Pinball Summer

1981 "School's out and everything's in!"
4.3| 1h39m| R| en| More Info
Released: 03 March 1981 Released
Producted By: Brookdale Productions
Country: Canada
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

It's a summer of fun for two teenaged boys who spend their time chasing two sisters, annoying a biker gang, and basically getting into typical sophomoric hijinks whenever they can.

Genre

Comedy

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Director

George Mihalka

Production Companies

Brookdale Productions

Pinball Summer Videos and Images

Pinball Summer Audience Reviews

Justin Easton There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
a_baron The original title "Pinball Summer" is more thematic, but there is a fair amount of picking up/pulling/scoring and mostly just making out in this juvenile offering. Generally, films with this type of cast fall into one of two categories: horror in particular slasher films in which even the gorgeous girls get killed, and half-baked scatological escapades in which testosterone-filled teens and young men chase girls who are often more than willing to get caught. There is usually a virgin of course, as well as a nerd and an alpha male/bully. Other characters include exasperated older people, and occasionally cops who are out to spoil the fun.All those elements are present here, but the film doesn't succeed. The plot, such as it is, is about a pinball competition with a long run-up into it. On the plus side, nobody gets killed, and as the bad guys are more idiots than thugs, there are no villains with a capital V either, so no real triumph, certainly not over evil. There is a soundtrack, but even that is half-hearted. Watch a slasher flick next time.
erisheali I first saw this movie on TV when I was about 12 or 13 and liked it. Then I purchased the movie on DVD in 2004 and have watched it several times since then. Although I find it cheesy and pretty much plot less, I think it shows quite well what summers were like for teenagers back in the late 70's early 80's. There is always stuff going on from beginning to end and the music is awesome! The bikers are funny and there's a bunch of nice girls and nice cars! Also interesting to see La Ronde amusement park as well as what seems to be Lachine or Beaconsfield as some of the shooting locations. A good movie from yesterdays!
lost-in-limbo I really enjoyed this cheaply madcap, low-brow Canadian teen sex comedy… as I found it hard not be smitten by its passionate shenanigans. Not much goes on… well actually, yes there's a lot going (schools out and summer awaits with teens running wild and getting in all sorts of trouble), but its something like a senseless parade lynch together than anything that really resembles a story. It's basically plot-less (although the film does feature two guys trying to impress two sisters and there's a pinball competition which could be seen as the backbone to all of this fooling about), instead it's made up of spontaneously breezy episodes where it just wants to break out a song interlude every five minutes. In which case it does, as someone was definitely popping coins in the jukebox hooking up those bouncy, if unbelievably cheesy tracks. So why think about it though, it promises fun with its constant raunchiness, carefree slapstick and crass jokes. Dialogues are crude, but comically cheeky ("Come on Steve, at least he got the measurements right"). The girls are voluptuous in their skimpy outfits, the guys are rowdily juvenile and the grown-ups are just clueless. It's all stereotypical, but that's the charm. Michael Zelniker and Carl Marotte are amusing as the goofball lads, while the beautiful Karen Stephen and Helen Ude (sister of Claudia) give typically sweet performances as their girlfriends. Thomas Kovacs is picture-perfect in his role as the snake-like Bert, a biker who gets around with three buddies. Also having memorable parts are the curvy Joy Boushel (just wait for strip pinball), Joey McNamara, J Robert Maze and Matthew Steven as a spoiled rich kid. Director George Mihalka ("My Bloody Valentine") plays it in a farcical manner, by teasing with the camera and frenetically letting it unfold. "Well isn't it Tarzan and his three apes."
lazarillo This movie alternately called "Pinball Summer" or "Pick-up Summer" (since the pinball craze had long since ended by the time it hit American drive-ins) is basically a Canadian version of the 1970's American teen exploitation (or "sexploitation") drive-in flicks, which means that despite the thick Canadian accents it is virtually indistinguishable from contemporary American teen comedies like "The Pom-Pom Girls", "The Van", "Malibu Beach" and so forth. There is no real plot, for instance, just a lot pranks and zany hijinks revolving around a pinball tournament and a trophy that keeps getting lost or stolen. The male protagonists are two over-aged high school students who are much more obnoxious and somewhat less funny than actual teenagers. Their enemies are a sorry motorcycle gang who look like north-of-the border rejects from "Grease" or the Frankie and Annette beach movies, and a snooty rich couple who the protagonists seem to torment for no other reason than because they're rich and snooty.Of course, the main reason to see any of these movies is the girls. The two protagonists are chasing around two sisters played by a couple of very attractive actresses (Karin Stephens and Helene Udy). The two wear various outfits that are never more than ridiculously skimpy, but have only very brief nude scenes. Most of the nudity is provided by the voluptuous Joy Boushel, who later became a minor Canadian scream queen appearing in "Humongous" and "The Fly". She leaves an indelible impression of boobs and freckles here, especially in the big "strip pinball" scene. Unfortunately, her character "Sally" also has her own theme song ("Sally Joy/you ain't no boy. . ."). Which brings me to the music: imagine the worst kind of sappy music from the late 1970's--now imagine something much, much worse and you're starting to get an idea of the godawful soundtrack to this movie.So all things considered would I recommend this? Well, it could have used a little more nudity and a LOT less music, but it's really no worse than the American teen movies of the time, so if you like those. . . And the director, George Mihalka, would go on to make one of the better Canadian "slash-for-cash" horror movies "My Bloody Valentine" (if only some psycho in a miner's helmet would have put all the male hosers in THIS movie out of my misery, but oh well. . .).