Malibu Beach (1978) User Reviews

Mellow 70's Fun

[jfgibson73 · 5/10 · 27 August 2009]

Here is a teen comedy from the seventies where the kids just want to hang out at the beach with their friends and have fun. And that's basically the story. Very one-dimensional, yet somehow manages to perfectly capture the joy of being young and having fun.

One of the things that made me like this movie a little better than the average teen comedy is that the characters are a little more realistic. The dialog is restrained enough and the situations are mostly believable, rather than outrageous (although it has its moments).

The story basically follows two couples as they get to know each other and make plans to hang out every single day. Apparently, the only one who has a job is Dina, the lifeguard, but she admits she is there to work on her tan. It is non-stop pleasure for everyone, even the minor characters, who seem to be wandering in each scene looking for something fun to do.

This movie shares a character with "The Van," another 70's summer comedy. Dugan hicks basically goes around causing trouble until someone responds, then informs them that "No One does that to Dugan!" But even the airhead bully is given a human side, as we see Dugan interact almost tenderly with Dina. She seems to understand him better than most, and his affection for her is the basis of several scenes of conflict between Dugan and Bobby, the blonde-haired boyfriend who had been monopolized Dina's time.

"The Van" and "Malibu Beach" were both released by Crown International Pictures. Near as I can tell, they are still developing movies for release. The last thing I can find from them is something called "Malibu Spring Break." Sounds like they still know how to have fun.

It's Great to Be Young

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 18 December 2015]

With school officially over, "Dina" (Kim Lankford) gets a new job as a lifeguard at the local beach. Later that night she and "Sally" (Susan Player) are driving around and they just happen to get a flat tire. As they are fixing it two young men by the names of ""Bobby" (James Daughton) and "Paul" (Michael Luther) come along and offer to help out. Soon, as they become better acquainted, they begin to hang out and have a lot of fun. So much for the rather basic plot. To make things worse, there really isn't much comedy to be found and the music essentially consisted of about 3 or 4 songs played over and over again. Yet even considering all of that, this movie wasn't a complete waste due in large part to the beautiful scenery and the feelings of nostalgia this film managed to create. Likewise, both Kim Lankford and Susan Player weren't bad to look at either. Hey, it's great to be young and like most "Beach movies" this film celebrates it. But even so there are better beach movies out there. Still, for what it's worth, I suppose it will suffice on a cold, rainy night if absolutely necessary. As a result I rate it as only slightly below average.

Vapid fare

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 14 October 2015]

Another vapid beach movie from Crown International Pictures, who certainly worked hard in churning out plenty of low budget drive-in style movies in the '70s and '80s. I've yet to see a Crown picture that didn't have some gratuitous nudity in it, and sure enough, this being a beach party film after all, there's the requisite bikini-stealing-dog scenes in it.

Otherwise, this is an unmemorable waste of time, without many sub-plots or indeed much in the way of plotting at all to recommend it. A group of teenagers hang around at the beach, fall in love, and smoke pot. They also have sex - lots of sex. A couple of cops show up, one of them turns out to smoke pot as well, while the other complains about the state of the world. An overage muscle guy tries to hit it off with the women but gets into a couple of fights instead. The production values and quality of the acting are as poor as you'd expect, leaving this an entirely pointless little movie.

Enjoyable time capsule of bygone era

[lazarillo · 1 April 2011]

This is one of the few 70's drive-in movies I actually remember seeing in a 70's drive-in--well, sort of. My older female cousin had actually taken us to another drive-in movie, but she was occupied with her boyfriend, so my younger cousin,my brother, and I got out of the car to wander around and we saw bits of this movie showing on another screen--namely the recurring scene with the dog stealing girls' bikini tops. It's pretty tame and goofy in retrospect, but it sure is pretty memorable when you are ten years old.

