Dir. James Beshears (1982)
A teen boy desperately wants to hook up with his high school friends but instead finds himself in the sites of one of his classmate's mom.
The late 1970's and early 1980's were the pinnacle of teen sex comedies. While the locker-room humor and cinematic style continued to be all the rage as late as the early 2000's with films like Eurotrip and The Girl Next Door, the genre was perfected before most of us were born. Revenge of the Nerds, Porky's, Meatballs... take your pick. These are the movies that a lot of us grew up on, and it's easy to see why they basically don't exist anymore with today's modern sensibilities and the film studios' dedication to avoiding offending their audiences. Perhaps that's a good thing, as some of these films are difficult to watch today with the awkward rapey characters and off-color humor that probably shouldn't have been funny even then. Nevertheless, these films hold a place in movie history and nostalgia, and it's easy to see why companies like Unearthed Films would dip their toes into the genre despite the fact that a lot of these movies really don't hold up to modern scrutiny.
Homework is the solo directorial effort of James Beshears, who is probably more known from working in the sound department for films like True Lies and The Craft. Starring Dynasty's Joan Collins and with an early role from Scream Queen Michelle Bauer, the film is about Tommy (Michael Morgan), a young man obsessed with losing his virginity who attempts to win the affection of the high school girls by becoming a rock star. He ends up winning the affections of Diane (Collins), his friend's mother, turning an American Pie-style comedy into something closer to The Graduate (though I suppose you could draw comparisons with Stifler's mom in that example as well).
Homework is hardly a good movie. It scratches a nostalgia itch more than anything, and there are a few good laughs scattered throughout that make it a watchable film. There are also copious amounts of nudity, a must for films from this era that served to bring viewers into the theater with no regard to the quality of the film itself. It's really a time capsule of a movie, filled with things that don't exist anymore in a movie that could no longer be made. While it's not one of those films that yearns to be seen, it's definitely worth preserving, an effort that Unearthed Films has been dedicating themselves to as of late.
A purely 80's film that helped usher in the decade, Homework is a watchable and at times hilarious comedy that's worth a watch for people who appreciate this type of film. It's offensive, though moreso because of a modern view than because it strived to be at the time, and it's got some great jokes that stand the test of time as well. If you're down for a movie with more boobs than plot, it may well be something you want to check out. If it's a movie you remember from when it was made, well... you're older than me.
Who this movie is for: Teen sex comedy fans, 80's movie lovers, Cougars
Bottom line: Homework is not a great movie, but it's definitely one of the lesser-known 80's teen sex comedies that fans of the genre will love. It's decently funny, entirely nostalgic, and it's a film that you can't imagine being made today. Unearthed Films delivers a fantastic restoration of a film that most folks don't know exists, and if you're a fan of the types of teen films being produced during this era, it's definitely one you'll want to check out. You can grab a copy at their website, and it's always worth supporting a company like Unearthed Films for the work that they do in underseen genre films and extreme horror.
