Back to the Beach(1987)
"All killer...no filler!!"
Overview
Cowabunga! The surfing '60s ride into the new wave as Frankie and Annette star in this hip update of their old-time, good-time beach movies. With special appearances by Bob Denver, Tony Dow, Pee-Wee Herman, Jerry Mathers and other familiar faces. Frankie and Annette grow up and have kids in the midwest. They return to LA to visit their daughter who is shacked up with her boyfriend and tries to hide the fact. They begin to have marriage problems when Frankie runs into Connie, who has erected a shrine to him in her night club. Their punk son has joined up with the local surf toughs, and things all come to a head when the toughs challenge the good guys to a surfing duel
Lou Rusoff
Characters
Lyndall Hobbs
Director
Steve Meerson
Screenplay
James Komack
Story
Peter Krikes
Screenplay
Chris Thompson
Screenplay
Bill L. Norton
Story
Bruce Kirschbaum
Story
Top Billed Cast
Where to Watch
Rent
Buy
Powered by JustWatch
Popularity Trend
Media
Back to the Beach 1987 TV spot
Trailer
Back to the Beach - Trailer
Trailer
Pee-wee Herman performs Surfin' Bird | Back to the Beach (1987)
Clip
Social
Written on August 21, 2023
Frankie & Annette are now married and living in Ohio. Frankie’s a workaholic business owner and neglecting Annette, so they decide to fly out to SoCal to visit their daughter and old haunts on their way to Hawaii.
“Back to the Beach” (1987) pays homage to those dozen AIP ‘beach party films’ that were released from 1963-1968, half of them starring Frankie Avalon and/or Annette Funicello. The movie is amusingly hammy, poking fun at those madcap 60’s flicks. Connie Stevens is on hand, looking great at 48, along with several cameos of familiar faces, like Bob Denver from Gilligan’s Island.
Siskel & Ebert praised the movie on their show (the episode is available on Youtube). And, sure, it’s entertaining to a point, but I was disappointed. It’s just no where near as great as they made it out to be. Still, if you’re in the mood for an innocuous musical with a goofy beach milieu, give it a watch.
The flick runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Malibu and Santa Cruz.
GRADE: C+