Seeing the entire movie years later, I can't help but have some misbegotten affection for it. It is one of those free-spirited, anarchic late 70's teen films with no real plot to speak of except for a bunch of California teens cruising around, partying, and having sex (ironically, pretty much what the young drive-in audience at the time was probably also doing). The lead Kim Lankford, who plays a female lifeguard having her first sexual experiences, never really appeared in anything after this, but she was an appealing beauty and quite memorable here. Co-star Tara Stroheim was involved in a lot of Roger Corman-type 70's drive-in fare like "Hollywood Boulevard" with Candice Rialson. The actress with the most interesting career, however, is no doubt Susan Player who was in "The Pom-Pom Girls" (a somewhat more famous drive-in movie a lot like this), but she also appeared in Italian sex comedies like "Cugini Carnal" ("Carnal Cousins")and the British-Italian exploitation film "The Adolescents" with Koo Stark.

You don't need to know any of that to enjoy THIS movie though. It's no cinematic masterpiece by a long shot, and it's fairly tame as far as sexploitation flicks go, but is an enjoyable time capsule of a bygone era.

Hi dudes!!

[anxietyresister · 1/10 · 25 November 2005]

Ingredients needed for a good coming of age teen beach sex comedy:

1 A couple of hunks with blonde hair, blue eyes, lots of pecs and no discernible personality as main characters.. CHECK

2 A nerd with a bowl haircut and thick glasses who gets on everybody's nerves because INTELLIGENT PEOPLE ARE NEVER ANY FUN.. CHECK

3 Two sexy young girls on vacation who start off hating our heroes but gradually, through the course of the film.. CHECK

4 At least one prudish middle-age adult who start off disapproving of the teenage hormones that surround him but gradually, throughout the course of the film.. CHECK

5. A female lifeguard in a swimsuit who is a total bombshell.. I wonder who'll be the first to pretend to be drowning so they can.. you know.. tee hee.. CHECK

6. A pair of dopey cops who try to stop the party for reasons unknown, but always end up losing.. usually tied up, with their trousers down and a pair of humiliating boxer shorts exposed.. CHECK

7. A campfire scene where everybody confesses their deepest darkest secrets and past mistakes cos, you know, even silly little films like this can have a SOUL too.. CHECK

8. Who can forget the classic skinny-dipping bit? Better make it at night though, and at a distance.. that way the young starlets won't get too embarrassed.. CHECK

9. The mandatory final love scene, which involves lots of kissing, drippy background music.. but not much in the way of movement. Oh well, as long as she's got a nice rack.. CHECK

10. Put a nice montage of all the lead characters playing on the beach over the end credits, just to show that even though summer may be finished, THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP ARE ETERNAL!! Bless.. CHECK

Oh yeah.. I almost forgot about the dog who is trained to steal bikini tops. That's a laugh, seeing this puppy with a bra in its mouth being pursued by a Playmate while she flops all over the place. Comedy gold! Benny Hill, eat your heart out! Oh, I can't go without mentioning.. wait, is anybody there.. HELLO? HELLO? I haven't finished yet!! 0/10

More Surf is Up

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 24 May 2019]

Some of the oldest looking graduates leave Malibu High for the promise of good times on Malibu Beach. Honestly it looked like every blond blue eyed boy in Southern California was tapped to be an extra.

No real plot, a lot of interconnected stories. The main storyline consists of Kim Lankford a new lifeguard and the rivalry for her between surfer James Daughton and bodybuilder Steven Oliver.

Malibu Beach is like an extended version of Bay Watch. Some forgettable Beach Boy type songs. Usual silliness.

But a lot of the blond and beautiful.

Maliboo

[saint_brett · 1/10 · 8 December 2023]

School's out, and cheerleaders are spelling out their freedom. This particular mob looks one generation after The Beach Boys just ended.

I'm not in the mood for goofy comedy. The days of 'Porkies' and 'Smokie and the Bandit' are long gone.

David Hasselhoff steps out of the ocean and onto the wrong movie set.

I don't want to watch this! I want something with a more sinister edge. Something gritty.

So, a sand dog is well trained to steal sunbather bikini tops, but two times in 5 minutes with the same scene? Make that three times in six minutes. (By the movie's end, it plays out after the tenth time.) Is the whole movie going to be centered around Malibu Beach with budding comedians who aren't even funny?

No, I'm not in the mood for this tonight! It was a mistake to opt for 'Malibu Beach.'

