''Up the Creek'' is a 1984

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Robert Butler and starring

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated ''Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 197 ...

Dan Monahan Dan Monahan (born July 20, 1955) is an American actor, best known for his role as Edward "Pee Wee" Morris in the 1980s ''Porky's'' trilogy of teen films. He appeared in '' Only When I Laugh'' and ''Porky's'' in 1981. Early and personal life Mo ...

Stephen Furst Stephen Furst (born Stephen Nelson Feuerstein; May 8, 1954 – June 16, 2017) was an American actor, director and producer. After gaining attention with his featured role as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in the comedy film ''National Lampoon's An ...

Jeff East Jeffrey Franklin East (born October 27, 1957) is an American actor. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of fourteen, East is known for his portrayal of Huckleberry Finn in the United Artists feature films ''Tom Sawyer'' (1973) an ...

Sandy Helberg Sandy Helberg (born May 28, 1949) is a German-born American actor. Early life Helberg was born in Frankfurt, Germany, the son of Tonia (née Altman) and Sam Helberg. His parents were both Holocaust survivors from German-occupied Poland, who met ...

, Blaine Novak,

James B. Sikking James Barrie Sikking (born March 5, 1934) is a former American actor, most known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ''Hill Street Blues''. Early years Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934 to Andy and Sue (né ...

, Jennifer Runyon, and

John Hillerman John Benedict Hillerman (December 20, 1932 – November 9, 2017) was an American actor best known for his starring role as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' that aired from 1980 to 1988. For his role as ...

Plot summary

Bob McGraw, Max, Gonzer, and Irwin, students at Lepetomane University (known derisively by some as "Lobotomy U"), are volunteered to compete in a collegiate raft race. They are "recruited" by Dean Burch who uses records of McGraw's checkered past as a means of blackmail to get them to compete. He offers them degrees in the major of their choice as additional incentive. "You have the distinct honor of being the four worst students in the entire country.", says Birch, "You're not AT the bottom of the list, you ARE the bottom of the list!" Their opponents include Ivy University, prep schoolers who, with the help of an Ivy alumnus named Dr. Roland Tozer, plan to cheat their way to the Winner's Circle. Their adversaries also include the Washington Military Institute, who are soon disqualified for their attempts to sabotage the other schools' rafts. Captain Braverman, the leader of the Military men, seeks revenge on McGraw for hindering their attempts to sabotage the other rafts. Also entered is a team of attractive female students, one of whom ends up in a romantic situation with McGraw.

Cast

... Bob McGraw *

... Max *

... Irwin *

... Gonzer * Jennifer Runyon ... Heather Merriweather *

... Rex Crandall *

James Sikking James Barrie Sikking (born March 5, 1934) is a former American actor, most known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ''Hill Street Blues''. Early years Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934 to Andy and Sue (né ...

... Tozer (as James B. Sikking) * Blaine Novak ... Captain Braverman * Mark Andrews ... Rocky * Jesse D. Goins ... Brown *

Julia Montgomery Julia Montgomery (born July 2, 1960) is an American film and television actress. She first gained public attention for her role as Samantha Vernon on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1977–1980). She subsequently appeared in the slasher film ...

... Lisa (as Julie Montgomery) * Romy Windsor ... Corky *

... Dean Burch * Grant Wilson ... Reggie *

Jeana Tomasino Jeana Ellen Keough ( née Myers; formerly Tomasino; born September 18, 1955) is an American television personality, realtor, actress, and model. Keough graduated from Whitnall High School located in Greenfield, Wisconsin in 1972. When she was y ...

... Molly * Will Bledsoe ... Roger van Dyke *

Robert Costanzo Robert Jason Costanzo (born October 20, 1942) is an American film, television and voice actor. He has an acting career spanning over 40 years and is often found playing surly New York City types such as crooks, low-level workers and policemen, an ...

... Campus Guard Charlie * Ken Gibbel ... Campus Guard Leslie * Hap Lawrence ... Gas Station Attendant *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

as the voice of Chuck the Dog

Production notes

This film was filmed in Bend, Oregon. Writer

Jim Kouf Jim Kouf (born July 24, 1951) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He received the 1988 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for his work on ''Stakeout (1987 film), Stakeout'' (1987). Filmography Film *''The Boogens ...

later said Robert Butler "was not a great comedy director, he missed a lot of jokes."

Soundtrack

# " Up the Creek" –

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

# "The Heat" –

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

# "

30 Days in the Hole "30 Days in the Hole" is a song by English rock band Humble Pie. Released in late 1972, it was composed by the band's guitarist/singer Steve Marriott for the group's fifth album '' Smokin (1972). The song received minor airplay at the time but ...

" –

Kick Axe Kick Axe is a Canadian heavy metal band from Regina, Saskatchewan. Influenced by rambunctious arena rock from the 70s and early 80s, the group is perhaps best known for their 1984 album ''Vices'', praised by publications such as AllMusic for its ...

# "Great Expectations (You Never Know What to Expect)" – Ian Hunter # "Chasin' the Sky" –

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

# "Get Ready Boy" – Shooting Star # "One Track Heart (Passion in the Dark)" –

Danny Spanos Danny Spanos (also known as George Spannos) was an American rock drummer, best known for his 1983 EP "Passion in the Dark" which produced the Mainstream Rock Tracks hit single "Hot Cherie" in Mainstream Rock chart in the summer of 1983. He also ...

# "Take It" – Shooting Star # "Two Hearts on the Loose Tonight" – Randy Bishop # "Get Ready Boy (Instrumental)" – Shooting Star One song that was in the film but not on the soundtrack is "First Girl President" by Namrac.

Reception

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' wrote that the film was "not as consistently amusing" as ''

Police Academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or othe ...

'' but was "rambunctious and raunchy enough to divert undemanding audiences." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called it "a moist smut movie" in which the best performance was given by the dog. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called it "a ridiculous ordeal, all right, but certainly not in the way the filmmakers intended."

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' however said the film was "a good time", where Matheson, Furst and Helberg "play their roles with the same whimsical naturalness that made

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Nigh ...

a star. They don't push themselves upon us, and that allows us to identify with them in a relaxed way. The result is a very tight script with breathing room. That's most unusual for a teen comedy, and that's why ''Up the Creek'' is one of the best."

References

External links

''Up the Creek'' review
at the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''
Review of film
by

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

* * * * {{Authority control 1984 films 1980s sex comedy films American sex comedy films American independent films 1980s English-language films Films shot in Bend, Oregon Orion Pictures films Rafting films Films directed by Robert Butler Teen sex comedy films Teensploitation Films set on boats 1984 comedy films 1984 independent films 1980s American films