''The Last American Virgin'' is a 1982 American

sex comedy 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 ...

film written and directed by

Boaz Davidson Boaz Davidson ( he, בועז דוידזון, ; born 8 November 1943) is an Israeli film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and studied film in London at London Film School. Biography Davidson was ...

. It is a remake of Davidson's 1978 Israeli film '' Eskimo Limon (Lemon Popsicle)''. After the success of the original film and its sequels in Israel, Davidson re-teamed with producers

Golan-Globus The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested ...

to attempt to recreate the same success in the United States. Though the film's plot and characters remained largely the same, the setting was updated from 1950s

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

to then-present day suburban

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The soundtrack, a major facet of both films, was also updated from the original's golden oldies to more contemporary

new wave rock New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...

Plot

The plot closely follows the original Israeli film ''Eskimo Limon'' (''Lemon Popsicle''), and revolves around protagonist Gary, a typical

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

student and pizza delivery boy, and his friends Rick—the slick talking ladies' man—and David--obese and bumbling, but popular and confident. Most of the plot involves their numerous attempts to have sex, which are usually successful for Rick and David, but never for Gary. Early in the film, the three boys pick up three girls with the promise of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

(instead they use Sweet'n Low). They go over to Gary's house where he gets stuck with the homely and overweight Millie, a friend of the other two more attractive girls. But their party is interrupted when Gary's parents return home and pandemonium ensues. A

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

develops between Gary, Rick, and Karen, a beautiful new virginal student who Rick is determined to have sex with. Gary first sees her one night at an ice cream parlor, then in the school lunchroom, and asks David to find out where she lives. The next morning, in an attempt to get closer to her, he punctures her bike tires and invites her to ride to school with him. During and after the ride, he makes multiple attempts to woo her, much to her indifference. That evening, Gary attends a party at David's house and is devastated to find Karen in close company with Rick. He tries to entice her away from his friend but she treats him with blank disinterest. He becomes drunk and makes a fool of himself, falling about, then creates an embarrassing scene in front of his parents' dinner guests when he goes home. One day Gary delivers pizza to Carmela, a glamorous Latina woman whose sailor boyfriend is never home, and she tells him she wants more than just pizza. Being too afraid to follow up on it, he goes away and convinces his friends to go along with him. She promptly copulates with Rick and David, but her boyfriend Paco returns home just as Gary is about to have his turn, prompting them to flee. In order to keep Rick and Karen apart, Gary and David persuade Rick to join them in patronizing a tart-tongued streetwalker known to work a busy highway corner in the neighborhood. Gary's encounter with her is awkward and unpleasant, causing him to vomit. The next day at school, all three boys realize they've contracted crab lice from the prostitute, and after trying unsuccessfully to drown them in a public swimming pool, they have to bring their problem to an amused middle-aged pharmacist. Eventually, after Karen and Rick have sex, she becomes pregnant, and he callously dumps her. Enraged Gary confronts Rick in the school library and a physical fight occurs, with Rick calling Gary jealous and Gary denouncing Rick as a lowlife. Gary decides to help Karen pay for an

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

by selling most of his possessions and borrowing money from his boss. After the abortion, Gary and Karen spend the remainder of the weekend alone together in Gary's grandmother's house. While nursing her back to health, Gary tells Karen that he sincerely loves her. Karen appears to reciprocate and they both share a tender kiss. Karen invites Gary to her 18th birthday party the following week. Gary scrapes up a few more dollars and buys Karen a gold locket for her birthday. When Gary arrives at the party, his dreams of a lasting romance with Karen are shattered when he walks in on her

making out Making out is a term of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used to refer to kissing, including extended French kissing or heavy kissing of the neck (called ''necking''), or to acts of non-penetrative sex such as heavy petti ...

with Rick again. Despite what Rick had put Karen through, and despite Gary's devotion and support, she's rejected Gary to reunite with the slick-talking ladies' man. Gary sadly leaves the party without saying a word to either of them, taking Karen's gift with him. Tears streaming down his face, Gary drives home alone, emotionally broken and defeated.

Cast

Home media

VHS, CED Videodisc

The film was released on VHS and

CED Videodisc The Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) is an analog video disc playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special stylus and high-density groove system similar to phonograph records. Fir ...

Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested ...

, November 30, 1983.

LaserDisc

The film was released by Guild Home Video on

LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

with a digital stereo soundtrack in 1984.

