Search

» » Shag (1989)

Short summary

Summer of 1963. Carson is getting married to her boyfriend so her friends Melaina, Pudge and Luanne take her to Myrtle Beach for one last irresponsible weekend.

The VHS release contains the original music from the theatrical release. The DVD contains some music from the theatrical release, but many substitutions are made throughout the movie due to licensing. The original soundtrack release is music from the DVD version, not the VHS version.This was also due to licensing.

The interior set used for the Clatterbug's main home is the exact same set used for their house in Myrtle Beach. A few small changes were made to make it look different.

Nadine writes "SHAG TILL YOU GAG" on the bathroom wall with her lipstick. This cannot be seen on the VHS version of this movie because it is off screen.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Thozius
    Starring Phoebe Cates (Mrs. Kevin Kline, who knew?), as in "what ever happened to", and Bridget Fonda just as her career took off, Shag is sweet, warm, funny, nostalgic, and above all, wild. I saw a trailer for this on another DVD and added to my list of "must haves." It was well worth it.

    Cates is Carson McBride, about to marry stuffy Harley Ralston (Tyron Power, Jr.). Her best friends, played by Bridget Fonda, Annabeth Gish and Page Hannah (yup, Darryl's sister) surprise her with a weekend in Myrtle Beach as a last fling. Cates is funny enough, but Bridget simply overpowers the other female leads with her boundless charisma.

    They meet a couple of local boys who change their lives and have one heck of good time in the process. Speaking of "what ever happened to," Scott Coffey's Chip was the most enjoyable male character in the film, cute as a bug and delightfully innocent and whatever happened to him?

    Too many films of this genre are souless, heartless and mindless. This one is the rare exception, and gives you a chance to remember the discovery and adventure of coming of age.
  • comment
    • Author: Aurizar
    I saw at the bottom of the page, that "if you like this title we also recommend American Graffiti". So true, so true. Of course, it can't be compared to "graffiti", but it's a movie with many laughs and adorable characters.

    I saw this movie last night, maybe for the tenth time or something. I had a good time as always. Then of course, I am a very nostalgic person and if your favorite movie is "Matrix" or "Minority report" you might not like it.

    The title is a little confusing since there aren't that many dance scenes, but I honestly don't care. I'm just looking for a temporary time machine with the course aimed for 1963. Besides, the dancing moments of the movie are quite enough.

    Shag takes off with four friends going away to Myrtle beach for a weekend of total fun. Luanne is the proper one who is almost always upset or embarrassed, and she kind of takes the "leader" role, since they are all going in her car and staying at her fathers (the senator's) house, (where you can't sit on the furniture's, use the phone or drink the senator's bourbon). Pudge is a nice girl who has held everything back all her life, but no more! She is also the one who is responsible for the most "shagging" in the movie. Melaina (Fonda) is the wild one who dreams of a career in Hollywood since she is "neither marrying Harvey nor going to college". Carson (Cates) is the sweet and unexperienced girl who IS marrying Harvey. Also, when the movie begins, she thinks that they are going someplace else. But the girls have other plans and they are determined to take Carson for a weekend that she will never forget. One last fling together. A plot like this CAN'T go wrong.

    Anyway, by the end of the movie they are all different people, and they have learned that things are not always as they seem. You have control of your own destiny. Carson meets Buzz (the lines that these two people have are unbeatable), Luanne gives the audience a real "necking-surprise" and Melaina finally meets Jimmy Valentine who she considers to be her key to a life of luxury in Hollywood. ( I laugh every time Jimmy does his "move"). The story which I like the best though, is the love that develops between Pudge and the "navy" boy Chip. They are just so good people and the conversations between them so sweet and innocent. You really feel happy for them. It would be a crime not making them a couple.

    This movie has a great ending. The kind which makes you wonder what happens to the people in the film. You actually care about them.

    The acting is terrific. Bridget Fonda gets a lot of room and maybe it's because her character is the most interesting one. This was before she became a star. I think Phoebe Cates is one of the most underrated actresses ever. Just think about it, how she effects an audience. When she opens her mouth you can't look away. It's like she is born to make these parts. She isn't acting. She IS her characters. " Yes, I am wild. I guess I've been wild all of my life, without even knowing it". One of many great lines in this movie.

