Screwballs
| Screwballs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Rafal Zielinski |
| Written by | Linda Shayne Jim Wynorski |
| Produced by | Maurice Smith Nicky Fylan Peter McQuillan Roger Corman |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Miklós Lente |
| Edited by | Brian Ravok |
| Music by | Tim McCauley |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000[1][2] |
| Box office | $2,082,215[3][4] |
Screwballs is a 1983 Canadian teen sex comedy film[5] that was inspired by the success of Porky's.[6]
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
Following the success of Porky's, Roger Corman told Linda Shayne, who had worked for him, that he was interested in a low budget teen sex comedy. Shayne wrote one with Jim Wynorski, who did Corman's advertising and had written scripts for him. Corman liked the script, originally entitled Hide the Salami, and agreed to provide $500,000 of the budget. Shayne arranged for the balance to be found in Canada where the film was shot.[7] The rest of the money came from the Canadian Film Development Corporation, a Canadian physician and a Canadian theatre chain. Filming took place in Toronto.[8]
The movie was originally called Crazy Times and was set in 1962 but then this was shifted to 1964.[2]
Jim Wynorski designed the poster and said that he was inspired by Mad magazine.[9] Linda Shayne posed for the blonde figure on the poster.
Reception
Critical
Variety 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".[10] At Metacritic, the film has a score of 34 out of 100 based on seven reviews.[11]
Box office
The film was released in U.S. theaters by New World Pictures in April 1983 and grossed $2,082,215.[3]
Sequels
The film led to two sequels, Screwballs II (1985) and Screwball Hotel (1988).[12]
References
- ^ Christopher T. Koetting, Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, Hemlock Books. 2009 p 224
- ^ a b "Corman turns hand to Canadian films". The Toronto Star. 21 September 1982. p. 27.
- ^ a b Staff (2018-04-28). "Screwballs". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
- ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-8357-1776-2. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
- ^ The New York Times review
- ^ "Screwballs", Offscreen, Volume 13 Issue 9 accessed 4 May 2014
- ^ "Screwballs follows in Porkys vein". The Charlotte News. 20 May 1983. p. 39.
- ^ "Playing the dumb blonde". The Kansas City Star. 23 May 1983. p. 11.
- ^ Chris Nashawaty, Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses - Roger Corman: King of the B Movie, Abrams, 2013 p 193
- ^ Screwballs review at Variety
- ^ "Screwballs". Metacritic.
- ^ Eleanor Mannikka (2016). "Screwballs II". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
External links
- Screwballs at IMDb
- Review of film at Canuxploitation
- Review of film at AV Club
- Review of film at Mondo Digital
- Screwballs at Rotten Tomatoes