwhile, across the Street from where Sloan lives with his parents, a rather attractive single woman has just moved in (The gorgeous Sylvia Kristel), who loves nothing more than to give our protagonist lots of practical advice.

Whilst "The Big Bet" isn't amazingly funny, when it IS funny, it's more than amusing enough, containing lots of decent verbal gags and site gags. There's the usual bunch of dirty teen-talk, and the performances are all good. There's lots of dream-sequences, and there's a memorable opening dreamo scene at the start, where Sloan recollects his life so-far. Meanwhile, Sylvia Kristel is on brilliant form as the middle-aged seductress, although one gets the impression that the script could have done much more with her character, and involved her much more in the narrative.

The film is at its most disappointing at the end:- It's a sudden, irritating ending that leaves too much explained, and doesn't do justice to an otherwise decent comedy. However, if you like 80's pictures, and are sick of those John Hughes movies where the sickening sentimentaility and morals seem to dominate as much as the funny gags and observational dialogue, there's plenty to enjoy in this movie. Naturally, there's also lots of nice 80's music, and plenty to satisfy those who pine for more of the finest decade in the 20th Century so far (!).