Having grown up in the ’80s, I experienced all the great things the era had to offer, including video stores. I’d go through phases of only renting horror or action movies, but when I was with friends, I’d go for the comedies my mom wouldn’t let me watch. We’d watch everything from Porky’s (1981) to Revenge of the Nerds (1984). Those films were pretty mainstream, and teen sex comedies would follow similar formulas while providing an array of naked bodies.
The tides have changed, and these types of films just don’t get made very often. When they do, they’re horribly watered-down and fail to capture what it was that made them so special. There’s a different level of sensitivity with modern audiences, and humor like this goes too far. While we won’t have new movies like this, there are many that have been forgotten to enjoy. A lesser-known title with a massive cult following is Joysticks (1983), which the MVD Rewind Collection is bringing back into print this month. The shenanigans take place in and around an ’80s arcade and feature Midway Games, including the mega-hit Pac-Man.
Eugene (Leif Green) shows up to work at The Video Arcade after being tricked out of his pants. Jeff (Scott McGinnis) and Dorfus (Jim Greenleaf) help him get revenge on the two girls who did it. Before they get their revenge, King Vidiot (Jon Gries) and his crew invade the arcade and wreak havoc.
Joseph Rutter (Joe Don Baker) shows up in the midst of the anarchy, looking for his daughter, Patsy (Corinne Bohrer). Rutter is an influential businessman, and after seeing the craziness happen, he vows to shut the arcade down for good. It won’t be easy, but maybe this crew can come up with a plan to save their arcade.
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The story is rather insignificant when the main priority of the movie is to show off breasts–lots and lots of breasts. That’s certainly par for the course in a film like this. Modern audiences may just scoff at it, but if you’re nostalgic for this type of extra low-brow humor, then you’ll have an absolute blast. Video game fans will certainly get a kick out of seeing all the classic games used in the film.
The disc is pretty well stuffed with extras, like a fan commentary featuring MVD Rewind Collection’s Eric D. Wilkinson, Cereal at Midnight host Heath Holland, and Diabolik DVD’s Jesse Nelson, commentary with director Greydon Clark, interview with Clark and Coin Slots, the original trailer, and a faux trailer written and directed by Newt Wallen. The package also comes with a limited slipcover, a two-sided mini-poster, and reversible artwork. This is the same 2K restoration used for the 2015 release, and it looks fine.
Joysticks delivers low-brow humor in spades. MVD Rewind has thankfully given it a new life, and you can own it at a reasonable price since the previous version was selling on eBay for astronomical prices. Get your game on and grab a hold of the Joysticks.
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