‘Ah, you college men are all alike…’
Due to the advent of The Big Bang Theory and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not to mention the new Star Wars movies and Gamergate, nerd culture has become a toxic wasteland that exists primarily for incredibly dull and tedious people to attempt to carve out some kind of identity for themselves. Someone self proclaiming as a geek or a nerd in this day and age is tantamount to describing yourself as ‘quirky’ or ‘random’. It’s a meaningless, anodyne endeavour that immediately marks someone out as a bland huckster. But the ’80s nerd… now that was a sight to behold. Revenge of the Nerds stands as the ultimate call to arms to the geek. The nerd. The poindexter. And what a glorious call it is…
Lewis (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert (Anthony Edwards) don’t realise they are nerds until they go off to college and a group of jocks start chanting it at them before they have even unloaded their gear. What follows is a revenge fantasy for the ages featuring some good old fashioned 80s racism, misogyny and cultural stereotypes. What a time to be alive.
I went into this film with pretty low expectations but I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. Carradine and particularly Edwards (who would grow up to be Goose from Top Gun) are perfectly cast, the dialogue is mostly respectful of the nerds (Gilbert’s big speech at the end is genuinely quite moving) and a pair of pre-fame cameos from John Goodman and James Cromwell only adds an extra layer of satisfaction to the whole thing.
Sure, Revenge of the Nerds is culturally iffy, but it was a different time, and it’s mostly harmless. Overall, director Jeff Kanew and his eclectic cast do a great job in turning what is a paper thin concept into something actually strangely beautiful. A cult classic deserving of the name.