Review of Revenge of the Nerds (1984) by Harry W — 25 Dec 2013

Revenge of the Nerds succeeds because it is a lot more than a comedy classic. It's a satirical tale of discrimination which deals with serious issues viewed from the angle of an original comedic concept.

To put it simply, the titular nerds serves as an allegory for the African-American community in Revenge of the Nerds, and the role they actually play in the story serving as supporters of the titular nerds in the development of their role in the college community is key. Yet it isn't excessively emphasised, it's played off as a minor element so that that way it connects the two figures without singling the African-Americans of the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity out for being defined by visual traits. All the discrimination in the story is put on the nerds, and the African-American figures, as well as homosexual characters of the story are played off as being nothing more than people. Normal people, because that's what they are. And Revenge of the Nerds covers a journey which explores the traits of Nerds from a visual and intellectual perspective, dealing with the various stereotypes of the Nerd way of life hilariously, yet also glamourising them by showing how their intelligence and sexual obsessions make them awesome. I mean, the characters are all really great. They're friendly and funny and easy to sympathise with, and so Revenge of the Nerds is a comedy film which is a lot deeper than it needed to be, and if you can pick up on the meaningful substance that the titular nerds serve as a clear allegory for, then you'll find the important drama that lies as an underlying tone in the comedy classic.

Anyway, aside from all the important dramatic subtext in Revenge of the Nerds it's quite a humourous venture too. The jokes aren't all too common, but that's because the humour is built on exploring the stereotypical characters that define different aspects of the jocks and nerds at college. Characters such as Arnold Pointdexter and Ogre are quite converse figures, and they both humourously embody their roles well, and have talented cast members to help them. But it's the clever plotting of the story which makes Revenge of the Nerds a success because it's a heroic journey for its characters which never charters into unbelievable territory, with its closest time being that you'd think even the dumbest of women would notice video cameras in their dorm rooms. Luckily, Revenge of the Nerds uses its clever plot, combined with a light atmosphere built on humour and all the necessary humourous language and nudity for a film of this calibre to succeed. It's all in good taste and it's all hilarious, and frankly Revenge of the Nerds just proves to be a moving film which is light and easy to watch, and not a challenge to enjoy. It has only grown on me in the many years I've watched it for. Jeff Kanew's natural talent for direction really guides Revenge of the Nerds well, and it's fine sense of colour as well as good cinematography and very nostalgic soundtrack make it a technical success, as does its fine production design, convincing setting and costumes. But it can't be forgotten that it's the actors that make Revenge of the Nerds such a success.

Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine make friendly and likeable leads, particularly Robert Carradine whose portrayal of Lewis Skolnick as a nerd who can't face and accept who he actually is yet is also hilarious for how he acts is a great one. He has a certain charm to him which is quirky and humourous, and it makes him friendly and nerdy character who is interesting to follow on with.

But it's Curtis Armstrong who would be the most memorable to me. The character Booger is not a nerd, but he is considered a loser by the jocks and is outcast into he society of nerds. It never gets to him though, and frankly he just has the real charisma of a leader and he mirrors the character Ogre in a less obnoxious and more friendly context. Booger is a great character and a hilarious one, and Curtis Armstrong's natural talent and awkwardly hilarious charisma is what makes him the perfect actor for the part.

Timothy Busfield was also great as Arnold Poindexter by capturing such a strong nerd stereotype and working it to great comedic effect, while Brian Tochi did the same thing as Takashi Toshiro.

Larry B. Scott was also good and had a charismatic flamboyance.

Donald Gibb gets the hollow and violent shell of Ogre spot on, capturing the stereotypical aggression of the average jock perfectly in a beneficially satirical manner, and Ted McGinley and Matt Salinger were great pricks.

Julia Montgomery was terrific as Betty Childs by capturing the hollow shell of a popular college girl and looking sexy in the process.

John Goodman was also hilarious in one of his earliest roles, playing on his ability for intimidation and aggression greatly.

So Revenge of the Nerds is funny and strongly moving, as well as inspirational and colourful. It's a learning experience for viewers, and it's hard not to laugh at.