The Beginning – Bachelor Party (1984)
Rick Gassko (Hanks) is a lucky man. Not only does he have a sweet job driving a school bus for a Catholic school, but he’s also engaged to marry the lovely Debbie Thompson. Her family isn’t nearly as keen on the idea seeing as they’re wealthy, classy, snooty folks, and he’s none of those things with nothing in common, but except Rick has bigger problems, though, as his best friends have planned an epic bachelor party to send him off into married life. Unfortunately for him, they’re not exactly Harvard symbologists – or even moderately smart – meaning that what should have been a simple party grows into one involving prostitutes, an angry pimp, an even angrier hotel manager, a dead donkey, enough shenanigans for two T&A comedies, and lots of gay panic. Oh, and then there’s also Debbie’s ex who’s hunting Rick with a crossbow…
The DTV Plot – Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation (2008)
Ron is a lucky man. Not only does he probably have a job, but he’s also engaged to marry the lovely Melinda. Her family isn’t nearly as keen on the idea as they’re wealthy, classy, snooty folks, and he’s none of those things. Ron has bigger problems, though, as his future brother-in-law has planned an epic bachelor party with an ulterior motive. Todd is actually planning to set up Ron by getting him into bed with another woman in the hopes that he calls off the wedding, whether by choice or due to blackmail. Cue the strippers, hot tub antics, sex addicts, a secret Nazi hottie – dubbed a Hotzi – and lots of gay panic.
Talent Shift
The 1984 original hit theaters just four months after Ron Howard’s Splash made Hanks a household name, but the film’s R-rating saw it aiming for an older (or sneakier) audience. The power of Hanks still made it a hit, though, bringing in nearly $40 million on a $5 million budget. The supporting cast is lower tier talents, but there are plenty of familiar faces among them including Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed, Wendie Jo Sperber, and more. The filmmakers themselves were also riding the wave of a comedy success from earlier in the year as co-writers Neal Israel and Pat Proft’s Police Academy had already taken the box-office by storm earning over $80m and starting a decade-long franchise. The pair would go on to write/co-write such memorable comedy hits as Real Genius (1985), The Naked Gun (1988), Look Who’s Talking Too (1990), and Scary Movie 3 (2003).
For the follow-up, the studio cast away known talents and went with both a writer and director making their feature debut. For director James Ryan it was also his last feature film, but writer Jay Longino would go on to write Skiptrace (2016) and Uncle Drew (2018) in an effort to showcase his variety. (The film’s Wiki page mentions it was part of Project Greenlight, but I can’t find any further confirmation on that count.) The cast is a bit more recognizable, but none managed to parlay the film into anything bigger, and that includes the film’s Hanks stand-in, Josh Cooke. He’s a reliable actor and has worked steadily since this leading role in far more supporting ones, and he’s joined here by Sara Foster, Harland Williams, and Emmanuelle Vaugier.
How the Sequel Respects the Original
As is often the case with DTV sequels, there’s no actual connection between this film and the 80s original. How difficult would it have been to throw fans a cameo bone? Was Adrian Zmed busy? Was Nick the Dick too sacred a character to revisit? Barring that, the filmmakers clearly felt the next best thing was to simply remake the first film instead with the addition of even more nudity. It maintains T&A standards, and while I didn’t actually count individual breasts I’m pretty sure there are far more on display this time around. Sure, some of the specifics are different, but the bulk of the film plays pretty much the same as our hero stumbles and fumbles his way through sexy scenarios on his way to confirming his love for his special lady. The gags are every bit as sophomoric and basic too as there’s not even the slightest attempt to update the sexual politics in any way. But hey, at least the women aren’t terrorized by a group of horny Japanese businessmen this time around.