That girly boy's not even riding that motorcycle. He needs to use a stunt double for that scene.

This crap sucks. I'm not one for using juvenile statements like that, but if the karate kid can use it, then I can too! This movie sucks, man.

It's just a movie for jocks and pretty people. And here lies the problem with this movie: There's not one likeable character among them. All these preppy mutts are the type who'd be second-tier to Johnny Lawrence's clique in high school.

Is there even a storyline to this movie?

Let's see a show of hands. Who wants to watch a movie about a bunch of exclusive rich kids from Malibu having a good time, smoking crazy tobacco, drinking beer, and trying to score with their own kind? Then this crap is for you, and it's so outdated that it doesn't belong in 2023.

I find this highly offensive.

I'd rather be down in the trenches on the sixth street bridge when it used to look like the sixth street bridge and not the new earthquake-proof concrete monster it is today. Wasn't the old bridge heritage listed? Well, Los Angeles today has lost some of its landscape charm without the old bridge, which had personality.

This time waster, 'Malibu Beach' is so lame that none of the characters even have names.

Oh, look, the old-school Cracker Jack box! I only wrote about that the other day. The stoner cop, without a name, is chowing down Cracker Jack after his weed trip called to the munchies.

Huey Lewis on steroids shows up on the beach in an attempt to boost the movie's lack of direction and tries to bring some macho flare, but I'd rather watch frozen fish sticks defrost and turn floppy than show any respect to this crap.

Okay, let's see a show of hands again. Who has four fingers and two thumbs?

Wow, let's appeal to the stoner crowd and just put a poster of Led Zeppelin on this chick's wall. Where'd she get that from, Teen Magazine?

I was actually in the mood to watch something with Don the Dragon Wilson tonight, not this.

I bet the director and everyone else involved with production were all from this region.

A shark attack. That's what this movie needs - a shark attack to liven things up. Anything other than what's on display, as it's not following a script.

If this crap was filmed today, 98% of these clean skins would be covered in tattoos.

Am I supposed to be laughing at anything that happens in this movie? I would if the writer hadn't vacated his position and whoever replaced him forgot to include elements of comedy.

Even the stoner cop nails this movie at the 51:29 minute mark with the line, "This is depressing." You said it, guy.

And what's this at the 52:44 minute mark, 'American Graffiti?" Is that Han Solo complimenting the mellow yellow of that ladie's jacket?

Speaking of Don the Dragon Wilson, does anyone remember that movie of his where he played a repo man and encountered Goldie Locks, who was like a bull and saw red whenever he saw Kelly LeBrock sporting that dress? I'd rather watch that than this.

Look at these childish twits driving around in bumper cars being five-year-olds. This movie is absolutely pointless.

Where'd the bullying storyline with Huey Lewis on steroids go?

What's this movie actually trying to be? They've gone ahead and made a movie without writing it first. They're just ad libbing their direction to see if anything works.

A meteorite hitting the beach and all these mutanoid slime beasts invading Malibu right now is what this crap requires.

There's no saving this garbage. I haven't laughed once, and that's even with the dog exposing naked women.

Around the one-hour, 11-minute mark, another actor said, "I don't care!" And neither do I.

I don't think I can finish this.

This movie is so bland that my mind just wandered back to the time I owned fish, and this one particular one used to always have a two-inch strand of excrement hanging off its belly.

'Malibu Beach' even looks stupid in fast forward.

Apparently the movie ends like 'Grease' only in a swimming race, which is filmed plain dumb when sped up.

I can't believe I own this DVD.

Who farted? You've stunk out my room! Oh, it's this frigging movie emitting obnoxious foul odors!

Again, this movie sucks, man, it sucks!

YUCK in capitals.

The Movie Itself is....

[WarrenPiecz · 3/10 · 26 June 2022]

I was born in 1962.

I love 70's girls.

I miss 70's girls.

70's girls are incomparable and can never be duplicated.

The end.

Is that 10 lines yet?

Babes, beach bums, and a bikini-stealing dog.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 20 January 2013]

Malibu Beach doesn't have much in the way of a plot, but it doesn't really need one:it's more than happy to wander aimlessly from scene to scene with a 'why worry?' attitude that is perfectly suited to its carefree teenage characters, all of whom are far too busy living for the now to think about the bigger picture.

