The Allnighter

This vacant, plotless and thoroughly unfunny comedy has a better cast than it deserves: all the girls are credible (the boys less so), and Dedee Pfeiffer (Michelle's sister) is a genuine revelation in her few quiet moments. But then there are all those surfing scenes....(*1/2)

This film stars Susanna Hoffs (of Bangles fame) and focuses mainly on her desire to have a great romance(well in actuality, it's more her desire to get laid).

This also gives us a glimpse into the lives of a group of college kids leading up to their graduation. Of course they get involved in the usual predicted teenage crisis, the importance of which seems greatly magnified to those involved. Sometimes the dialog proves hilariously awful in this silly mess of a film. Pam Grier, who is much too talented to be appearing in this forgettable teenage comedy romp, makes a short appearance as a lady officer. For a real Beach party film, one must look instead to the 1950s and the 1960s. Watch Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello instead.

80's higher education ennui... Like a strange cross between "Reality Bites" and "Adventures in Babysitting" (yet nowhere near as good as either).

Aside from Susanna Hoffs in her underwear, Pam Grier's late single scene cameo is pretty much the only entertaining or amusing thing about it... Otherwise, it's thoroughly mediocre!

Three self-centered young women are graduating college while struggling with their love lives. Molly (Susanna Hoffs) is longing for an epic romance, preferably with her guy friend who can't seem to grow up. Val (Dedee Pfeiffer) is supposed to be marrying some dickish businessman but doubts emerge. Gina (Joan Cusack) is only concerned with videotaping everything.

Boring and tedious with a lame romantic plot that culminates in a cheesy sex scene which poor Susanna Hoffs had to do in front of her mom. Susanna's acting receives a lot of criticism but I don't think she's as terrible as others say. She's not good, really, but there's potential there. She has a likable screen presence and is certainly attractive. The scene of her posing in her underwear in front of a mirror is easily the highlight of the movie. Which says a lot about the movie, I think. Dedee Pfeiffer does well with her limited role. Joan Cusack is the weird one, looking a lot like Boy George here, and doesn't even get a bone thrown to her in the romance department. Pam Grier is wasted in a small role as a cop. The girls have two surfer guy friends that are made from '80s cardboard.

Despite the presence of Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs, the music in this is the pits. The romance and comedy elements are bad but the navel-gazing angst will be the most likely reason you'll shut this off. Speaking of the comedy, the only intentional humor that works are the scenes with the hookers. There is some great unintentional comedy, though, in a scene where Hoffs and a mulleted rock star dance. Think mayonnaise on Wonder Bread with a glass of milk to wash it down.

I've always enjoyed the Bangles and Susanna Hoffs, and I purchased the DVD not expecting much more than a light, fun 80s throwback to the Bikini Beach movies. That pretty much is The Allnighter in a nutshell, but there's nothing wrong with that. The plot centers on three college roommates (Susanna Hoffs, DeDee Pfeiffer and Joan Cusack) having one last fling before college graduation. Susanna is absolutely gorgeous as Molly, the Pacifica College valedictorian who is still searching for that one earth-shattering romance, and although there's not much to the story, there are some wonderful moments (including the jail scene, featuring what must be the filthiest toilet ever to appear in a major motion picture), and I loved Pam Grier's cameo as Sgt. McLeish. An interesting aspect of this movie is how it went back and forth from film to "camcorder" at least 10 years before Blair Witch came out (and 5 years before MTV hit us with "The Real World"). Speaking of which, how about that primitive, bulky Olympus "camcorder" that Joan Cusack lugged around throughout the movie? Remember when those were "state-of-the-art"? Or how about the huge, clunky answering machine in the girls' beach house? Totally 80s, no doubt about it. If you're expecting Oscar-caliber entertainment here, skip this. However if all you're looking for is a fun movie to watch on a rainy day, check your high expectations at the door and enjoy!