How the Sequel S***s on the Original
The original Bachelor Party is not a good movie – it’s true, I promise – so it makes for a very low bar to clear for the sequel. Seriously, go back and watch the film (but don’t really) and you’ll see jokes that don’t land, “good” guy characters demonstrating some terrible behavior towards women, casual “humor” built entirely on the race of non-whites, and one hell of an icky gay panic reaction. A couple beats land here and there, namely the bit between Debbie’s mom and the previously mentioned Nick the Dick, but it’s not good. Two things make it passable, though, and neither is something the sequel can manage.
First up is the time period as 80s comedies are bursting with inappropriate antics that, while not necessarily funny then were at least the norm. A film made in 2008 can’t rest on that excuse meaning that its own poor writing, offensive stereotypes, lame gags, and dudes terrified to be perceived as gay are simply the work of laziness. The second strike involves the lack of a talent even moderately close to Hanks. While Bachelor Party is no high point in Hanks’ career it’s still unable to mute or muffle the man’s comedic genius. From his body movements to his facial expressions to his line delivery, Hanks knows his way around a gag and enhances every one he touches. The sequel has no such secret weapon, and Cooke, while again a competent actor, lacks comedic chops. It leaves the film with a dull center surrounded by questionable behaviors and DOA jokes.
‘Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation’ Imagines A World Without Tom Hanks
By Rob Hunter/April 23, 2020 10:00 am EST
While I expect this post to be read and studied for decades to come in universities and Cinemax channel board rooms, it has a very timely poignancy as of its writing. America’s dad, Tom Hanks, recently fell ill with a virus that swept the globe in early 2020, and while he and his lovely wife Rita Wilson pulled through, there was a palpable fear in the air that forced people to imagine a world where saving Mr. Hanks would no longer be a possibility.
The Beginning – Bachelor Party (1984)
Rick Gassko (Hanks) is a lucky man. Not only does he have a sweet job driving a school bus for a Catholic school, but he’s also engaged to marry the lovely Debbie Thompson. Her family isn’t nearly as keen on the idea seeing as they’re wealthy, classy, snooty folks, and he’s none of those things with nothing in common, but except Rick has bigger problems, though, as his best friends have planned an epic bachelor party to send him off into married life. Unfortunately for him, they’re not exactly Harvard symbologists – or even moderately smart – meaning that what should have been a simple party grows into one involving prostitutes, an angry pimp, an even angrier hotel manager, a dead donkey, enough shenanigans for two T&A comedies, and lots of gay panic. Oh, and then there’s also Debbie’s ex who’s hunting Rick with a crossbow…
The DTV Plot – Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation (2008)
Ron is a lucky man. Not only does he probably have a job, but he’s also engaged to marry the lovely Melinda. Her family isn’t nearly as keen on the idea as they’re wealthy, classy, snooty folks, and he’s none of those things. Ron has bigger problems, though, as his future brother-in-law has planned an epic bachelor party with an ulterior motive. Todd is actually planning to set up Ron by getting him into bed with another woman in the hopes that he calls off the wedding, whether by choice or due to blackmail. Cue the strippers, hot tub antics, sex addicts, a secret Nazi hottie – dubbed a Hotzi – and lots of gay panic.
Talent Shift
The 1984 original hit theaters just four months after Ron Howard’s Splash made Hanks a household name, but the film’s R-rating saw it aiming for an older (or sneakier) audience. The power of Hanks still made it a hit, though, bringing in nearly $40 million on a $5 million budget. The supporting cast is lower tier talents, but there are plenty of familiar faces among them including Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed, Wendie Jo Sperber, and more. The filmmakers themselves were also riding the wave of a comedy success from earlier in the year as co-writers Neal Israel and Pat Proft’s Police Academy had already taken the box-office by storm earning over $80m and starting a decade-long franchise. The pair would go on to write/co-write such memorable comedy hits as Real Genius (1985), The Naked Gun (1988), Look Who’s Talking Too (1990), and Scary Movie 3 (2003).
