Bachelor Party (1984) 20th Century Fox/Comedy RT: 105 minutes Rated R (crude sexual humor, graphic nudity, language, comic violence, drugs) Director: Neal Israel Screenplay: Neal Israel and Pat Proft Music: Robert Folk Cinematography: Hal Trussell Release date: June 29, 1984 (US) Cast: Tom Hanks, Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed, George Grizzard, Barbara Stuart, Robert Prescott, William Tepper, Wendie Jo Sperber, Barry Diamond, Gary Grossman, Michael Dudikoff, Bradford Bancroft, Martina Finch, Deborah Harmon, Tracy Smith, Florence Schauffler, Sumant, John Bloom, Kenneth Kimmins, Gerard Prendergast, Brett Clark, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Rosanna Katon, Dani Douthette, Katie Mitchell, Christopher Morley, Toni Alessandrini, Monique Gabrielle, Angela Aames. Box Office: $38.4 million (US)
Rating: ****
Looking back, I’d have to say 1984 was a good year for funny movies. It was a year that saw the release of Hot Dog… The Movie, Police Academy, Sixteen Candles, Up the Creek, Revenge of the Nerds and Bachelor Party. That last one is in my Top 5. It’s a wild, wanton comedy about that great American tradition commonly known as a bachelor party. It’s essentially the last hurrah for young men about to leave behind singlehood for a life of wedded bliss. It’s a rite of passage known to occasionally spin out of control. In this case, that’s a gross understatement.
When school bus driver/party animal Rick Gassko (Hanks, Splash) announces to his guy pals that he plans to marry his girlfriend Debbie (Kitaen, Witchboard), they can’t believe it. Why would he ever want to do that? Then his best bud Jay (Zmed, Grease 2) suggests they throw him a bachelor party. Not just any bachelor party, but the mother of all bachelor parties, one with “chicks and guns and fire trucks and hookers and drugs and booze”. Of course, Debbie is less than thrilled when she hears about it. Worried that he’ll screw around at the party, she makes him promise to stay true to her.
Not everybody is happy about Rick and Debbie’s upcoming nuptials. Her snobbish parents are at the tippy-top of that list. Dad (Grizzard, Seems Like Old Times) makes his feelings about Rick’s character crystal clear. Then he conspires with her creep of an ex-boyfriend Cole (Prescott, Real Genius) to stop the wedding from taking place.
Now that I’ve given you the set-up, let’s talk about the crazy characters that populate Bachelor Party. Rick’s friends include rough and tough Rudy (Diamond, National Lampoon’s Class Reunion), temperamental geek Gary (Grossman, Leprechaun 4: In Space) and addle-brained Ryko (Dudikoff, American Ninja). Oh, let’s not forget the wild card of the bunch Brad (Bancroft, Dangerously Close), a super-manic sort despondent over his own failed marriage. He’s described by Rick’s physician brother Stan (Tepper, Breathless) as being “whacked out of his brains on drugs”. In layman’s terms, he’s nuts. On the bride’s side, we have her best friends Bobbi (Smith, Hot Dog… The Movie) and bubble-headed Phoebe (Finch, The Lonely Guy) as well as man-hating cousin Ilene (Harmon, Used Cars) and Stan’s hot-tempered wife Tina (Sperber, Back to the Future).
Once the party gets into full swing, after the usual setback or two, Bachelor Party turns into this zany comedy where anything and everything goes. The soiree goes down in a fancy hotel suite that you know will be thoroughly trashed by the time the festivities are over and we all know these things aren’t over until the cops show up to bust everybody. They certainly have probable cause. The place is wall-to-wall drugs, hookers and good-natured debauchery. Speaking of which, There’s some confusion over the hookers (Cole’s doing, of course), but Gary ultimately comes through thanks to a pimp that bears a striking resemblance to Gandhi. The whole thing ends in a wild chase with Rick and his friends in his school bus pursuing Cole after he abducts Debbie during the after-party chaos at the hotel. They end up at a 36-theater multiplex that shows only 3D movies. Like I said, this is one wild affair and I haven’t even mentioned “Nick the Dick” or the scenario involving a dancing girl and a mule.
As a teen, I watched Bachelor Party on a fairly regular basis. It always made me laugh. It still does. Directed by Neal Israel (Moving Violations), it’s one of those movies with nothing but funny scenes. One of my favorite bits is Rick’s lunch with Debbie’s uptight family. In this scene, we see the inspired comic actor that Hanks is. He saves his fat and whistles in case they have a dog. He says he plans to adopt a 17YO Korean girl after the wedding. He introduces himself to Cole as “Bond. James Bond.” Bachelor Party really hits its stride when the party starts. If you look closely at some scenes, you’ll see funny things happening behind the main action. It adds nicely to the madness.
Hanks is well cast in the lead. The character he plays here is surprisingly believable, especially in the midst of all the unbelievable goings-on. He’s not just some generic wild man; he’s a young single man questioning his decision to get married. He tries talking to his friends and brother about it, but their advice is of little use. His devotion to Debbie is the heart and soul of this raunchy comedy. Kitaen does a pretty good as the fiancee who proves girls can play as dirty as guys. At one point, she and her friends disguise themselves as hookers to spy on Rick. It definitely helps that Tawny is insanely HOT! Zmed has some good moments as a professional photographer with an affinity for big-bosomed mothers. He can sing too; he belts out a great number (“Little Demon”) at the party. Bancroft nearly steals the show as Brad, a suicidal nutcase that tires to slash his wrists with an electric razor. Grizzard is a perfect bastard as the disapproving future father-in-law. Barbara Stuart (Airplane!) is good as Debbie’s mother often shocked by what’s going on around her.
Bachelor Party is the epitome of outrageousness. It’s funny in both actions and words. Some of the lines are absolutely priceless. It’s crude, chaotic and sometimes tasteless. It’s a lot of things, but one thing it’s not is mean-spirited. Sure, it features scenes of characters being humiliated in some way, but it’s usually deserved. This movie is 100% in the spirit of good, not-so-clean fun. Hey, I don’t mind getting a little dirty if it’s this much fun.
