This movie is much better than it has any right to be. Looking at the packaging and plot description you would expect it to be another of the endless series of teen sex comedies that flooded the shelves of video stores in the '80s.
It isn't. For one thing, it's really more of a drama than a comedy, although it has some genuinely funny moments (unlike 99% of those that truly call themselves comedies!) The likes of Porky's, Hot Moves, Going' All the Way, etc., were truly never really about anything other than horny teenagers doing whatever they could to get laid. The source of humour was usually the ridiculous situations they got themselves into while working toward that event. And these movies were like cartoons: nothing ever went so wrong that you heard about it in the next scene.
Paradise Motel, on the other hand, has multiple serious themes that it handles well considering the constraints of the budget. It deals with issues such as how far we'll go in order the fit in, the limits of male friendship, and features a touching and funny father-son relationship. The main character, for once, has more than sex on his mind, and this is a breath of fresh air for someone who believes that not all teenage boys are as simple as the movies portray them to be.
There is some nudity, some laughs, and some touching moments.
I say check it out.