    The one thing that always impresses me in these movies is the setting. They actually make it look like in 1963. The cars, the clothes, the colors, the buildings. It's incredible.

    If you like these kind of movies, and haven't seen this one, you should be ashamed of yourself! Grade: 8/10
  • comment
    • Author: Froststalker
    First saw this film around 8yrs ago on Channel 4 (UK) Excellent, Fantastic - Phoebie cates - Sexy - luv the sixties look the cars and the shag music (of course shag means something else here in Engalnd) So I wondered what the film was about when I heard it was coming on t.v. I want them to bring a follow up maybe with the same stars - See how they got on life. I'm now 34 and must have seen this film around 50 times on the same video but am now looking for a Region 2 Dvd - but can only find Reg1 USA/Canada. Have tried Ebay but no luck, but I will keep on watching the film until my tape gives up. If you have never seen this film - You have missed an excellent film - better than Dirty Dancing - Wonderful and the cast Excellent. Karl
  • comment
    • Author: Saberdragon
    Four friends head to Myrtle Beach, SC after high school graduation. There they meet boys, have a party (hellacious for 1963), and enter a fabulous dancing contest. This movie is fun, keeps your attention, and is wonderful to be able to see the period (early 1960s) cars, hotels, dancing pavilion, etc. in Myrtle Beach. I would recommend this movie for a nice evening to just feel good. The only bit of concern is that the original VHS that was released in 1989 and the DVD versions are fine-- but somewhere in between there was a version released on VHS for about $10 that was a disappointment-- it had deleted/changes music. Beware of this version. The new DVD version is intact. The original music is nice and adds to the era in which this movie takes place. Young and old alike will like this movie.
  • comment
    • Author: Gavigamand
    I am from Myrtle Beach, SC ( where Shag takes place ) and I find the movie to be absolutely delightful. It takes place in the 60's with 4 young high school graduates just wanting to have a final hoo-rah before one of their best buds enters wedlock. The story follows the four girls through their very different weekends at the beach. All the while mingling the title of the movie with the actual dance that was and is all the craze on the Grand Strand. This movie is only rated PG but deals with a few stronger elements. It involves bad language, teen drinking and loss of virginity. Most will skim over children's heads, but parents still use caution. I watched the film a million times as a child and continue as an adult too. The movie is a perfect mix of scandal, mischief, young love, and music. Highly recommended as an all time favorite film.
  • comment
    • Author: Antuiserum
    I watched this movie only to get a look at Tyrone Power, Jr., and ended up enjoying it immensely. Set in 1963 before the assassination of JFK, four young southern women go to Myrtle Beach for a last hurrah before college and, in one way or another, their lives change. Phoebe Cates is a virginal brunette engaged to uptight Tyrone Power, Jr., but winds up falling for Robert Rusler; Bridget Fonda is a comely blond looking to win Miss Sun Queen; Annabeth Gish is everybody's pal who wants to be somebody's girlfriend; and Page Hannah is the plain daughter of a senator hoping to keep her daddy's liquor cabinet locked and his house clean so nobody knows she and her friends were there. The movie culminates with a shagging (some kind of dancing) contest.

