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:

They've been laughed at, picked on and put down. But now it's time for the odd to get even! Their time has come!

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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

Lewis' and Gilbert's names are a play on the name of the famous American physical chemist, Gilbert N. Lewis; who studied acids, bases and photo-phosphorescence. He is credited with coining the term "photon" and was the first to produce pure deuterium oxide, otherwise known as "heavy water".

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Goofs

Poindexter has a "spiked" hairstyle during the performance at the end of the Homecoming Carnival. In the next scenes, his normal hair style is back.

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Quotes

Betty Childs: [in the Pi's bathroom] Listen, if Stan calls tell him I'll call him back, okay?
Suzy: Okay.
Lewis: [Betty opens the shower curtain and finds Lewis; gasps] Panty raid!
[Betty screams; Lewis laughs, chasing her]
Betty Childs: That nerd saw me naked!

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Crazy Credits

DIRTBAGS......A Part of Growing Up

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Connections

Referenced in Remote Control (1988)

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Soundtracks

We Are the Champions
Written by Freddie Mercury
Performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Courtesy of Compact Television

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.