Is it really so hard to write a sports-themed adventure screenplay without the trite Romeo and Juliet cliché? Think of Under the Boardwalk as a surf-styled variation of the late 80s skate film, Thrashin'. (In fact, Brett Marx, who the curly blonde, Marone, was in Thrashin'). The film is told in flashback format as a surfer "from the future" narrates to his aquatic buddy the tale of the greatest surfer their beach has ever known. Much of the film concerns the conflict between some local surfers and some guys from the Valley (get a load of Stuart Fratkin's stone cold mulletude) which gets considerably worse as Nick, the pacifist cutie from the Valley, falls in love with the sister of crude local surfer, Reef. Needless to say, you should expect a final surf-off-for-her-love-and-his-reputation finale.
Meanwhile, Nick has to make a decision about his future and whether he'll accept a scholarship to attend Stanford or whether he'll stay on the beach, get sponsored, and be what his friends may consider a true surfer-for-life.
The movie is the ultimate Hollywood perversion of surfers, their sport, and their culture, which is especially evident as the writers try to inject as much pseudo-surfing slang in the conversations between the Valleys and the locals (see the seen where Andy asks Reef's sisters to translate the conversation between he and his friends). And this alone may be reason enough to turn the viewer off.
However, as the film continues, despite a lack of much substantive story development, the film does become more entertaining. And, aside from the terribly clichéd plot and even more ridiculous dialog, there are many things here that 80s fans might enjoy purely for the atmosphere and the somewhat disconnected situations that the characters become involved in. For one thing, it's loaded with familiar b-movie 80s regulars like Kieth Coogan, Wally Ward, the gorgeous Chris Rydell, Marx, Fritkin, Tracey Walter (paying homage to his philosophical character of 'Repo Man'), Dick Miller, and others. I particularly enjoyed the novelties of the party sequence (with a surfboard-styled bull ride that looked like a lot of fun and an excellent band with a guitar shaped from a skateboard!). I also liked Roxana Zal's spunky character, Gitch, one of the surfers with the most impressive skills. And the little running gags throughout the film.
It is really the minor things that make Under the Boardwalk worth trying for you 80s fans out there.