    I suspect that some of us old-timers might like this movie even more than the teens and twenty-somethings - it sure brings you back to a time when kids talked about getting to second base, going all the way, and asked questions like, Have you ever put your tongue in anyone's ear? Shag captures the atmosphere of fun and hilarity one only gets at an early age and away from one's parents. The sound track is fabulous. Highly recommended if you want to feel young again.
  • comment
    • Author: Cha
    Another nostalgia piece? Yes, and a fun one at that. "Shag" does not have anything to do with Austin Powers, but rather portrays four teenage girls spending a weekend partying in 1963 Myrtle Beach, before one of them gets married (the title refers to a type of dance...and let me tell you, that dance looks fun!). The movie is partly a look back at that era - with Bermuda shorts, Jackie Kennedy hairdos and spiffy cars - but mostly a big excuse to have fun. As an example of how much fun they're having, they're staying in a senator's house that's supposed to be unoccupied. Anyway, it's a really cool movie. Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Annabeth Gish and Page Hannah all play some great characters here. If only I could have participated in that weekend.
  • comment
    • Author: Samowar
    Charming, colorful, and spirited are a few words I can apply to "Shag - The Movie." In case you're wondering, the title is referring to a style of dancing that was popular in southern U.S. beach communities during the late 1950's, and through the 1960's. "Shag" is the kind of movie in which the viewer may wish they were there; partaking in everything that's happening between old and new friends. Friendship is the basis of the movie, which is set in the summer of 1963. The main characters are four girls who have one final fling before they go their separate ways into adulthood. Carson (Phoebe Cates) is engaged to be married to an up-and-coming tobacco tycoon named Harley (Tyrone Power Jr.) Luanne (Page Hannah) is the daughter of a wealthy senator. Caroline (Annabeth Gish) goes by "Pudge" as a nickname. She has a reputation for being overweight even though she's turning into a slimmer young woman. Melaina (Bridget Fonda) is rebellious, and has a sexually liberated attitude. Four girls who are often as different as can be, but they're still the best of friends. Their friendship is sometimes tested when they reach the destination of their final fling: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Throughout the movie common teen subjects arise: Alcohol, sex, careers, future plans, dating, and marriage are some of the subjects discussed. Naturally guys come into play, and the characters of Buzz (Robert Rusler) and Chip (Scott Coffey) are introduced. Buzz is free-spirited and lively. Chip is a young man on his way to becoming a Marine. Along the way Carson and Buzz develop an attraction for each other, which threatens Carson's engagement to Harley. The relationship between Carson and Buzz grows, and soon Carson finds it difficult to stop herself from being drawn to him. Eventually Harley shows up in Myrtle Beach, which creates some surprises for everyone. Luanne and Harley have a respect for each other, but there also seems to be a hint of a mutual interest between them. Pudge and Chip hit it off, and plan to enter the shag dance contest. Their growing relationship is interesting, because it's not immediately known if Chip likes Pudge as much as she likes him. The character of Melaina goes through a few phases, but her main goal is to nab a career in Hollywood. Cliff-hangers seem to be common throughout "Shag - The Movie": Will Carson break off her engagement to Harley, and find love with Buzz? Would a break-up lead Harley to Luanne? Will Pudge and Chip find they love each other, and will they still be in the shag contest? Will Melaina be discovered, and be on her way to Hollywood? Will the parents find out the girls lied by going to Myrtle Beach instead of going on an educational tour? Obviously these are answered by the film's end, but along the way there are fun times to be had! One big party, meeting a teen idol, a beauty contest, and the shag contest provide lots of fun. Tender moments, competition, and conflicts keep the movie well grounded. The summer of 1963 is re-created with amusement park rides, jukeboxes, carhops, vintage cars, and music. The soundtrack is made of new versions of songs that had been hits in that era, and also original vintage oldies. The soundtrack also features new, original recordings, but they don't always have an authentic sound (this is the only negative comment I have on the entire movie.) Sets, props and locations fit well with the 1963 setting. The movie is well filmed, well scripted, and contains a lot of memorable dialogue. The humor is satisfying more on a delightful scale, and there doesn't seem to be an attempt at too many big laughs. In this case a more subtle style of humor works very well, and adds to the charm of the movie. The entire cast does a wonderful job! Each performance is well-crafted, and the cast is full of talent. The interactions of the actors and the chemistry between each character keep the movie fun and high-spirited. "Shag - The Movie" is a crowd pleaser for all audiences, and worth multiple viewings. Put on your shagging shoes, and enjoy a movie that really is the bee's knees!
  • comment
    • Author: Slowly writer
    Shag is a pretty laid back, Saturday afternoon variety of 80s movies.

    Set in South Carolina in the 1960s, it is the story of a group of girls who take a road trip out to Myrtle Beach for the week before their friend goes off to get married. Consider it, a bachelorette weekend. Only, bad girl Melanie Buller (Bridget Fonda), soft-spoken Caroline 'Pudge' (Anabeth Gish), and exceedingly proper Luann (Page Hannah) have more in mind for their conservative engaged friend, Carson (Cates) than lying on the beach and catching a tan. The girls try to get Carson to break out of her conservative, timid shell and let loose and have some fun while she's still legally single. But, in fact, there is more in store for everyone during their wild stay at the summer house, not just Carson.

