by Flack » Tue May 03, 2022 6:04 pm
At the core of most classic stories you'll find character growth -- a protagonist who overcomes adversity and experiences growth by going on a journey of some sort. It is a plotting technique that has existed for literally thousands of years -- it was used in Beowulf (written around 1000 A.D.) and is used in most mainstream novels and films released today. It is a part of every single story-writing course and book on the market.
That being said, not every protagonist experiences growth. Stories featuring characters without growth (Indiana Jones is a commonly cited example) are typically story driven instead of character driven. To compensate for the lack of a memorable protagonist, the story itself must be amazing and exciting. In the end, not every film is a success, and ones that fail either do one of those two things poorly, or neither at all.
Spring Break, released in 1983, is one of those films.
The film revolves around two pairs of spring breaking dudes -- Nelson & Adam, and Stu & O.T. -- who, due to a clerical error, all end up being booked in the last available room in Fort Lauderdale during spring break. Of the four characters, only Nelson has a backstory -- his step-father left him in charge of his campaign while he attends a meeting in Miami, but the minute his parents split town, so did he. "Hey, it's not our fault they planned a trip during our spring break," shrugs Adam.
Like all Porky's rip-offs, the film follows our four spring breakers in their quest for beer and boobs. While Nelson's friends and roommates get little attention, the women they pursue get even less. Only one has a name ("Suzy"); the rest simply show up when summoned for bikini contests, wet t-shirt contests, and make out sessions.
The plot takes a backseat to all the partying. The ex-husband of the hotel's owner has hired an inspector to condemn the hotel. And, of all the luck, Nelson's step-father's convention has been moved from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. At times it seemed like the inspector was working with Nelson's dad, but I don't really know. It wasn't important. None of this is important. The spring break boys spend half their time chasing tail and the other half avoiding Nelson's stepdad.
Everything is wrapped up in the last five minutes. Nelson stands up to his stepdad ("I've gone too far? No, dad, you're the one who's gone too far!"), all the dudes end up with dudettes, Nelson's mom leaves the evil stepdad (who get arrested), and I think the hotel even got saved. Another successful spring break!
An arc of change has to be earned. Luke Skywalker refused to go with Obi-Wan to join the Rebel Alliance until he returned home and found his Aunt and Uncle served up as burnt shish kabobs in the Tatooine sand by Imperial Stormtroopers. He dedicates himself to the Force, and we watch him grow from innocent vapor farmer to galactic hero. Nelson stands up to his step-father without showing any signs of growth and only after his father had him kidnapped. So, yeah -- there's barely any character development, and what there is stinks.
If the adventures the guys had on spring break were exciting and unique like Indiana Jones' pursuit of the Ark, it might be enough to carry a film. Instead, most of the movie looks like it was actually filmed in Florida during spring break. Anyone who has ever visited a beach town has seen everything this film has to offer and probably more.
I'm fascinated by knock-off films and figuring out why they failed. It's not that Porky's was first -- it's because it's better. Spring Break feels like a film written by a guy who went on spring break, embellished a few things, and thought it would make a good movie.
It didn't.
PS: The most unintentionally funny scene in this movie involves a beautiful blonde playing Galaga in a bar while one of the guys gives her advice like "too much thrusters," "use your shields," and "avoid the photon blasts and gamma darts."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d02f2Sx88u4
At the core of most classic stories you'll find character growth -- a protagonist who overcomes adversity and experiences growth by going on a journey of some sort. It is a plotting technique that has existed for literally thousands of years -- it was used in Beowulf (written around 1000 A.D.) and is used in most mainstream novels and films released today. It is a part of every single story-writing course and book on the market.
That being said, not every protagonist experiences growth. Stories featuring characters without growth (Indiana Jones is a commonly cited example) are typically story driven instead of character driven. To compensate for the lack of a memorable protagonist, the story itself must be amazing and exciting. In the end, not every film is a success, and ones that fail either do one of those two things poorly, or neither at all.
[i]Spring Break[/i], released in 1983, is one of those films.
The film revolves around two pairs of spring breaking dudes -- Nelson & Adam, and Stu & O.T. -- who, due to a clerical error, all end up being booked in the last available room in Fort Lauderdale during spring break. Of the four characters, only Nelson has a backstory -- his step-father left him in charge of his campaign while he attends a meeting in Miami, but the minute his parents split town, so did he. "Hey, it's not our fault they planned a trip during our spring break," shrugs Adam.
Like all [i]Porky's[/i] rip-offs, the film follows our four spring breakers in their quest for beer and boobs. While Nelson's friends and roommates get little attention, the women they pursue get even less. Only one has a name ("Suzy"); the rest simply show up when summoned for bikini contests, wet t-shirt contests, and make out sessions.
The plot takes a backseat to all the partying. The ex-husband of the hotel's owner has hired an inspector to condemn the hotel. And, of all the luck, Nelson's step-father's convention has been moved from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. At times it seemed like the inspector was working with Nelson's dad, but I don't really know. It wasn't important. None of this is important. The spring break boys spend half their time chasing tail and the other half avoiding Nelson's stepdad.
Everything is wrapped up in the last five minutes. Nelson stands up to his stepdad ("I've gone too far? No, dad, [i]you're[/i] the one who's gone too far!"), all the dudes end up with dudettes, Nelson's mom leaves the evil stepdad (who get arrested), and I think the hotel even got saved. Another successful spring break!
An arc of change has to be earned. Luke Skywalker refused to go with Obi-Wan to join the Rebel Alliance until he returned home and found his Aunt and Uncle served up as burnt shish kabobs in the Tatooine sand by Imperial Stormtroopers. He dedicates himself to the Force, and we watch him grow from innocent vapor farmer to galactic hero. Nelson stands up to his step-father without showing any signs of growth and only after his father [i]had him kidnapped[/i]. So, yeah -- there's barely any character development, and what there is stinks.
If the adventures the guys had on spring break were exciting and unique like Indiana Jones' pursuit of the Ark, it might be enough to carry a film. Instead, most of the movie looks like it was actually filmed in Florida during spring break. Anyone who has ever visited a beach town has seen everything this film has to offer and probably more.
I'm fascinated by knock-off films and figuring out why they failed. It's not that [i]Porky's[/i] was first -- it's because it's better. [i]Spring Break[/i] feels like a film written by a guy who went on spring break, embellished a few things, and thought it would make a good movie.
It didn't.
PS: The most unintentionally funny scene in this movie involves a beautiful blonde playing Galaga in a bar while one of the guys gives her advice like "too much thrusters," "use your shields," and "avoid the photon blasts and gamma darts."