The Roommates

The first time I saw Roommates a few weeks ago I thought it without merit and deserved only a 3. Probably this was due to having seen the eye-popping (don't ask) Beach Bunnies (1976) a couple of days before. Packaged as a sex film, it's hardly more daring than a 1960's Elvis Presley movie, a bit of a swindle. One reviewer reckons it has more sex than comedy, from which I can only surmise either he thought it entirely devoid of comedy or there are two versions and he saw the uncut one. On the second, more cerebral viewing I better appreciated the good points. Enjoyment of older low budget films can be blighted by that grainy, out of focus look, this picture is so sharp it could have been shot last year. And, like the scenery, the girls are easy on the eye, especially Brea and Carla. I rather felt the others were there to make up the quorum, though of course this is highly subjective. To digress, I only recently started reviewing films and by now all but the most abysmal or obscure have garnered at least a dozen reviews. This can make it hard to think of anything original to say. On the other hand it's likely someone has already delineated the story in some detail, obviating the need for any humdrum descriptive writing. That being the case here I will make just a couple more observations. While the story is not far fetched, neither is all of it believable. A real life Brea, taking the reputational and possibly legal risk of bedding a teenage boy, would surely have picked the confident and better looking (albeit conceited) Aaron over the mousy, tongue tied Harold. I guess we were supposed to think Harold rather sweet and so deserving the girl of his dreams. Which provokes the contrarian in me to see him rather as a bit of a wimp. I wonder if I'm alone in suspecting that elements of the murderers' modus operandi owe more to a famous Hitchcock scene than mere coincidence - no names, no spoilers.

I came across a blu ray double feature with this and A Woman For All Men (havent watched that 1 yet) and went in without knowing anything about the film, outside of the description on the back of the box. Overall the film looks remarkable, with vibrant colors, and good cinematography. Cast is all adequate-good as well. The plot is where things stumble, with a general incoherent sense about it, and far too many long takes of girls just awkwardly dancing to the 70s tunes (the music itself, while cheesy, was fun). Once things pick up, at about an hour in, it is definitely a fun ride, and sadly the violent finale is somewhat more poignant today, however the film as a whole was entertaining, and thus I give it a passable 6/10.

Tl:dr: looks good, cast is quality, jiggling ladies, and a wack ass story. Thumbs up, recommended.

The 1970's was known for the drive-in sexploitation films. This one is just right for anyone who is nostalgia oriented. It's one of the few before "Meatballs","Little Darlings", or "Porky's". But in return, it's before the time of slasher films. So there's more sex, than comedy. And a touch of drama to go along with. Here you have four beautiful women, along with a cousin who work at a camp, meeting different people. Making love. Having fun. Pure and simple. However, that fun is about to come undone, when a mysterious figure starts killing people. One blonde was being chased by a biker who decided to stay behind at the party. She only met her end by a female figure with a knife. Then more victims are killed in different matter. A water skier is sniped by the same person. But after all what the ladies have been through, they managed to have a fun summer. Seems like anything or everything goes in that place. This is a cult classic that should be recognized by movie goers. It's a mixture of sex, intrigue, and surprise. I like it very much. 3 out of 5 stars.

I mostly agree with The Hoyt's review except where he says initially that "this is not a very good movie" and that Arthur Marks had "low standards." Marks was, IMO, an underrated exploitation master and "The Roommates," while perhaps not as good overall as "Bonnie's Kids" or some of his other films, is nonetheless a great, lost drive-in classic that screams the 70's.

The 70s hair. The clothes. The beauty. The music. The drama. The sex. The murder. The comedy.

It's all there, in ample proportions. If only my summer jobs during college were half as exciting (LOL).

Entertaining and worth seeking out at any cost for fans of the genre.

Okay, right off the bat, this is not one of the better exploitation movies, even by the reliable standards of Arthur Marks as director. (See DETROIT 9000 or BONNIE'S KIDS or his numerous TV show episodes for evidence of his good work) But it's strangely endearing, despite the fact that it takes nearly half an hour for the actual plot of the movie to begin. Four very lovely, vivacious, and unrealistically loquacious college girls (five, if you count the visiting cousin) are off to their summer jobs. Despite the title, we rarely see any actual footage of any of these girls co-habitating. Then again, Bette Davis loved to point out that there were no whales in THE WHALES OF AUGUST, so what's in a title? And naturally, since this is the swingin' '70's, all those jobs put them in the vicinity of eligible men. So for the first half hour, it plays like a reasonably harmless, fluffy, "what I did last summer" romp. Then, two reels in, things take a curve, because people start getting killed. And by the rigid movie law governing murder mysteries, somebody, be it one of the babes or one of the beaus, is responsible. Of course, that little detail doesn't get in the way of the girls' continuing drive to party. In short, by our standards of irony, this movie is review-proof: you're going to be watching this for hot girls and archaic sexual mores, and you'll get 'em. I kinda wonder if Quentin Tarantino has seen this film and is a fan of it. He did acquire Marks' DETROIT 9000 for reissue, and his script for FROM DUSK TILL DAWN also starts out as one kind of movie and changes into another. I wouldn't be surprised if my hunch turned out correct.