Gorp

"Gorp" (1980) is a comedy film that's set mostly in a camp cafeteria, but it misses the mark on humor. It's really not that funny and it's actually pretty disgusting, especially with the way food is defiled. The film relies on outdated ideas that haven't aged well. Most of the jokes fall flat, and the setting doesn't help. It's not particularly risqué, except for a projector scene that's totally NC-17. Overall, "Gorp" feels very average and boring, not warranting much attention. While it has a few moments, it ultimately fails to deliver a memorable or enjoyable experience. Also, Dennis Quaid is in it.

I owned and drove the M-5 Stuart tank in the movie GORP. (actually written in all capitol letters). There were lots of interesting stories I recall from the filming but the one that stands out in my mind was when I drove thru the house. (a prop built for the movie)

We were to receive a radio message as when to stop----but it never came ! I could see nothing out the vision port and finally decided to slap on the brakes and stop. Had I continued one more foot I would have crushed one of the stunt people that was to have jumped out the window but didn't. Amazingly the big concern was that I came within inches of one of the very expensive Panavision cameras. The "Movie people" said they could always get another stunt girl but cameras were expensive.

All in all I was treated great by all the "movie people" and I left with many good stories----several best left untold.

'80s camp comedy in the vein of Meatballs. I haven't seen Meatballs since I was a kid, but I have to imagine it's quite a bit better than this dud. There are a handful of young actors who would go on to be pretty big (notably Dennis Quaid, Fran Drescher and Rosanna Arquette), but that's about the only reason to watch. It's comprised of a bunch of semi-related sketches. There are several lazy plot lines, only like one of which gets resolved by the end. The main characters, played by Michael Lambeck and Philip Casnoff, are awful, loudmouth, Italian stereotypes, and you just want to smack them in the face in every scene. Really, all the males in the movie are pigs and borderline rapists. There are some very pretty girls in the film (yes, even Fran Drescher was quite hot when she was in her early 20s), but they hardly figure in it. It's all about the boys acting obnoxiously. Of the future stars, Dennis Quaid has the biggest role as a guy obsessed with guns, explosives and fireworks. He's damn annoying, too, although at least he has a bit of charisma, unlike Lambeck and Casnoff.

Imagine someone right next to you jumping up and down while screaming non-stop into your ear, with plenty of vulgar words peppered in his speech, and you will have an idea of what it's like to watch GORP. You might think that with all that energy put forward there would at least be a few laughs, but think again - there's not one laugh here! There isn't even a jovial spirit on display, just a feeling of mean-spiritedness and even pure rage. Not only that, its sense of "humor" is downright offensive at times. The only bit of interest it offers is a display of yet-to-be-famous talent. (P.S. - For some reason, my original post of these comments was taken down since someone thought it was "abuse". It's not abuse - I'm simply telling it like it is.)

It's a good thing I was only 16 the summer this came out. Me and my buddies, all of us the same age, got such a kick out of this Animal House ripoff only because we were as horny and mischievous as the characters. It's interesting to see the subsequent accomplishments of some of the stars. I don't think I'd waste much time watching it again, even to reminisce. It is exactly what it was, a teen-target capitalizing on our adolescent urges: plenty of girl-spying and bragging about what you want your buddies to think you've done. I remember being excited that school was letting out soon for the summer, so we were all planning our own GORP adventure, which of course never happened (but told everyone it did). Fun, but absolute crap.