''Screwballs'' is a 1983 Canadian
teen
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
sex comedy film
Sex comedy, erotic comedy or more broadly sexual comedy is a genre in which comedy is motivated by sexual situations and love affairs. Although "sex comedy" is primarily a description of dramatic forms such as theatre and film, literary works such ...
that was inspired by the success of ''
Porky's
''Porky's'' is a 1981 sex comedy film written and directed by Bob Clark about the escapades of teenagers in 1954 at the fictional Angel Beach High School in Florida. The film influenced many writers in the teen film genre and spawned two sequels: ...
''.
Plot
In 1965, five boys at Taft and Adams High School try to see the bare breasts of Purity Bush, the most beautiful girl in school. After being set up, reprimanded and sent to detention by the principal because of Purity, they plot their revenge.
Production
Jim Wynorski
Jim Wynorski (born August 14, 1950) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer.
Wynorski has been making B-movies and exploitation movies since the early 1980s, and has directed over 150 feature films. His earliest films were releas ...
designed the poster and said that he was inspired by ''
Mad'' magazine.
[Chris Nashawaty, ''Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses - Roger Corman: King of the B Movie'', Abrams, 2013 p 193] Linda Shayne posed for the blonde figure on the poster.
Reception
Critical
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' magazine called the film "a poor man’s ''Porky’s''... full of youthful exuberance and proves utterly painless to watch, but it is so close in premise and tone to its model that negative comparisons can’t help but be drawn." At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a score of 34 out of 100 based on seven reviews.
Box office
The film was released in U.S. theaters by
New World Pictures
New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...
in April 1983. It grossed $2,082,215.
Sequels
The film led to two sequels, ''
Screwballs II'' (1985) and ''
Screwball Hotel'' (1988).
References
External links
*
Review of filmat Canuxploitation
Review of filmat AV Club
at Mondo Digital
*
1983 films
Canadian teen comedy films
1980s sex comedy films
1980s teen comedy films
1980s exploitation films
1980s high school films
Teen sex comedy films
Films about pranks
Films set in 1965
Canadian independent films
Canadian sex comedy films
English-language Canadian films
1980s English-language films
Films directed by Rafal Zielinski
1983 comedy films
1980s Canadian films
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