Spring Breakdown Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Payback's A Beach!
The storyline revolves around three thirtysomething friends who break the monotony of their uninspired lives by vacationing on an island that's a popular spring break getaway for college co-eds. One of the women works for a powerful senator whose daughter is one of those co-eds, only she's as geeky as her chaperones.
| Rachel Dratch | |
| Amy Poehler | |
| Parker Posey | Becky |
| Will Arnett | Ted |
| Rachel Hamilton | Frieda |
| Harley Adams | Teen Dude |
| Danny Arroyo | Juan Carlos |
| David Winston Barge | Blind school Graduate |
| Mathew Botuchis | Drunk Guy |
| Eddy Brady | Drunk Fraternity Guy |
| John Burke | |
| Magic J. Ellingson | Spring breaker |
| Tony Flores | Chuggers Bouncer |
| Stephen Gillikin | 70's Spring Breaker |
| Ric Govea | Extra |
| Ryan Shiraki |
5.30 out of 10 (516 votes)
Visitor Reviews
It is that funny.................
posted on 31 Aug 2009Please let all the 1 star reviews go in one ear and out the other. Those reviewers were born w/o a "funny bone." This movie is THAT funny. I might be a tad impartial, because I think Amy Poehler is a hottie, too. At least give it a rental. You won't be sorry.
unfunny, unoriginal script tanks a talented cast
posted on 31 Aug 2009Lots of talent in front of the camera. Great cast. I especially admire Parker Posey. She was excellent in CLOCKWATCHERS, one of my favorite films of the 1990s. Also did great work in HOUSE OF YES and DINNER AT FRED'S.
Kudos also to Amy Pohler, Seth Meyers, Missi Pyle, Jane Lynch, and Amber Tamblyn. Nope, the problem with SPRING BREAKDOWN isn't in front of the camera.
(I exempt Rachel Dratch from my kudos; her performance is less inspired. But she has story credit on the script, which explains her presence.)
The script is unfunny and unoriginal. I've seen this story many times before. Nerds grow up, and years later, are given a chance to prove themselves to be cool. ROMY AND MICHELLE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION comes to mind (same story, better film). Also shades of ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS; Parker Posey's nerdy, socially conscious character is similar to Saffie, Edina's nerdy, socially conscious daughter.
In SPRING BREAKDOWN, three nerdy friends from college, now in their 30s, go to spring break, to keep a Senator's nerdy daughter out of trouble.
In the end, we learn "a very important lesson": you should be yourself, and not care what other people think.
JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS (also featuring Posey) was a fresher comedy, in that it satirized old cliches like that.
SPRING BREAKDOWN is a meandering mess that parades tired old stereotypes. The anorexic cool girls, jokes about drinking -- LOTS of jokes in this film are based on contrasting the nerdy girls with drunken, messy people. Missi Pyle lies in a parking lot, drunk out of her mind. Rache Dratch wakes up among drunk guys in bed. Etc. etc.
Yes, old concepts can still be funny, if well handled. But there's no new twist or freshness in this film. You could write the script in your head.
This would have been a funnier film if this talented cast had tossed the script and improvised the comedy. Seriously. Posey's improvisations in Christopher Guest's mockumentaries are funnier than her character in SPRING BREAKDOWN.
Most Sensual Moment - the Cover Art
posted on 31 Aug 2009Spring break movies, there's a formula, nerd wants to lose their virginity, they throw all caution to the wind, go to Spring Break in Florida or Padre Island in Texas (glad the movie told me that), there is all kinds of drinking, nakedness, coupling, drinking, nakedness, coupling, drinking, and the virgin grows up and realizes they didn't mean to do that in the first place. Good formula right?
Well Spring Breakdown - gets very broken down along the way and forgets this critical formula. Yes, there's a bunch of geeks in the movie, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Parker Posey are the lead three nerds. There are three dopelgangers that these three follow to Padre. They all get there, and guess what, the formula jumps the shark - there's no nakedness, no coupling, but there is drinking and Amy Poehler going WOOOOOWOOOOOWWOOOOOO a whole bunch. There's no funny jokes, there's no comedic situations, there's no real conflict, there's no Annette Funicello or Franky Valley dancing; there's no pole dacing; there's no girls gone wild.... It's all boring, way boring. Like you are the only one sober at a party of nothing but drunks.