    Specifically, all this happens when the girls arrive at the summer home and meet two rambunctious guys. Robert Russler plays the suave romantic, Buzz who pursues hard-to-get Carson who keeps insisting that, despite whatever feelings and attractions she can't help but to feel for Buzz, she's going to be married to some boring stiff named Harley (Power). Basically, she is all rules, and he isn't. Is Harley who she really wants to be with? The other guy is Scott Coffey, with his typical red-headed buzz cut who becomes 'Pudges' new friend in a very young puppy love kind of relationship as well as her dance partner in a Shag contest in which she's up against Melanie's rival, two vicious local babes who don't like the group. Melanie is constantly competing with them in beauty contests, for boyfriends, etc.

    Everyone's various going-ons turns into a giant disaster as they all try to keep things going smoothly. Carson is falling for Buzz about the same time Harley announces he's coming out to the house. Luann's house is practically destroyed as they all get drunk and a bunch of locals invite themselves in for a huge bash about the same time Luann's parents announce they're coming out to the beach. It all turns into a wild mess, and makes for a pretty funny series of events and quite a cute story.

    Loaded with plenty of familiar actors during their prime years, this is a fun story particularly recommended for female 80s fans. This is just a movie about a bunch of girls try to cut loose before their friend heads off to get married, and one that has established itself as a cult classic.
  • comment
    • Author: interactive man
    Hi everybody, just a short note to say that this movie was soooo much fun! It is one of my favourite films. It's set in the 60's with great music, cool cars, good girls and bad boys, dancing and romancing! It makes me wish I had lived in that era. The cast is amazingly talented and attractive!!! 10/10 I wouldn't change a thing, it's perfect! Watch it now!!
  • comment
    • Author: Erienan
    Why do all the incredible movie have no awards whatsoever? I swear the crappy movie Capote got more Oscars and awards than Star Wars (exaggeration). This movie contains all of the basic necessities that made Godfather, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones great. It gave an experience. It gave a feeling so emotional that an audience could sit back, eat popcorn, and look at their watch 2 minutes later and realize two hours had already gone by. All of the characters had versatile, inspiring personalities.Pudge was innocent but outgoing. Carson, strict on her parents' and societies' rules but nonetheless up for a risk when it came by her way. Luanne, strict at rules but more apt for adventure than Carson. Finally, Melaina, an obvious go flirting, drinking, sucking up to people, but to the boys' dismay: no bedding.

    This 80s movie had no computer graphics, no detailed special effects, .

    It had only the necessities: acting, experience, camera angles, and emotional, rather than physical love.
  • comment
    • Author: krot
    Two of my friends informed me I absolutely had to see this movie and they were right. I just moved to the South, and it gave me a whole new understanding of Southern life. The movie is set in South Carolina in the 1960s. Four funny, funny girls take a road trip to Myrtle Beach and spend half the movie making sure their families don't find out. Phoebe Cates steals the show and teaches the audience a valuable lesson: You shouldn't marry if you're in your teens!
  • comment
    • Author: Xal
    This movie isn't going to win best picture anytime soon, but short of "Dirty Dancing" this might be the best fun summer romance there is. It's one of those stories that lets you spend time with several female archetypes: The Bad Girl, The "Fat" Girl ready to come into her own, The Goody-Two-Shoes/Nerd and The Dutiful Pretty Girl. While this may seem cheesy, it's a structure that's been working since Jane Austen gave us Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennett. Women enjoy trying on various identities vicariously, and (to move back into the future) we all have a little bit of Carrie and Samantha in us. Of the actresses in this movie only two have much name recognition - Bridget Fonda's delicious bad girl and Phoebe Cates' debutante about to marry the wrong man. But all the actors suit the tone and contents of the movie, and it ends up feeling realistic, if only because this particular formula - the summer fling on vacation - is something that often happens in real life. This movie is a joy to watch for its Myrtle Beach period location, its sexy but not explicit romance, and, of course, the titular dancing of the shag. Download it with your girlfriends and have a fantastic slumber party.
  • comment
    • Author: Bladebringer
    This has been a classic, for me, since I was about 12 years old. It was popular slumber party fare back then, but it's aged well and I still enjoy watching it today. The story follows a group of high school grads as they set off for one last weekend together in Myrtle Beach. It's your basic friendship/coming of age story with a backdrop of 1963 beach life in South Carolina. The film has fantastic eye candy; the actors, the clothes, the hair, and the scenery come to life in lollipop-colored fun. There's just enough plot to keep it interesting, and the right balance of humor without too much sentimentality. All of this, combined with good performances from a strong ensemble cast, makes for easy repeat-watching. My only problem with the film was the soundtrack tampering that took place with the VHS (second) version. Luckily, the original soundtrack has been restored for the DVD version (or most of it, as I can recall). The music is perfect and really adds to the enjoyment of the film and the sense of time period. It may look a bit cheesy, and probably is, but it's a fabulous popcorn flick that will put you in a good mood, guaranteed.
  • comment
    • Author: Vudozilkree
    Contrary to British bawdy-speak, the Shag is a dance that is a smooth cross between the Jitterbug and the 50's Bop. One can Shag only to the beat of "old school" rhythm and blues music, referred to in the Carolinas, Virginia and parts of Georgia as "Beach Music". It is not an easy dance to master, although like riding a bicycle once you learn how, you never forget.

