Zapped Again! (1990) (V)

Director:

Doug Campbell

Writers (WGA):

Bruce Rubin (characters) and
Robert J. Rosenthal (characters) ...

Release Date:

14 April 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Emerson High has raised more than its academic standards.

Plot:

A new kid moves into school, making enemies with the affluent societies and joining the beleaguered Science Club...

Plot Keywords:

Teen Scientist | Bully | See Through Panties | Schoolyard Fight | Telekinesis

Cast

Todd Eric Andrews	...	Kevin Matthews
Kelli Williams	...	Lucy Kaminsky
Reed Rudy	...	Wayne
Maria McCann	...	Amanda
David Donah	...	Cecil
Ira Heiden	...	Elliott
Rossie Harris	...	Chris (as Ross Harris)
Linda Larkin	...	Joanne
Michael Harris	...	Mike (as M.K. Harris)
Michael Colyar	...	Sheldon
Brent Hinkley	...	Larry
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Miss Rose Burnhart
Linda Blair	...	Miss Mitchell
Karen Black	...	Substitute Teacher
Lyle Alzado	...	Coach Kirby

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R

Quotes:

Mike: What brings you to the wiener business?
Kevin: Well, I'd like to sell a product I'm familiar with, and I know my wiener.

Movie Connections:

References "I Love Lucy" (1951)

Soundtrack:

WE'LL TAKE THE RAP

Excellent Love Story Helps Save This Quirky Teen Comedy

Zapped with Scott Baio, borrowed from The Exorcist and Carrie and hordes of other films in the horror genre. The sequel tends to go in a different direction, borrowing from teen comedies like Revenge Of The Nerds, Some Kind Of Wonderful and Teen Wolf. The outcome is surprisingly better.

Similar premise as Revenge Of The Nerds finds a group of nerdy Science Club members being muscled out of their giant Science lab by the jocky Key Club members. The Key's want a place to party and the Science lab is just big enough to accommodate their needs. A hitch arises when the new kid in school, Kevin Mathews (Todd Eric Andrews), a sort-of outcast jock, persuades the Science Club members not to give in. The rivalry comes to a head when the two clubs face off in an event called ‘The Penguin Run.'

In the middle of all this rehashed material emerges a formulaic but sweet love story. This is the main reason I found the film so appealing. Kelli Williams(The Practice) plays Lucy, a shy, kind-hearted but nerdy Science Club member who falls in love with Kevin on the first day of school. Kevin spends so much time chasing Amanda, a beautiful Key Club member, that he doesn't notice Lucy's subtle advances. When Lucy attempts to pour her heart out, her awkward insecurities doesn't allow for the words to come the way she intended, `Before you came here all I cared about was studying and now...' Needless to say Kevin chooses the more confident Amanda. Heartbroken, Lucy soon distances herself from him. It is only then that Kevin notices just how beautiful the less attractive girl is.

The only reference to the original Zapped comes with the discovery of prune juice bottles stored inside the Science lab wall. Inside the bottles is the formula which gave Baio telekinesis in the original. Kevin Mathews uses the formula to help win ‘The Penguin Run' among other things. Zapped Again doesn't get bogged down in the implications of having telekinesis the way the original film did. It's more like a background thought in this one.

Despite what some reviews say about Zapped Again, it is not an overtly sexual movie. The amount of nudity in Again equals about one half of a second of screen time. Watch for Linda Blair, Lyle Alzado and Karen Black as teachers.