Shag (1989)

Directed by Zelda Barron. Starring Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Annabeth Gish, Page Hannah, Scott Coffey, Robert Rusler, Tyrone Power Jr., Carrie Hamilton, Leilani Sarelle, Jeff Yagher, Donald Craig. [PG]

Minor coming-of-age picture set in a nostalgic, “blinders-version” of the early-60s. Innocent Southern belle Cates, engaged to an uptight young traditionalist, is taken by her gal pals for a carefree spring break fling at Myrtle Beach. Cates is pursued by a bad(-ish) boy named Buzz, Fonda participates in a beauty contest in hopes of being “discovered” for fame, Gish’s flirtations with a local boy lead to something of a sexual awakening, etc. The four actresses all do commendable work, with energetic and inviting Bridget Fonda being the show-stealing standout, but spontaneity gives way to fantasy and formula as the stories meander on, with more unsatisfying resolutions for each of the characters than pleasing ones. I also struggled to understand the appeal of the titular dance-style, which is too shapeless in its choreography for me to even figure out what the “moves” are; plus, the slang form, spread far beyond the borders of Old Britannia thanks to the Austin Powers movies, makes every variation on the utterance of, “Let’s shag!” inspire inadvertent snickers. Credit to the soundtrack, which features a lot of familiar (but not overworn) golden oldies; too bad licensing issues led to a handful of cover version replacements from the likes of Randy Newman and Chris Isaak for the DVD release (stick with the original film’s spread).

58/100