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 | breasts | cleavage | female pubic hair | shower | 

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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:

Die Rache der Eierköpfe

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

There were two scenes in the movie that were either cut or not given context, that deal with the fact that Stan Gable was a nerd at heart but was too afraid and ashamed to reveal it. Curtis Armstrong discussed the cut scene during an online interview where he praised Ted McGinley's acting; it shows Stan leaving the endless Alpha Beta party and going to his room, after which he puts on a pair of glasses and begins reading a textbook, but when one the frat brothers calls at the door for him to rejoin the party, he puts the glasses and book in a drawer and sadly walks out. This scene informs another sequence the ending of the movie, where the nerds triumph, Stan Gable was not sad for losing to nerds, but sad because he knew he was a nerd at heart and was not able to reveal it out of fear of being bullied and humiliated. In the third film, this idea is used for the film's final scenes, where Stan (who once again had been bullying nerds) tells a courtroom that he is a nerd himself and will no longer hide it; he even uses the phrase "come out of the closet" in reference to admitting this publicly.

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Goofs

In the computer lab, when Judy and Gilbert first meet (visible in the distant "behind the computer" shot at the beginning of the scene). Possibly only visible in open matte fullscreen versions of the movie.

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Quotes

Dean Ulich: Frankly, I'm not too wild about this next even but it has become a tradition here at Adams: The Belching Contest.
[the crowd cheers]
Dean Ulich: First up, Frederick W. Palowakski.
Ogre: [grunting] It's "Ogre" you asshole!
Dean Ulich: "Ogre, you asshole.", uh "Ogre".

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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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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: 42nd Street Forever, Volume 2: The Deuce (2013)

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Soundtracks

Revenge of the Nerds
Performed by The Rubinoos

User Reviews

Another funny teen film from the 80's

With the resurgence of the raunchy teen comedy, now seems like as good a time as ever to go back and study its roots. What kinds of films influenced American Pie and Road Trip? It is easy to point out films like Porky's, Animal House and Fasttimes, but somewhere forgotten in all this is Jeff Kanew's hilarious flick REVENGE OF THE NERDS. This is not only entertaining and funny, but it contains what has to be considered a blue print for success in campus comedy. Take lots of people getting drunk, jocks ostracizing nerds from there way of life, the weak rising up to take back what is just as much a right as it is to others, and of course lots of nudity featuring an abundance of gorgeous women. What you have here is a great recipe for success.

What made Revenge work is that it didn't try to pretend to be something that it wasn't. This was an exploitive sex-fest and it worked well. What it also had was a funny script and one that we could all relate to. I mean, who hasn't felt left out or relegated to the side lines while someone else gets all the glory? Besides being extremely funny, this film touched on something that we all can relate to.

Revenge of the Nerds is another of the teen films that was hilarious and it ended up spawning a slew of sequels. Avoid them and see this one again. It's worth it, especially if you were a teen when it came out. And if you are a teen now, this is a treat to watch. This is one of the films that writers study when they are thinking what they can put into their film to make it crude, rude and raunchy. This should be a must see!

9 out of 10