There's sexy young lifeguard Dina (the gorgeous Kim Lankford), handsome high-schooler Bobby (James Daughton), promiscuous babe Glorianna (Tara Strohmeier), desperate nerd Claude (Roger Lawrence Pierce), Margie the hot-dog stand girl (Sherry Lee Marks), and the older (but none the wiser) bodybuilder beach-bully Dugan (Steve Oliver) to name but a few. As the viewer, we get to tag along with these regulars of the beach scene as they party in the sun and frolic in the hot summer nights.

While it's far from ground-breaking stuff—a series of frivolous vignettes in which our on-screen pals party, swim, dance, race, fight, and hook up with each other—it's a lot of fun while it lasts, a reminder of a time of life when all that mattered was having a laugh with your friends (whilst trying to attract the attention of the opposite sex).

One of my favorite 70's flicks

[varga2122 · 10/10 · 26 March 2007]

This film is one of my favorite of all time. Why? Because there's obviously something wrong with me. Who in their right mind would find brilliance in a film so thoroughly built for the quick Drive-in buck. Who would tolerate marginal acting and a non-existent storyline, a soundtrack the consists of three songs played over and over and over again, and a freeze- frame ending where everyone is laughing at a bad joke?

Who, you ask? Anyone who can see past the mechanics of this film, the strained convention and the low-budget. Crown International was the perpetrator of this relaxing slice of 1970's nostalgia and they know how to make these type of films like no one else.

There's something magical that exists between the lines of this film and how it captures the lazy days and fun nights of being a teenager and spending your days on and near the beach. It reminded me of those times back in the late 70's/early 80's. Moreover, the two lead girls have definitely got something going. And, as far as the three songs are concerned, with the exception of the synth track that seems to be the only thing that plays at the bar they all go to, the other two tracks ("I go to pieces" originally by Peter and Gordon, and "You're Gonna find love" by who the heck knows) add to the charming time machine quality of this film.

During my summers, when I was too young to see R-rated films like these, I recall that Crown used to group their latest and their last as double features. This film originally was grouped with "The Van" and later with "Van Nuys Blvd." Both MB and Van had "Dugan", whom, I guess, wasn't a popular enough character to make a franchise out of (due to the unfortunate comic stylings of Steve Oliver). Van Nuys Blvd., it seems, couldn't procure him so they created the much beloved character "Chooch" instead. A sad day for all, indeed.

I put this on sometimes when I have friends over. The typical response they have is amazement at the sheer randomness and stupidity of the movie -- but after a few minutes, no one can stop watching it. When I ask why, they usually say, "I just want to see what happens next." Sign of a masterpiece if you ask me.

Malibu Beach

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 12 September 2009]

I'm pretty sure that the Drive-in Classics releases are welcome to the generation who lived during this period in time. Malibu Beach really doesn't have a whole lot of plot, mainly good looking kids falling in love and having fun during the summer break on the beautiful beach of California. I think this kind of fare will definitely have it's place with a certain crowd, while others will ponder what we see in such movies as Malibu Beach. I have a feeling many will wonder to themselves, "And the point is exactly?...." But, that's exactly what I found enjoyable, the whole free nature of the film where we just follow the good times of the attractive cast.

The adorable Kim Lankford is Dina, working as a lifeguard on Malibu Beach, finding sparks with handsome blonde hunk Bobby(James Daughton). Dina's care-free school pal, Sally(Susan Player)finds love with Bobby's chum, Paul(Michael Luther). Dugan Hicks(Steve Oliver), a confident beach bum who hasn't accepted that he's not 18 anymore, has designs on Dina, seemingly unable to grasp the idea that she has feelings for Bobby.

That's about all the real plot you'll find, as the film just shows these characters living it up, swimming on nights when they aren't making out near the open fire, riding bumper cars illegally, disco dancing at the local club, partying, and enjoying days on the beach. The film captures that moment in time when kids weren't concerned with the pressures of life, embarking on their own little escapades and adventures.