The first clue this one will be a stinker was in the opening montage. Three thirty year old women stand on stage playing True Colors, the Cyndi Lauper song. They get finished and bow; reverse cut to the crowd; and this is supposed to be a high school talent show. Hey, why did the teachers perform? Oh no, these three were supposed to be high school students. I'm a bad judge of age, but dang, these three must have flunked about 15 maybe 20 years in a row to still be there. Ouch, it was awful. None of them can sing. And they all looked horrifically bad.
So there's no jiggle. There's no sensual moments. What are we left with? A really bad shell of a film that isn't funny at all. No tension, no conflict, no caring for the characters (hey come on, when Parker Posey's cat died and she called it Honey - it was like pitiful Monica near the end of Friends...ouch horrible, and who cared), no titilation.... just a boring grind. The geeks beat the popular kids, yipeeee!
The DVD has deleted scenes, a gag reel, commentary by the director and Rachel Dratch (Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live), and trailers. Oh it's a bad set of bonus features. The only funny, maybe should be included was an extended scene with Rachel and Seth Meyer at the marriage counselor where it becomes clear he is gay. That scene was kind of funny.
No just avoid this one. The only thing really worth looking at, the cover art. It's rated R for some reason, certainly not nudity.
REVENGE OF THE NERDS 4?
posted on 31 Aug 2009Look, I don't intend to sugarcoat the fact that this movie isn't anything groundbreaking or unforgettable or anywhere near being a GREAT comedy, but for a straight-to-video, never-heard-of-it type movie, I was throughly entertained. The charm of its stars, takes you for a 90 minute trip that you just can't seem to stop watching.
This movie isn't trying to win awards, their just trying to have fun and the fun the actors had while filming, is contagious.
Amber Tamblyn's turn as Ashley, the daughter of Senator 'Kay Bee' Hartmann would be Vice President, is adorable and endearing. This is one of the things that movie creators forget more often than most these days. Most movies fail to make the audience relate and CARE about their characters. The makers of SPRING BREAKDOWN didn't make that mistake here.
So when friends and lifelong nerds Gayle (Amy Poehler), Becky (Parker Posey) & Judi (Rachel Dratch) are sent to South Padre to keep a close eye on the Senator's daughter and keep her from making any election effecting mistakes, they get to relive the life they skipped over in their own college days.
Judi's (Dratch) late night mistake as she crawls into the wrong room and bed and wakes up with a gorgeous hunk, mistakenly thinking she did more than she really did, becomes a big movie long joke that I found quietly hilarious and surprisingly touching.
Also Missi Pyle has a supporting role as Padre bar hopper and resident Charlene. She's hilarious! What?! So drunk she hits on a tree. What?!
On a rainy day, SPRING BREAKDOWN is well worth the time for some escapism to help you forget all the BS going on in the world. Laugh a little.
Refreshing
posted on 31 Aug 2009Spring Breakdown was fresh and stands out among all the other goofy summer movies being produced. Sure the message isn't new, but it is great to finally see a funny movie where the women are actually relatable, 'flawed', realistic, funny, and the central characters. If you are looking for a movie just to relax and enjoy, this is it. It had me laughing more then any Apatow movie, and I'm giving it a five because it is a great movie for its genre. I highly recommend it for women, but I'm sure men would enjoy it as well.
Give it a break
posted on 31 Aug 2009This delightful little comedy probably only deserves three stars, but the mean-spirited (and completely unjustified and wholly unsubstantiated) one-star review needs some evening out.
The film didn't get a theatrical release and that's not a surprise, because it's pretty minor, but it also has a good heart, a fine message, and an appealing cast (with many of the finest comedy talents in the business, some in virtual cameos). And the salsa wrestling looks great in blu-ray. Probably what works against it most is the lack of truly big laughs -- sometimes you think the cast is having more fun playing at spring break than you are watching -- but it's consistently amusing and the character-driven story is worthwhile. Parker Posey (in a role one supposes was intended for Rachel Dratch's pal Tina Fey) is particularly good...and Amy Poehler looks as fine as she is funny in a bikini. Give it a break...and a look.
