Back to the Beach

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Lyndall Hobbs

Producer:

Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Frank Mancuso Jr.

Writer:

James Komack, Bill Norton, Bruce Kirschbaum

Release Date:

Aug 7, 1987

Runtime:

1hr 32m

Synopsis

Frankie and Annette, having grown up and put aside their beach-partying lifestyle, visit their daughter in Southern California and discover there's still some wild times left in them.

Cast

  • Frankie Avalon
  • Annette Funicello
  • Lori Loughlin
  • Tommy Hinkley
  • Demian Slade
  • Connie Stevens
  • Joe Holland
  • John Calvin
  • David Bowe
  • Laura Lanoil

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.2
4.4K
2.2K
1.1K
RATINGS 29 FANS
3.2
  • Jun 20, 2022

    Some may be able to resist a movie where Connie Stevens admiringly tells Annette Funicello “you sure have wasted an incredible pair of hooters” right before Pee-wee Herman shows up out of nowhere to perform “Surfin’ Bird.” Some, but not me.

    169 Likes
    Matt Singer
    Matt Singer
    Nov 8, 2023

    Annette and Frankie go back to the beach and its the kind of cheese I live for. Amazingly corny and 80s in the best way. I especially love the mad max surfer gang and Pee Wee singing birds the word only to fly away into the night on a surfboard. Totally tubular.

    105 Likes
    Kat
    Kat
    Aug 14, 2022

    Fishbone and Pee-wee Herman in the same movie ... well ok then!?!

    40 Likes
    VIVE_le_FILTH
    VIVE_le_FILTH
  •
    Jan 6, 2023

    A speedball of corny boomer nostalgia and neon 80s schlock. A vibe so intense I’m vibrating—long live surf bunnies, Pee Wee Herman and the impulse to give babies punk makeovers!!

    33 Likes
    bummer_buddy
    bummer_buddy
    Jun 14, 2014

    Has there ever been a movie that was so unashamed of being corny fun? Nope.

    32 Likes
    Parker
    Parker
    Sep 18, 2023

    I can't remember the last film I saw their names in the opening credits, but I'm going to assertively (and preemptively ) say that Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins are the best casting directors of all time. (If anyone decides to do a women's casting directors series of…

    27 Likes
    Captain Callie⚓
    Captain Callie⚓
  •
    Feb 20, 2020

    Summer of '88. Cable. Every single time it was on. I love it. I spent that summer at my mom's boyfriend's place in a bad neighborhood and in his liquor store. High Spirits Liquors. I was 9 and just watched TV and played in that store all summer. I watched this, Predator,…

    24 Likes
    Q*bort
    Q*bort

    Bird is the word. I would so love to re-live parts of 1987.

    22 Likes
    fran cesca
    fran cesca
    Sep 26, 2023

    Sandi (Lori Loughlin) is currently living with her boyfriend at a beautiful place on the pier. He's got one complaint. For whatever reason, Sandi loves leaving the soap on the shower floor, which makes it get gross, squishy, and then it disappears! It was her boyfriend's…

    21 Likes
    Captain Callie⚓
    Captain Callie⚓

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Top Reviews
  • TheKillingJoke
    TheKillingJoke loved
    Back to the Beach

    I absolutely love this movie. Fun, campy, nostalgic, and enjoyable.

    4M
    Sarah Pecoraro
    Sarah Pecoraro loved
    Back to the Beach

    Fabulously campy, adorably sweet.

    2Y

Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

62
metacritic
Based on 9 Critics
tbd

USER SCORE (0)

There are no user reviews yet
88

I don't know what I was expecting from Back to the Beach, but it certainly wasn't the funniest, quirkiest musical comedy since Little Shop of Horrors. Who would have thought Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello would make their best beach party movie 25 years after the others?

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
88

It's a clever premise that is fully realized with old songs, old TV performers and new ones, too. This could become as big a cult movie as Pee- wee's Big Adventure. It certainly is more entertaining than that film and even more fun than Grease.

Metacritic review by Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
40

Back to the Beach opened yesterday. But if you catch a television commercial for it, or the rock video that's on television, you'll get the joke and see the most this movie has to offer.

Metacritic review by Caryn James
Caryn James
The New York Times

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Back to the Beach (1987) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). It's generally considered a family-friendly movie.
How long is Back to the Beach (1987)?
The movie is 1hr 32min long.
What's Back to the Beach (1987) about?
Frankie and Annette, having grown up and put aside their beach-partying lifestyle, visit their daughter in Southern California and discover there's still some wild times left in them.
Who's the cast of Back to the Beach (1987)?
  • Frankie Avalon as Annette's Husband
  • Annette Funicello as Annette
  • Lori Loughlin as Sandi
  • Tommy Hinkley as Michael
  • Demian Slade as Bobby
  • Connie Stevens as Connie
  • Joe Holland as Zed
  • John Calvin as Troy
  • David Bowe as Mountain
  • Laura Lanoil as Robin
Who's the director behind Back to the Beach (1987)?
Lyndall Hobbs directed Back to the Beach (1987).
Who produced Back to the Beach (1987)?
Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Frank Mancuso Jr. produced Back to the Beach (1987).