Hollywood Knights
Essentially an R-rated version of American Graffiti with a dash of Porky’s, director Floyd Mutrux tries a little too hard in the opening minutes to force this film’s brand of humor on the audience. Everything seems a bit rushed, as if we’re following these characters without having been properly introduced to them. After about 15 minutes though, things start to settle down, and the belly laughs start to become more consistent with even the most simplistic of dialogue (“Hey Red Riding Hood, ever been eaten by the Big Bad Wolf?” “Fuck you Newbomb.”). Most of the members of the Knights however do kind of blur together without particularly standing out, with the obvious exception being Robert Wuhl (in the best role he has ever had) as the prankster anarchist leader Newbomb Turk. Consistently getting the best lines and funniest moments, Wuhl makes the most of his chance here playing the jokester who never gets caught leading his troops on the stuffy upper-class members of the Beverly Hills elite in response to them tearing down their favorite hangout on Halloween night. Other subplots include pledges for the Knights being stripped naked and set loose in the Watts section of LA (with hilarious results), as well as a senior member of the group (Tony Danza) hanging out with his buddy and fellow member (Gary Graham) before he’s shipped off to Vietnam (much of which comes off as a retread of the Dreyfuss material in Graffiti) while engaging in conflicts with his girlfriend (a luminous and young Michelle Pffeiffer) who has dreams of becoming an actress. The problem here with the Danza material is that it’s almost completely separate from the main story and feels like it belongs in another movie (it almost seems at times that the filmmakers are purposely keeping Danza from interacting with the main cast), and overall comes off pretty flat. Then there’s Stuart Pankin (33 at the time of filming), playing a fat, annoying, and nerdy high school senior who gets caught up in the Knights’ shenanigans. Pankin’s performance is so mannered that the viewer tires of him quickly, and one of the final scenes when a senior member of the Knights gives him his jacket has absolutely zero resonance. The film is at its best when pouring on the raunchy humor, whether it’s Newbomb and Co pissing in a punchbowl or a cheerleader doing her routine while not wearing any underwear, plus we have Fran Drescher (long before getting carried away with her nasal Jewish Princess routine), being cute and sexy as Newbomb’s love interest (though her obvious lack of nudity is a little perturbing). As the bumbling cop who spends much of the movie harassing the Knights, Gailard Sartain gets some good bits, including a select use of profanity (“Horseshit!”). In the end, while not quite living up to the classic that inspired it, an ok comedy worth watching for Newbomb and the raunchy humor…
7/10