Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nerds triumph in '80s comedy; some sex, profanity, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Revenge of the Nerds 2: Nerds in Paradise
What's the Story?
The Tri-Lambdas, a college fraternity of super brains who mostly struggle with ordinary human social interaction, are heading to a South Florida beach fraternity meeting. They're bent on being accepted by the more conventional -- that is, dumber-- frat boys who tried so hard to eradicate them in the previous nerd movie. The Alphas put up roadblocks to the Lambdas' goal based on their narrow-minded prejudices against geeks. They cancel the nerds' hotel reservation. They create constitutional propositions designed to terminate the membership of the nerds' fraternity. They kidnap the nerds and drop them on a desert island. They conspire to have them arrested on false charges. As one might expect, the nerds manage to prevail.
Is It Any Good?
The basis of REVENGE OF THE NERDS 2: NERDS IN PARADISE is the juxtaposition of social cluelessness and super intelligence, and that premise is often amusing although not laugh-out-loud funny. The predictability of that cluelessness becomes repetitive after a while, and that fact, coupled with a dependence on the audience's willingness to buy into stereotypes, can make this movie seem overlong and familiar. Flatulence and burping jokes help communicate that the nerds lack social graces, but coarseness is not necessarily an accompaniment to high intelligence. Even the most socially connected and admired frat boys are often depicted as vulgar and coarse in the media, so this movie seems a bit confused regarding stereotypes. Still, it's fun to hear lead characters speak of "parietal lobes," "infinite space," and "reverse polarity" in a comedy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the nerds here are depicted as socially awkward because all super-intelligent people have difficulties relating to others or because this combination of traits makes for a funny movie. This movie was made in the '80s; how are "nerds" portrayed now?
How do you think the movie wants us to view the nerds: as admirable or as misfits?
For the most part the nerds use their considerable intelligence to solve problems. Do you think some people are intimidated by people with high intelligence? Give some examples.
To overcome the last obstacle, one nerd resorts to violence. His act is greeted with cheers and the kisses of his favorite young woman. Do you think this contradicts what seems to be the movie's greater point: that being different is OK and it's not necessary to behave the way others behave to be accepted?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 22, 1987
- On DVD or streaming : March 6, 2007
- Cast : Robert Carradine , Curtis Armstrong , Timothy Busfield , Larry B. Scott , Courtney Thorne-Smith
- Director : Joe Roth
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : for sexual humor, some language, and drug content.
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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