For the follow-up, the studio cast away known talents and went with both a writer and director making their feature debut. For director James Ryan it was also his last feature film, but writer Jay Longino would go on to write Skiptrace (2016) and Uncle Drew (2018) in an effort to showcase his variety. (The film’s Wiki page mentions it was part of Project Greenlight, but I can’t find any further confirmation on that count.) The cast is a bit more recognizable, but none managed to parlay the film into anything bigger, and that includes the film’s Hanks stand-in, Josh Cooke. He’s a reliable actor and has worked steadily since this leading role in far more supporting ones, and he’s joined here by Sara Foster, Harland Williams, and Emmanuelle Vaugier.
For the follow-up, the studio cast away known talents and went with both a writer and director making their feature debut. For director James Ryan it was also his last feature film, but writer Jay Longino would go on to write Skiptrace (2016) and Uncle Drew (2018) in an effort to showcase his variety. (The film’s Wiki page mentions it was part of Project Greenlight, but I can’t find any further confirmation on that count.) The cast is a bit more recognizable, but none managed to parlay the film into anything bigger, and that includes the film’s Hanks stand-in, Josh Cooke. He’s a reliable actor and has worked steadily since this leading role in far more supporting ones, and he’s joined here by Sara Foster, Harland Williams, and Emmanuelle Vaugier.
How the Sequel Respects the Original
As is often the case with DTV sequels, there’s no actual connection between this film and the 80s original. How difficult would it have been to throw fans a cameo bone? Was Adrian Zmed busy? Was Nick the Dick too sacred a character to revisit? Barring that, the filmmakers clearly felt the next best thing was to simply remake the first film instead with the addition of even more nudity. It maintains T&A standards, and while I didn’t actually count individual breasts I’m pretty sure there are far more on display this time around. Sure, some of the specifics are different, but the bulk of the film plays pretty much the same as our hero stumbles and fumbles his way through sexy scenarios on his way to confirming his love for his special lady. The gags are every bit as sophomoric and basic too as there’s not even the slightest attempt to update the sexual politics in any way. But hey, at least the women aren’t terrorized by a group of horny Japanese businessmen this time around.
How the Sequel S***s on the Original
The original Bachelor Party is not a good movie – it’s true, I promise – so it makes for a very low bar to clear for the sequel. Seriously, go back and watch the film (but don’t really) and you’ll see jokes that don’t land, “good” guy characters demonstrating some terrible behavior towards women, casual “humor” built entirely on the race of non-whites, and one hell of an icky gay panic reaction. A couple beats land here and there, namely the bit between Debbie’s mom and the previously mentioned Nick the Dick, but it’s not good. Two things make it passable, though, and neither is something the sequel can manage.
First up is the time period as 80s comedies are bursting with inappropriate antics that, while not necessarily funny then were at least the norm. A film made in 2008 can’t rest on that excuse meaning that its own poor writing, offensive stereotypes, lame gags, and dudes terrified to be perceived as gay are simply the work of laziness. The second strike involves the lack of a talent even moderately close to Hanks. While Bachelor Party is no high point in Hanks’ career it’s still unable to mute or muffle the man’s comedic genius. From his body movements to his facial expressions to his line delivery, Hanks knows his way around a gag and enhances every one he touches. The sequel has no such secret weapon, and Cooke, while again a competent actor, lacks comedic chops. It leaves the film with a dull center surrounded by questionable behaviors and DOA jokes.
First up is the time period as 80s comedies are bursting with inappropriate antics that, while not necessarily funny then were at least the norm. A film made in 2008 can’t rest on that excuse meaning that its own poor writing, offensive stereotypes, lame gags, and dudes terrified to be perceived as gay are simply the work of laziness. The second strike involves the lack of a talent even moderately close to Hanks. While Bachelor Party is no high point in Hanks’ career it’s still unable to mute or muffle the man’s comedic genius. From his body movements to his facial expressions to his line delivery, Hanks knows his way around a gag and enhances every one he touches. The sequel has no such secret weapon, and Cooke, while again a competent actor, lacks comedic chops. It leaves the film with a dull center surrounded by questionable behaviors and DOA jokes.
Conclusion
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