DVD, Blu-ray

The Region 1

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

was first released in 2002 by

MGM Home Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC (d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. History 1 ...

. The only audio option is a 2.0 stereo mix in either English or French. The film was released on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

in 2015 by Olive Films.

Soundtrack

Additional songs in the film include: * "

In the Flesh In the Flesh may refer to: Books * ''In the Flesh'' (2009 graphic novel), a collection of stories by Koren Shadmi Film and TV * ''In the Flesh'' (1998 film), an American gay-themed murder mystery film * ''In the Flesh'' (2003 film), an Indian ...

" - Blondie * "Oh No" -

The Commodores Commodores are an American funk and Soul music, soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed wit ...

* " Open Arms" -

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

* " Keep on Loving You" -

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

* "

Just Once "Just Once" is a 1981 single released from Quincy Jones' album '' The Dude'' on A&M Records. The song features James Ingram on vocals, and reached number 17 on the ''Billboard'' chart in the summer of 1981. Ingram's singing was nominated for Best ...

" -

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

feat.

James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Awards, Academy Award nominee for Academy Award for Best Original ...

* "

That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of th ...

" -

KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits "That's the Way (I Like It)", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "K ...

* "

Love Action (I Believe in Love) "Love Action (I Believe in Love)" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League, released as a single in the UK in July 1981. It became the band's first Top 10 success, peaking at number three in the UK Singles Chart. The song was ...

" -

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

* "

Shake It Up Shake It Up may refer to: * ''Shake It Up'' (Boney James & Rick Braun album), 2000 * ''Shake It Up'' (The Cars album), 1981 ** "Shake It Up" (The Cars song), the title song * "Shake It Up" (Divine song), 1983 * "Shake It Up" (Koda Kumi song), ...

" -

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...

* " Besame Mucho & Granada"- Los Fabulosos 3 Paraguayos * "It Aint Easy Comin' Down" - Charlene * "Zero Hour" -

The Plimsouls The Plimsouls are an American rock band known for their hit single "A Million Miles Away" which was featured in the movie ''Valley Girl''. History The band was formed in Paramount, California in 1978. They recorded two full-length albums and an ...

* "España Cani" - The Dancing Brass The 1982 Japanese release of the soundtrack (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

28MM 0206) replaced the

Tommy Tutone Tommy Tutone is an American power pop band, known for its 1981 hit "867-5309/Jenny", which peaked at #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Though some people consider the band to be a one-hit wonder, it did reach the Top 40 the year before with "An ...

track with

's recording of "

". While "Just Once", which featured prominently over the final scene, was not included on the soundtrack album, Ingram was nominated for

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...

at the

1982 Grammy Awards The 24th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1982, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. The event recognized the accomplishments of musicians during the year 1981. Quincy Jones was the ...

. On all DVD and Blu-ray releases, at request of the band themselves, Love Action has been omitted and replaced with a repeated use of Whip It by Devo in one scene. The original MGM VHS tape has the original song intact though.

Reception

Responding to criticism dismissing ''The Last American Virgin'' as distasteful, critic Noel Murray of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' commented "Really, the film's frankness makes it more honest than its dreamy-eyed descendants; even the shallow treatment of girls captures the point of view of a luckless teenage boy." In an essay written a quarter-century later, critic Andy Selsberg noted that, unlike the other teen sex comedies of the 1980s, ''The Last American Virgin'' was the only one truthful enough to have a "main character... left longing for his dream girl", whereas all the others were "acheless". ''The Last American Virgin'' holds a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on thirteen reviews.

References

External links

* * * * *
Q&A with cast at 25th anniversary screening, August 2007 (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last American Virgin, The 1982 films 1982 comedy-drama films 1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 1980s pregnancy films 1980s romantic comedy-drama films 1980s sex comedy films 1980s teen comedy-drama films 1980s teen romance films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American remakes of Israeli films American romantic comedy-drama films American sex comedy films American teen comedy-drama films American teen romance films Coming-of-age romance films 1980s English-language films Films about abortion Films about virginity Films directed by Boaz Davidson Films set in Los Angeles Golan-Globus films Lemon Popsicle Teen sex comedy films Teenage pregnancy in film Teensploitation Films produced by Menahem Golan Films produced by Yoram Globus Films with screenplays by Boaz Davidson 1980s American films 1980s German films