"72 hours of liberty to forget everything the Navy ever taught them"
Three navy recruits - Webster, Bunker and Fricker - are given their first weekend pass which they use to spend 72 hours partying in LA. But before leaving boot camp, the guys decide to have a little mercy on fellow recruit and friendless nerd, Lester Gidley, who ends up tagging along on their party-hard three day trip.
First stop - unsurprisingly - strip club, where they fail in their attempts to pick up any women. So it's off to Venice beach, girl picking-up attempt #2, where Bunker sets his sights on aerobics instructor Tina Wells. Trying to impress her and failing miserably leads the boys to their next stop, an aerobics center where Bunker's dream girl works. Again, Bunker's offers for a date are turned down, but he isn't about to give up.
Back at the motel, Webster is scouring the newspaper and finds an ad for 'Kimono My Place Massage', which he and the guys decide to call, setting Lester up a date with 'Chop Suzi'. They have a fun time of spying on him while the Thai massage 'pro' does her stuff.
Next day and the boys are off on a tour around LA with Bunker leading the way through Melrose Avenue, home to 'the baddest clothes in all of Los Angeles'. Once they leave the New Wave neighbourhood, they head off to Bunker's old turf, which turns out to be a bad idea when the guys come face to face with a gang from Bunker's past, known as the Mau Maus. Dressed (badly) in bright orange and animal print with cut off vests and headbands, the Mau Maus, complete with war drums blasting out of their boom box, challenge Bunker to a fight. Alls well that ends well when the cops show up just in time to stop a fist bashing.
Later that evening, the arrogant Fricker gets himself a stand up gig at a place known as the comedy castle, which is again another bad idea when he stinks out the audience totally and completely. The only upside is the fact he meets fellow comedienne and Catholic girl Heidi. Meanwhile, Webster is on a disastrous date with the annoyingly fake Cindy, who he ditches at the last minute.
Sunday - the final day of freedom - and the guys go along to a dance. Fricker inviting Heidi, Bunker convincing Tina to show, Lester miraculously setting up his own date with a girl called Tawny, and Webster going alone until meeting Tawny's pretty cousin Maxine. Finally, the guys have fulfilled their wishes for the weekend, and, having each met the girl of their dreams, it's off to boot camp once again.
VERDICT: ★
I don't think it can be put much simpler: don't see it. Weekend Pass is an indistinguishably boring flick from Crown that has virtually no redeeming qualities. The only novelty and plus note about the whole movie is the array of early '80s LA scenery - beaches, nightlife, and especially the underground hotspot, Melrose Avenue, which was a real fun little segment of film. It really captures the New Wave crowd of the times (if only for a few minutes) and it's great to catch a glimpse of what is described on Wikipedia as:
"The eastern end of the district, which runs from Fairfax to Highland Avenue, became a popular underground and new wave shopping area in the early 1980s, featuring the opening of stores such as Vinyl Fetish and Retail Slut, both of which closed several years ago. The Burger That Ate L.A., a landmark fast food stand, was replaced with a Starbucks in recent years, and the area has witnessed an upsurge in tourism and a significant decrease of the underground and countercultural elements. The original Johnny Rockets opened in this part of Melrose in 1986."
IMAGES/VIDEOS: [trailer]
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SOUNDTRACK:
1. Weekend Pass - Robbie Baer
2. All Night Love - Robbie Baer & Beth Beaudin
3. Hard As A Rock - Michael Fennelly
4. Beach Nut - John & Robbie Baer
5. LA Extra (Read About Me) - John Baer
6. Free Me From The Night Life - Andrea Robinson
