Shag

Since it's summertime, I thought I would take a look back at an overlooked movie that fits nicely with the season. Plus it's also timely since it just made it's blu ray debut, 1989's Shag.

It's 1963, and four teenage debutante's, Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Annabeth Gish, and Page Hannah, from the deep south embark on a wild weekend in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Three of the young ladies are about to head off to college, while the fourth, Cates, is getting cold feet on the verge of her upcoming nuptials to the wealthy son, Tyrone Power, Jr., of a tobacco tycoon. The four have fun in the sun and sand, spending the nights dancing and finding new romances.

This is not the kind of movie I usually like, but every time I watch this it always puts a smile on my face. It is just a really likable film. I think what really aids it is that it has a perfect cast. Everyone in it, which also includes Robert Rusler and Scott Coffey, is very winning in their roles. The real scene stealer here is Gish. Her character Pudge, who has recently lost a lot of weight after having a heavier adolescence, is mainly interested in winning the shag dance contest. That is until she falls for a local boy, Coffey, and experiences someone being attracted to her for the first time. Their scenes are really sweet and Gish is just adorable.

Shag plays like it could have been a remake to Where The Boys Are, even more so than the 1984 remake. There is something about the good will of this bygone era in this movie that is just contagious.