"Payback's A Beach!" - [ Getting caught up in Spring Break ]
posted on 31 Aug 2009
Ever feel like the underdog who keeps getting the short end of the stick and is just waiting for your time in the sun to come?! Well these three best friends, Gayle(Amy Poehler), Becky(Parker Posey) and Judi(Rachel Dratch) know exactly how that feels.
From college til present these girls have never caught a break, and definitely never tried to change who they are for anyone else.. this is until Becky is asked by her boss, the future vice president(Jane Lynch) to attend spring break and watch over her daughter, Ashley(Amber Tamblyn), who she believes to be a crazy, party girl.
Of course, they are all surprised to find Ashley with her friends, being very much the opposite of a party girl, who shares an odd likeness to themselves. Her very purpose of attending spring break not even to have fun, but to win back her boyfriend who recently dumped her for Mason(Sophie Monk) the 'queen' of the most popular girls at spring break, The Seven.
This movie is silly, a little unrealistic, and really funny.... sometimes. I found myself either laughing-out-loud and holding my stomach or annoyed. But overall this film is light, and packs a good message...if you can get yourself to sit through the 'all-girl talent show' and Rachel Dratch's 'fling' with super hunky Justin Hartley.... you'll see it's all about not getting caught up in the trivial things in life, making good friends, and never letting anyone make you feel inferior for who you really are.. even if you're just the 'average girl'.
UGLY AND UNFUNNY -- MINUS FIVE STARS
posted on 31 Aug 2009Everyone connected with this movie, behind and in front of the camera, above and below the line, should apologize to anyone who bought, rented or saw this alleged film (even if it was a free screening).
Furthermore, all those who participated in the creation of this unfortunate, unfunny, and ugly enterprise should be put on probation and not allowed within 500 feet of a movie studio or any kind of camera equipment for at least five years if not life.
Think I'm kidding? Well, don't -- I am not.
It staggers the imagination to conceive under what circumstances a collection of adults could have possibly considered this a viable project in which to invest time and money.
The box art is the high point of any entertainment value. But it's all downhill when you open the box and insert the disc and push Play.
Funny enough
posted on 27 Jul 2009Spring Breakdown stars Amy Poehler, Parker Posey and Rachel Dratch as three thirty-something women who essentially have no life. They were college losers who are going to go on a college spring break vacation.A lot of movies have these types of characters but they are usually currently in high school or college, this time they are 15 years out of college, and I liked that.The movie is riddled with clichés , you will know what is going to happen next, but I still found myself laughing along with it. Amber Tamblyn was great as the current college "loser", and Amy, Parker and Rachel were great too as they each behaved differently to the spring break life.The movie is short and spends just the amount of time necessary to give us the background information needed on each of the characters. The movie does not take itself seriously so it works very well for a quick, funny comedy.
Funny funny funny funny
posted on 21 Jul 2009I don't think this movie is for everyone. But I saw it this weekend in Seattle and I thought it was so funny. I haven't laughed that hard during a movie in long time. I thought the entire cast did a great job. You will find yourself laughing from the first moment through the very last scene. I suspect some moviegoers (especially the ones who take themselves WAY too seriously) will be turned off by this brand of humor. Not me. The movie was a real surprise. And the entire theater was rolling with laughter throughout the showing I went to which makes me think that a lot of people enjoyed themselves and were happy to have a good time at the movies for a change. I cannot wait to see it again! If you're in the mood to LOL then this is for you. Funny funny funny funny!
