Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

At Adams College, a group of bullied outcasts and misfits resolve to fight back for their peace and self-respect.

Director:

Jeff Kanew

Writers:

Tim Metcalfe (story), Miguel Tejada-Flores (story)

Stars:

Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Carradine	...	Lewis
Anthony Edwards	...	Gilbert
Timothy Busfield	...	Poindexter
Andrew Cassese	...	Wormser
Curtis Armstrong	...	'Booger'
Larry B. Scott	...	Lamar
Brian Tochi	...	Takashi
Julia Montgomery	...	Betty Childs (as Julie Montgomery)
Michelle Meyrink	...	Judy
Ted McGinley	...	Stan Gable
Matt Salinger	...	Burke
Donald Gibb	...	Ogre
James Cromwell	...	Mr. Skolnick (as Jamie Cromwell)
David Wohl	...	Dean Ulich
John Goodman	...	Coach Harris

Storyline

When lovable nerds Gilbert and Lewis embark on their freshman year at Adams College, little do they realize the dangers that await them. They are beset by taunting from the jocks of Alpha Beta fraternity, which only worsens when the jocks accidentally burn down their house and toss the freshmen out of the freshmen dorm. To make matters more problematic, Lewis develops a crush on pretty Betty Childs, popular sorority sister and quarterback's girlfriend. Joined by the aptly named Booger and the violin-playing Poindexter, the nerds soon realize they must form their own fraternity in self-defense. Soon the tables are turned as the nerds employ high-tech warfare against the jocks.... but can they really succeed and make a difference?

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Plot Keywords:

rape by deception | female pubic hair | shower | female frontal nudity | bare midriff | 

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Taglines:

The time has come for Revenge of the Nerds! Let the battle begin!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 August 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Revenge of the Nerds

Filming Locations:

Scottish Rite Temple, 160 S Scott Ave, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,513,090, 22 July 1984, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$40,900,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Interscope Communications, Zacharias-Buhai Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Greek Council scenes were shot in a Masonic Hall. Earl, the old man who assists with showing the Nerds in, was the caretaker of the Masonic Hall. Additionally, on the commentary, the actors claim that the "extra" Nerds do not appear in this scene because they would have to have paid them.

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Goofs

Ogre grabs someone's pie and gets whipped cream on his costume. In the next shot, when he reports back to the other Alpha Betas, the stain disappears.

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Quotes

Sergeant: I do not know what this world is coming to. See that man over there. We arrested him for mopery.
Booger: What's mopery?
Sergeant: Mopery is exposing yourself to a blind person. I am sorry about your window, fellas, but that's out of our jurisdiction. This sounds more like a fraternity prank. But there's only one organization that can handle such matters.
Gibert: What is that?
Sergeant: [disdainfully] The Greek Council.

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Crazy Credits

The title appears on screen immediately following the 20th Century Fox logo, before the Fox Fanfare concludes.

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Alternate Versions

The version of the film shown on Comedy Central cuts out a good chunk of the "roll call" scene, including the "why do they call you Booger" dialogue and a basketball landing in the bunk area.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times (2007)

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Soundtracks

We Are the Champions
Performed by Queen
Produced by Queen assisted by Mike Stone
Written by Freddie Mercury
Queen Music Ltd./Beechwood Music, Ltd. (BMI)
Courtesy of Elektra Records/Outside U.S.A.
Queen Productions, Ltd.

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

Although it may be all a bit silly and quite clichéd, this is nevertheless a good film of its type, with main characters that are appealing and a great title song, scored by Thomas Newman, who would later compose the scores of movies such as 'American Beauty'. The film does not really go anywhere much at all, the jokes work only about half the time, and it is all a bit short on its content, but despite all of this, the film has a pleasant and rather enjoyable nature not common to the average college comedy, and this makes it a rather uniquely likable film overall. It may not be a great piece of cinema, but it is quite good entertainment.