Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Mark Harmon | ... |
Robin Prince
|
|
Kirstie Alley | ... |
Jamie Harrison
|
|
Robert Vaughn | ... |
Stanley Auerbach
|
|
Patrick Labyorteaux | ... |
Justin
|
|
Bart Braverman | ... |
Larry Kampion
(as Bartley Braverman)
|
|
![]() |
Deborah Harmon | ... |
Carol Kampion
|
![]() |
Katherine Moffat | ... |
Kelli
|
![]() |
Scott Getlin | ... |
Steve Cooper
|
Michael Horton | ... |
Michael Jacobs
|
|
![]() |
Jonathan Stark | ... |
Brad Griffin
|
Sherry Hursey | ... |
Sandi
|
|
Lisanne Falk | ... |
Stacy
|
|
Dean Cameron | ... |
Willard
|
|
Don Swayze | ... |
Darryl
|
|
Barbara Crampton | ... |
Anne White
|
A free-spirited, womanizing L.A. pool cleaner (Mark Harmon) finds his lifestyle challenged by a new love interest (Kirstie Alley). Robert Vaughn also appears as Alley's uncle.
Prince of Bel Air is pure 80s, and completely driven by the typical type-casted efforts of Mark Harmon as Robin Prince, a carefree pool man's who's benefits of the job include not a pension plan, but rather, a slick tan and a knack for wooing the ladies. For the summer, he takes on his financier's son, a high school graduate named Justin (Patrick Labyorteaux looking quite gorgeous), mentoring the virgin young lad in what he knows well: swimming pools and women. Although, while Justin assimilates to Robin's habits of this sort, old Robin may be having a change of heart when he falls in love with Justin's cousin, Jamie (Kiersty Allie), a woman who partially doesn't seem to mind Robin's reluctance for monogamy, even when he is so brutally honest about it (of course, this changes). So, most of the movie is simply a guy figuring out whether commitment is really such a terrible word.
The movie is really one that is so intent on delivering all of that Harmon charm and humor, the guy that's everybody's buddy kind of character he is so well known to play, especially in his choice of late 80s films, but the movie overall lacks much conflict in trying to impress this on the viewer. While there are some rifts between Robin and the characters of his old lifestyle (collectively known as "the guys") and those of his possible new lifestyle ("Jamie"), there is simply not that much to make you think a guy like Robin would care much about it. He never seems so sincere. It's just like, oh, he's rethinking the whole thing, so you'll have to expunge some sympathy for him, without ever really having much reason to buy into it. We shouldn't have to, and neither should he simply because there just doesn't seem like enough reason to. The relationship with Jamie is delicate at best.
Aside from that however, I would recommend watching it for fans of pure 80s movies. It is no more than a light love story of sorts that celebrates a cast of well-tanned Californians. In the year following this made-for-TV movie, Harmon will have teamed up again with Laboryteaux ("Justin"), Dean Cameron ("Willard"), and Kirstie Alley ("Jamie") for the Carl Reiner comedy, Summer School. It may be worth it just to see it for those familiar faces.