Pretty fun, great cast
posted on 26 Apr 2009Let's set one thing straight: this movie does not seek to redefine the genre, it's not Dr. Strangelove o Young Frankenstein. It's a silly flick, with three great female leads (can't remember any other comedy with similar characteristics), Rachel Dracht and Amy Poehler from SNL and indie queen Parker Posey, charming as ever. The story is basic: the three gals were "losers" in college, and are still after wards it. Poehler is a dog trainer (who can't even get a date with a blind guy), Posey is an assistant for a senator (who "hasn't been touched by a man since Clinton was in office"... i catched that one several minutes later... i'm a little slow, OK!), and Dracht has a gay fiancée (Seth Meyers from SNL, funny). They have to prevent the "uncool" daughter of the senator (the always cute Amber Tamblyn from the TV series "Joan of Arcadia") to embarrass her during spring break. So of course they have to go to watch over her, and some hilarity ensues. All in all, a light, simple comedy, quite short, and quite enjoyable
Awful and Unfunny movie
posted on 20 Apr 2009How can a movie with Amy, Posey and Raechel have NOTHING funny in it? Believe it or not 'House Bunny' did this better and funnier. Hopefully the principals had a good holiday and got some money - this movie is an embarrassment to all of them. It is a cliché from beginning to end. Clichés can work well with a script, or at least an idea. This movie does nothing but use cliché after cliché rather than ideas or script. It uses the preexisting persona's of the actresses rather than develop characters. Bad, sad, and rubbish. Now I apparently have to have ten lines of text for a comment. Really? Why? As an IT ops manager this is another example of sloppy coding.
Surprisingly Hilarious
posted on 05 Feb 2009Reading some of the comments on the message boards here I was expecting this movie to be a complete letdown - but when I watched it I could not stop laughing! It has officially become my new favourite movie.I don't know what all the hate here is about, maybe it's because a movie of this kind has never really been around before. I am at a loss to name another completely female driven comedy. Plenty of comedies will have one or two actresses in the lead, but there will be a lot of supporting male characters. This one was almost ALL women - with the exception of Seth Meyers, Justin Hartley and the brief appearance of Will Arnett - and it worked. All of the actresses delivered very funny performances (especially Missi Pyle) from a quirky and lovable script.The charm of this film, to me, seems to be in its subtle feminist message: accepting who you are, female success in the public sphere, the strength of female friendships and breaking gender roles. Light-hearted though it is, each of the lead characters face a challenge as their attempts to be more 'fun' conflict with their feminist values and who they knew themselves to be.Missi Pyle proposed that this film missed a theatrical release because of its all-female cast and lack of a big-name actor to get the studios behind it, and I have to agree. Everyone I've recommended this film to has loved it and I think it's a shame that a comedy celebrating female dorkiness hasn't been widely accepted and successful.I highly recommend this film to anyone with an open mind or a love of female-centred comedy.
A mediocre comedy which wastes a good cast
posted on 28 Jan 2009I was interested in watching Spring Breakdown because the cast included various solid comedians.But before watching it,I remembered that,between all the genres of straight-to-DVD movies,the comedy uses to be the worst one for the simple fact that if they were good enough,they would be released on cinemas.Although I am against the practices of the big Hollywood studios,the truth is that they know how to win money,and they would not bury a good comedy in the digital cemetery of the straight-to-DVD movies.And Spring Breakdown belongs to that barren ground,for the simple fact that it is a very mediocre comedy.First of all,the movie has a weak premise because it thinks it would be funny to see adult women acting as teenagers.And besides,the movie wasted a good cast of comedians,although the few laughs this movie generates come from the sagacious humorous instinct from Amy Poehler,Rachel Dratch,Jane Lynch,Parker Posey and the underrated Missi Pyle.Hiring solid comedians in order to rescuing a mediocre screenplay has been a very common mistake on high caliber projects (like Robin Williams in the atrocious R.V. or Ben Stiller in Meet the Fockers),but I see that even modest films like this one can fall on that.Spring Breakdown is a mediocre comedy which bored me pretty much,so I do not recommend it at all,because that's the capital sin of cinema.
Awesome! If you never got to go to Spring Break
posted on 31 Aug 2009Awesome! I don't remember this movie coming out in theatres so it must not have done well. I thought it was funny through out especially if you never got to go on Spring Break and would go if you had the opporunity to party with the college kids.