Plenty of topless honeys(..a running gag has this dog removing the bikini tops from girls laying out on blankets getting a tan)and dope smoking(..including a scenario concerning a rookie police cop who enjoys a toke with this pretty girl whose brother he went to school with), among other activities. I enjoyed the bit with the nerd driving a souped up car, hoping to somehow be accepted as cool and the school teacher who eventually lets her hair down, showing a possible attraction to Dugan. Dugan's quite a shark(..meaning he'd be considered a creep in today's terminology, a predator seeking pretty teenage girls)when it comes to scouring the beach for fresh meat.

The film establishes the rivalry between Bobby and Dugan, with them often testing each others egos in a variety of ways including a rather showstopping car race and swimming match-up with a fake(..and real)shark getting involved.

Ahhh.. Tara Strokmeier. My heart would flutter and loins shutter when she appeared(..ever ohh sooo briefly)on screen, particularly looking swell in a party dress towards the end of the movie, displaying her fetching frame. She is Glorianna, a chick Bobby was connected to briefly at the start, until his blossoming romance with Dina. She's certainly an eyeful and, she hadn't been in the film two minutes before her breasts were exposed. I'm not sure why such lovely creatures only appeared in a handful of movies and suddenly disappeared.

It could only have been made in the '70s

[Wizard-8 · 30 December 2011]

"Malibu Beach" is one of several beach-themed movies Crown International released in the late '70s/early '80s. Until its recent resurrection in several DVD box sets of Crown International movies it was pretty much forgotten, and it doesn't take too long when watching it to guess why. To be fair, the movie, while low budget, never looks really cheap. (Except maybe for the scene with the shark's head, which looks worse than the shark built for the Italian JAWS rip-off GREAT WHITE.) The movie also has an attractive and likable cast. But the movie quickly becomes boring because there is essentially no plot here - it's just a bunch of vignettes loosely connected with each other. And the various attempts at humor throughout are extremely predictable with their execution and punchlines. Still, I will admit that the movie could have been much worse to sit through.

A fairly competent Beach Yarn

[rlcsljo · 7/10 · 17 March 2000]

This movie has just about everything you would expect from a beach movie: Bullies, nerds, lifeguards, sharks, obnoxious brats, police, drugs, "chicken" races, horny teachers, sluts, topless beach babes, and surprisingly a bikini top stealing dog!(this gag was repeated in the classic "Hardbodies").Hey, with so much thrown into one can, you have to like something! And I like it a lot.This movie, I believe accidently, came off as a genuine "slice of life" movie that could have been better if it had stuck to the characterizations and not tried to be something for everyone.It was a nice try though!

An enjoyably lightweight piece of 70's drive-in fluff

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 23 October 2008]

Shy, but sweet and enticing Dina (winningly played with infectiously perky charm by the lovely Kim Lankford) starts her new job as a lifeguard at Malibu beach and immediately turns a lot of guys' heads. Cool dude Bobby (likable James Daughton) and his funky buddy Paul (the equally engaging Michael Luther) befriend Dina and her spunky gal pal Sally (the luscious Susan Player-Jarreau). Moreover, Bobby gets involved in a bitter rivalry with sneering brawny greaser Dugan Hicks (essayed with mucho macho muscle by beefy biker flick regular Stephen Oliver). Director Robert J. Rosenthal, who also co-wrote the slight script with Celia Susan Cotelo, lets the loose and rambling narrative amble along at a leisurely pace, but does a solid job of capturing a certain amiably breezy'n'easy mellow tone. In addition, Rosenthal crams this baby with a generous smattering of tasty gratuitous female nudity, plus there's skinny-dipping, pot smoking, groovy disco dancing, hot babes in skimpy bikinis, and a bouncy soundtrack made up of roughly three catchy tunes. Better still, we even have an adorable dog with a pleasing penchant for stealing girls' bikini tops. Popping up in neat supporting roles are the ever-yummy Tara Strohmeier as the foxy Glorianna, Flora Plumb as attractive teacher Mrs. Pickett, Roger Lawrence Pierce as the hopelessly geeky Claude, Rory Stevens as gawky hot dog stand vendor Charlie, Bruce Kimball as laid-back cop Lyle, and Bill Adler as an obnoxious vanner. Jamie Anderson's bright cinematography gives this picture a sparkling polished look. Michael Lloyd's gnarly-grinding score hits the soulful spot. All in all, this admittedly inane and immaterial nonsense makes for a pleasantly silly diversion.