    I was a regular visitor to Myrtle Beach during the 70s and 80s when Beach Music had progressed from a hometown tradition to a potential new fad with marketing potential. "New" Beach Music bands and songs were becoming popular (with acts like The Band of Oz and the Fantastic Shakers making popular tunes like "Ocean Boulevard", "Myrtle Beach Days" and "Shaggin"; even the old-school Embers wrote a new song, "I Love Beach Music"). I spent much of the summer at Myrtle Beach when this movie, Shag, was being filmed at Atlantic Beach. I even saw Phoebe Cates and Bridgette Fonda at the After Deck (nightclub) one night.

    I recently bought the DVD of Shag and found it was better than I remembered. It is full of fun and silliness and in general the story is pretty true to life if not a little more sedate than my years at the beach. The movie does a good job of demonstrating the appeal of the beach. It was always about getting out of our small southern home-towns and meeting some new faces, having some fun and hopefully finding true love, at least for a few days. The music and the dancing became integral to the process. Today that music is still loved my many southerners who came of age at the Carolina beach towns from the 50s through the 80s.

    I recently toured Myrtle Beach for the first time in about 12 years. It has changed more in that time than it ever did from my first memories of it from the late 50s until I was last there in the early 90s. Shag gives an accurate snapshot of what it was like there in its glory days in the 60s. The music, the dancing, the fun and friendships new and old were what it was all about. Those were days that brought songs like Billy Stewart's definitive version of "Summertime", or the Catalina's "Summertime's Calling Me" into reality. While those tunes aren't on the soundtrack of the movie, "Shag" does of good job of preserving the essence of that lifestyle.

    IF you're not from the southeastern US, you can get a fairly accurate picture of what growing up was like for many Baby Boomers from that area. If you are a southerner and love Beach Music, the movie is about the best we have available at picturing that happy time.
  • comment
    • Author: olgasmile
    `This was our last weekend together, and we didn't feel like going to Ft. Sumter and touring goddamn colonial homes! We wanted to go to the beach! And meet boys! And go to wild parties! And dance!' One of the most overlooked but greatest girl-movies all time, *Shag* is a meticulously crafted period piece that takes a look back at the summer of '63 - a hallowed summer cinematically, supposedly representing an innocent America untouched by the coming traumas of the Sixties. It is the story of four girls who have just graduated from high school who hightail it to Myrtle Beach - the forbidden zone of boys and booze. As they whoop it up, each of them has their eyes opened to a reality that is not part of the world their parents laid out for them. `Y'all, I'm *wild*,' Cates' character tells her friends towards the end of the movie, `I guess I always have been - I just didn't know it,' and Cates' youthful beauty and innocence make it completely believable. Hannah seems to not take herself as seriously as her more famous sister does - and her hilarious portrayal of the tight-assed Luanne morphs from rigid propriety to semi-unbridled lust. Pudge finally meets a boy who loves her for everything she is, and Gish has a field day with the character. But it is Fonda's portrayal of the bad-girl preacher's daughter who steals the show. Described by one reviewer as `*Dirty Dancing* meets *Mystic Pizza* meets *American Graffiti*,' as a coming-of-age film, *Shag* is nothing less than enchanting.
  • comment
    • Author: MeGa_NunC
    This is a heart warming story that shares love and friendship of four friends from Spartenburg, South Carolina. Off on one last weekend together Carson, Luanne, Melaina and Pudge experience life as they never have before. The writers and film makers effectively take you back to the South in 1963, so much that you almost feel like you are there. I recommend this film to anyone who is wanting to have "the most fun" from a movie experience.
  • comment
    • Author: Brightfury
    This light comedy is a cross between Dirty Dancing and Where the Boys Are. It's from that earlier generation of teen flicks where romance and craziness was paramount and underage drinking and premarital sex were secondary.

