Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
77%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Revenge of the Nerds, a film that has been compared to the likes of Animal House and Porky’s, is a simple-minded romp that manages to show some smarts. While the film has its fair share of low humor, including belching, mooning, and booger jokes, it also has some glimmers of underlying intelligence thanks to director Jeff Kanew and a couple of nice performances. However, the tasteless episodes and dearth of laughs do mar the film, making it a pitifully thin college comedy that is best left in the past. As for Anthony Edwards, well, we all have our turkeys.
Revenge of the Nerds is like a classic cheeseburger – it’s not the fanciest or most sophisticated thing out there, but it’s satisfying and hits the spot. Sure, there are some questionable moments that make you cringe, but overall it’s a fun romp with a lovable group of outcasts who get their moment to shine. Plus, who doesn’t love a good booger joke every now and then? It may not be high art, but it’s definitely a good time.
Production Company(ies)
Norma Productions, Curtleigh Productions, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Catalina Park Inn – 309 E. 1st Street, Tucson, Arizona, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 20, 1984 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 6, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Anthony Edwards, Robert Carradine, Ted McGinley, Timothy Busfield, Andrew Cassese, Curtis Armstrong, directed by Jeff Kanew, written by David Obst, Jeff Buhai, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Steve Zacharias, Tim Metcalfe, produced by Ted Field, Peter Samuelson, David Obst, Peter Bart, comedy, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Duane Byrge, Rita Kempley, Variety Staff, Don Peretta, Lawrence Van Gelder, Marjorie Baumgarten, David Sterritt, Animal House vein, slobs-vs.-snobs subgenre, college students, freshmen, dormitory, Alpha Betas, fraternity house, gym, run-down house, humiliation, revenge
Worldwide gross: $40,874,452
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $119,693,823
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 940
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,052,762
US/Canada gross: $40,874,452
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $119,693,823
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 634
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,513,090
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $4,430,825
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,117
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $23,426,628
Production budget ranking: 1,280
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,615,239
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $83,651,956
ROI to date (est.): 232%
ROI ranking: 569
Anthony Edwards – Gilbert Lowell
Ted McGinley – Stan Gable
Timothy Busfield – Arnold Poindexter
Andrew Cassese – Harold Wormser
Curtis Armstrong – Dudley “Booger” Dawson
Director(s)
Jeff Kanew
Writer(s)
David Obst, Jeff Buhai, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Steve Zacharias, Tim Metcalfe
Producer(s)
Ted Field, Peter Samuelson, David Obst, Peter Bart
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (12)
While much is in the Animal House vein and quite funny, several tasteless episodes mar the film.
July 20, 2017
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
If you’ve seen Porky’s, Animal House, D.C. Cab, or Police Academy, you’ve seen Nerds. And if you liked the prototypes, you’ll like the latest of the genre, low humor and all — belching, mooning, panty raids, peeping at girls and booger jokes.
October 2, 2015
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Simple-minded romp about a group of freshmen outcasts doesn’t qualify for the dean’s list, but Revenge of the Nerds shows more than enough smarts to deserve passing grades.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The only worthy successor to Animal House.
February 9, 2006
Don Peretta
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Revenge of the Nerds doesn’t do much for movies or nerds.
May 17, 2004
Lawrence Van Gelder
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
The real secret of this movie’s success lies in the charm of its leading men.
March 10, 2003
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The underlying intelligence of director Jeff Kanew glimmers through at times, and is reflected in a couple of nice performances.
October 2, 2015
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor
There is a theory that every Hollywood star has a turkey or two in their closet, so today, step forward Anthony Edwards, star of the hit TV series ER.
October 2, 2015 | Rating: 1/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times
It’s one of the great unfathomable mysteries of Hollywood that this unspeakably awful comedy was successful enough to spawn no less than three (count ’em) sequels.
October 2, 2015
Film4 Staff
Film4
Even as a summer throwaway, this college comedy about nerds, those born-to-be-victimized souls, is pitifully thin.
October 2, 2015
People Staff
People Magazine
It’s clear, too, that the movie’s almost complete dearth of laughs plays a significant role in its downfall…
October 24, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
The kind of movie you saw on video when it was still forbidden fruit and loved it, only to find it much uglier with the rose-colored glasses removed.
July 22, 2014 | Rating: D
Rob Vaux
Mania.com…
Plot
When lovable nerds Gilbert and Lewis embark on their freshman year at Adams College, little do they realize the dangers that await them. They are beset by taunting from the jocks of Alpha Beta fraternity, which only worsens when the jocks accidentally burn down their house and toss the freshmen out of the freshmen dorm. To make matters more problematic, Lewis develops a crush on pretty Betty Childs, popular sorority sister and quarterback’s girlfriend. Joined by the aptly named Booger and the violin-playing Poindexter, the nerds soon realize they must form their own fraternity in self-defense. Soon the tables are turned as the nerds employ high-tech warfare against the jocks…. but can they really succeed and make a difference?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film Revenge of the Nerds on Fresh Kernels.
Jeff-Kanew.jpg