THE DOG!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 27 September 2023]

Malibu Beach is not Malibu Bikini Shop, Malibu Hot Summer, Malibu Summer and it most certainly is not Malibu High, one of the most deceptively mean-spirited movies of all time.

That dog with a bikini in his mouth on the poster? He's in this movie. He's the pet of Dugan Hicks (Steve Oliver, who worked as a "cab driver, roughneck, bounty hunter, and fitness instructor to the stars"), the kind of sort of bad guy of this movie. Yes, the same Dugan Hicks from The Van. I just freaked out - do we have a Crown International cinematic universe?

Well, our lead character and lifeguard Dina (Kim Lankford, Street Corner Justice, The Octagon) lives in the same house that Laurie did in The Pom Pom Girls. I do believe that this shared reality exists.

Crown International movies are great because they say, "We have girls, a beach, some hunky guys, some music...what are we missing? A plot? What if they just all hang out for 90 minutes and occasionally have sex instead?"

This is the kind of movie that has a shark attack - it was a beach and 1978, you know? - and no one gets killed. It barely gets in the way of the breasts and beer and disco and weed. It also has Susan Player (Invasion of the Bee Girls, The Pom Pom Girls) and Tara Strohmeier (The Student Nurses, Truck Turner, Candy Stripe Nurses) in its cast and that's a good thing.

Director Robert J. Rosenthal also wrote - you guessed it - The Pom Pom Girls and The Van and only directed one other movie, Zapped! He was joined on the writing of this movie by Celia Susan Cotelo, his co-writer on those two aforementioned Crown International movies.

As I prepare these articles, I often read through what other people think. I just read review that referred to this movie as a waste of time and how sad for people who don't just want to watch a mindless hour and a half of dogs stealing bikini tops while young love blooms on the beach with no responsibility or worries of tomorrow.

Kim Lankford Makes This Movie Good

[garyldibert · 10/10 · 20 August 2008]

The movie open over seas in Sweden before it made its way to the United State on June 1st 1978 starring a very young but beautiful Kim Lankford as Dina, James Daughton as Bobby, Susan Player as Sally, Michael Luther as Paul and, Steve Oliver as Dugan Hicks. Schools out and the kids are making plans for the summer. Dina and friends want to go to the beach, but just not any beach, they want to go to Malibu Beach. Dina pulls up to the beach in her car in her blue bikini and heads to none other then the lifeguards chair. While sitting on her chair she's approach by a Dugan who tells Dina that if she gets in over her head to holler. Meanwhile on the beach under a blanket Bobby making out with a young woman until a kid comes up and pulls of the blanket. Later that night Sally who's Dina girl friend goes by Dina house to pick her up so they can go cruising. While cruising, the girls get a flat tire and they get assistants from Paul and Bobby. At first when the four get together, it's Bobby and Sally and Paul and Dina. However, as the movie goes on ***** ******. Later that night the four meet up again on the beach. They build a fire, smoke a little weed, drink alcoholic and then decide to go skinny-dipping. While in the water, Dina is the last one to go in, taking her clothes near the water. When she returns she fines her clothes ******* ***. The next day while at the beach in her chair, Dina is approach by a young kid who starts to run his mouth. The kid runs into the water and starts to act as if he's drowning or is he? There are two questions at this point. Is the kid drowning and the second question is will Dina enjoy her summer being a lifeguard. Now some of my personal thoughts of my own on this movie. First, if you're looking for a movie with action, adventure, and drama then this movie isn't for you. If you looking for a movie that has woman and good looking bodies then this is the movie you're looking for. The only reason I bought this movie was Kim Lankford and if you're a fan of hers then you need to buy this movie. Kim was excellent in this movie. Not only does she have talent but also she's very beautiful in a bikini. Despite not having the action and adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat, I still give this movie 10 weasel stars because Kim Lankford deserves it.