Justin's Rating: Hey, you don't see ME using that "Geek Code" after all of my e-mails!
Justin's Review: Apparently, in Movie Land, no one goes to classes while they're in college. Granted, classroom scenes tend to border on dull (unless Spicoli's ordered pizza again), but it gets a bit ridiculous when you see an entire college film, like Revenge of the Nerds, where classes aren't even referred to. Where is this college? I wish I could've gone there... college was great except for napfests like English Lit Survey and Business Statistics.

Nerds are the oft-sung heroes of moviedom, most notably in the eighties. Of course, they have to be smart nerds, soaked with mutating radiation that allows them to outperform McGuyver in the gadget department. After all, a movie about nerds that only played on their Nintendos and discussed the merits of Star Wars would be... a little too close to home.

Anthony Edwards (ER), Curtis Armstrong (Better Off Dead...), and a bunch of other freshmen rejects find themselves at odds with a jock fraternity, the Alpha Betas. Naturally, bad guys in comedy movies can't have an ounce of likability about them, so they kick the nerds out of their dorm, tar and feather them, and concoct other humiliations. What's a nerd to do? Form their own frat, of course, and fight back.

The kids in this movie do a fine job of creating some of the most disturbing, geeky, and all-around unattractive nerds ever to grace the screen. Their seal-bark laughs and unadulterated love for all things nerdy make them endearing. RotN dates itself, since these nerds are nothing like what we have today, and the robot looks like that robot maid from the Jetsons. They're definitely not the "cool" nerds of Real Genius, particularly Booger (Armstrong), who's got nose love in a bad way.

While the standard "good guys are trounced, recover and eventually rule the day" plot is in full predictable swing here, it's fairly enjoyable. Nothing big, just a lot of little jokes (like a nerd eating a cereal consisting of beer-soaked popcorn) that keep the nerds from being a one-note jerk. One of the best scenes is when the nerds plan a panty raid on a sorority that's just a coverup for planting video cameras in their rooms. The following use of gratuitous nudity and hooting comments are nothing like you'd see today, that's for sure. But it's funny.

If you haven't ever seen Revenge of the Nerds, you might want to steel yourself for the somewhat lame 80s soundtrack, the blatant ripoff of certain aspects of Animal House's frat system, and the sight of some of the ugliest men and women alive. Yet, it's good. And fully American, just like apple pie, the atom bomb, and Pokémon.

The Scoop 1984 Rated R College Comedy Director Jeff Kanew Starring Robert Carradine Anthony Edwards Curtis Armstrong Donald Gibb

Didja Notice?
James Cromwell (Babe) as a nerdy father
You ever notice that when main characters are moving into college, they seem to be the only ones doing so? Everyone else appears like they've been there for weeks, just moseying around.
The Talking Heads "Burning Down The House" plays over just that event.
You can type graphics straight onto a computer screen in the 80s without having to look at code
Hahaha... "switching glasses"... who HASN'T done this?

The Movie Store!
Revenge of the Nerds: Movie [VHS]
Revenge of the Nerds: Movie [DVD]
Revenge of the Nerds: Soundtrack [CD]

Official and Not-So-Official Websites
Revenge of the Nerds fan site

Groovy Quotes

Julia: A nerd saw me naked!

Lewis: Jocks only think about sports, nerds only think about sex

Takashi: Excuse please, but why do they call you "booger"?
Booger: [picking his nose] I don't know.

Soundtrack Review
Nothing TOO notable, other than the classic 80s tunes "Burning Down the House" and "Thriller", along with Queen's "We Are The Champions". The title song is especially bad.

If you liked this movie, try these:
Animal House
Real Genius
PCU