    This is definitely a chick flick (I can't imagine a straight man watching, even under duress) but this gay guy thought it was fun, if a little bit lightweight, and the Tyrone Power Jr. and Robert Rusler and a supporting cast of shirtless beach boys were enough eye candy to keep me entertained when the script grew thin. The best part was the romance between Pudge and Chip but then I've always had a soft spot for innocents.

    On the down side, I'm not sure if it was the version that I got or if the problem was widespread but the DVD seemed to have poor audio balance with the music low volume and muddy in spots and the dialogue almost unintelligible. It didn't help that there were no English subtitles so that I could clear up the questionable parts of the dialogue.
  • comment
    • Author: GoodBuyMyFriends
    I think I was 10 years old when this movie came out, and I've recently rediscovered it. I've almost forgotten how enchanting it is. Four girls set out for one last weekend full of fun before Carson McBride (Phoebe Cates) prepares to marry Harley Ralston.

    Carson meets Buzz Ravenal (Robert Fusler from Weird Science), who turns her world upside down, and she discovers a side of herself she's never seen! Malaina Buller is played by Bridget Fonda, whose character is an outgoing boy-crazy teen that will do whatever she can to pursue her dreams. Luanne Clatterback is as innocent as they come, so we think. Will she take off her glasses and flip her hair for the boy of her dreams? You'll just have to watch! Then there's Pudge Carmichael. Her character is so cute and fun-loving. She meets fellow Shagger Chip Guillyard, and they enter a Shag contest together. They are the cute couple who share the innocent love you wish you had when you were their age.

    In case you're wondering, the Shag is a real dance, that is still practiced today in the Southeastern states. I loved the movie so much that I convinced my other half to learn the shag with me! So grab your girlfriends and a bucket of popcorn...and get ready to take a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!
  • comment
    • Author: Vital Beast
    I think this is a great film for anyone. It's not only fun, but it has a lot of great one-liners and an excellent plot. You can feel the emotions being presented on screen. The cast is fantastic. Phoebe Cates and Annabeth Gish along with Robert Rusler and Scott Coffey did a great job showing the growing friendship of their little foursome. This definitely shows the bond girls can have along with having boyfriends. Just because a boy comes along doesn't mean the friendship will die....friends will always be there for one another. I highly recommend this film to anyone who's looking for a great romantic comedy!
  • comment
    • Author: komandante
    I was born and raised in South Carolina. My aunt had a beach house in Isle of Palms, SC and we spent each and every summer there with my entire family; aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents included. My family is the definition of a classy, South Carolinian family; not trashy or redneck (like some of the girls in the film as you know.) My aunts and uncles competed in the most well known of shag competitions at the beaches in South Carolina and were very well known within that circuit. I can proudly say they won first place in many, many competitions. Anyway, that is all besides the point! My grandmother and Aunt would put this movie on every single night at our beach house for my sister and I before we went to sleep in my Aunt's bed while all of the adults were downstairs shagging and having "the most fun". My aunt was diagnosed with cancer and died when I was 8 so, needless to say, due to medical bills, we lost the beach house and all of the memories that went along with it.

    This film is the epitome of my childhood. It is EXTREMELY truthful to how South Carolina was back in the day and for anyone that is curious, Shag was filmed in Myrtle Beach as well as Isle of Palms, SPARTANBURG not SPARTENBURG, Greenville, Anderson, Columbia, Orangeburg, Edisto Island, and Georgetown, all in South Carolina. I actually live down the street to one of the houses filmed in the beginning at home with the girls.

    One of the things I treasure most from my childhood is this film :) I know it line for line and will never forget that people like my family made it possible for nostalgia such as the scenes displayed in Shag to have even taken place.

    Now if only the Yankees would leave and never come back... and STOP wearing your shoes on our beaches!
  • comment
    • Author: Meri
    I find it as good as Dirty Dancing... Can watch it again and again. Sweet and funny teen movie about 1950s - 1960s. Feels so authentic and makes you love that era.
  • comment
    • Author: Āłł_Ÿøūrš
    RELEASED IN 1989 and directed by Zelda Barron, "Shag" is a teen drama about four girls freshly graduated from high school taking a vacation weekend at Myrtle Beach in 1963. There's the senator's daughter, Luanne (Page Hannah); the engaged or encaged Carson (Phoebe Cates); the wannabe Hollywood starlet Malaina (Bridget Fonda); and the thinks-she's-still-fat-but-she's-not Pudge (Annabeth Gish).

    The movie plays like a melding of "American Graffiti" (1973), "Dirty Dancing" (1987) and "Mystic Pizza" (1988). It's far superior to the overrated "American Graffiti" and lacks the idiot subplot of "Dirty Dancing" (see my reviews of both for details).

    The script thrusts the four girls into the weekend festivities at Myrtle Beach as quickly as possible wherein the story splits into several vignettes that intertwine. The weekend highpoints include: A beauty contest on the beach, a wild house party at the senator's vacation home (unbeknownst to him, of course) and a shag dance contest. Thematically, the flick tries to advocate the wise middle ground between life-stifling legalism and foolish libertinism.

    Some have called this a "chick flick" and I can see why since the focus is on the four girls, but there's just as much here for dudes to relate. For instance, there are several voluptuous cuties on display, both in the main cast and in the periphery. Kudos to the director for his excellent eye for women. Bridget Fonda is particularly showcased in all her glory with her white bikini scenes being a highlight. She was 23 when the film was shot in 1987. There are also several prominent guys in the cast: Harley (Tyrone Power Jr.), Buzz (Robert Rusler), Chip (Scott Coffey), Jimmy Valentine (Jeff Yagher) and, to a lesser extent, the manager (Paul Lieber) and Big Bob (Jay Baker).

    Lastly, the movie features a great period soundtrack with excellent cuts like "Stay" by The Voltage Brothers, performed (lip-synced) at The Pavilion.

    THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 38 minutes and was shot entirely in South Carolina (Georgetown, Myrtle Beach & Florence). WRITERS: Lanier Laney, Terry Sweeney & Robin Swicord.

    GRADE: B+
  • comment
    • Author: Nalaylewe
    Just came here to play pools fats. This has got to be the best movie ever. I first saw it about 12 years ago on HBO and I was like this is the most fun. Buzz is a total sweet potato. Then I got the video and to my total disappointment I found that most of the songs had been replaced and I was like what the heck. I think there was some royalties disspute or something. But to let all ya'll devoted Shag fans know the DVD has all the original songs and me and my friends about passed out cuz we were so excited!!!!!!!!!!!! "I take it you didn't like the Hustler." "I wasn't allowed to watch that picture show." And just a little tib bit of info, the Hustler is a great movie, too. I had to watch it since Buzz quoted it so well. =)!!

    Well just wanted to share in all the happieness of knowing and loving Shag, other than that...........have a good time.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Phoebe Cates Phoebe Cates - Carson
    Scott Coffey Scott Coffey - Chip
    Bridget Fonda Bridget Fonda - Melaina
    Annabeth Gish Annabeth Gish - Pudge
    Page Hannah Page Hannah - Luanne
    Robert Rusler Robert Rusler - Buzz
    Tyrone Power Jr. Tyrone Power Jr. - Harley
    Jeff Yagher Jeff Yagher - Jimmy Valentine
    Paul Lieber Paul Lieber - The Manager
    Donald Craig Donald Craig - Senator Clatterbuck
    Shirley Anne Field Shirley Anne Field - Mrs. Clatterbuck
    Leilani Sarelle Leilani Sarelle - Suette
    Carrie Hamilton Carrie Hamilton - Nadine
    Jay Baker Jay Baker - Big Bob
    Joe Seely Joe Seely - The Creep
    All rights reserved © 2017-2024 hd.thomson-multimedia.com