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Psycho Beach Party (2000)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 14

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 4.4/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 5

No consensus yet.

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 8,117

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Movie Info

Robert Lee King directs this wacky, campy fusion of teenaged surfer flicks and slasher sagas. Impossibly perky Florence (Lauren Ambrose) doesn't quite fit in at her thoroughly square high school in her seaside Southern California town -- that is, until she happens upon a band of ultra-hip surfer dudes. Renaming herself "Chicklet," she tries her gosh-darnedest to be the sole girl riding the waves with the group led by suave Kanaka (Thomas Gibson). While adopting her surfer alter ego, Florence

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.

Comedy, Cult Movies

Directed By: Robert Lee King

Written By: Charles Busch

In Theaters: Aug 4, 2000 Wide

On DVD: Apr 24, 2001

Strand Releasing

Cast

Lauren Ambrose
Florence/Chicklet
Thomas Gibson
Kanaka
Kimberley Davies
Bettina/Diane
Matt Keeslar
Lars
Charles Busch
Capt. Monica Stark
Amy Adams
Marvel Ann
Kathleen Robertson
Rhonda
Nathan Bexton
T.J.
Beth Broderick
Mom, Mrs. Forrest
Buddy Quaid
Junior
Jenica Bergere
Cookie

Critic Reviews for Psycho Beach Party

All Critics (38) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (14) | DVD (3)

It's too much filmed theater to come alive fully on the screen.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Good belly laughs amid lower-key giddiness.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Bob Graham

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Awkward combination of garish set decoration and muffled humor.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Village Voice

| Comment

Dennis Lim

Village Voice

Top Critic

Sometimes more fun to describe than to watch.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

| Comment

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Top Critic

Saddled with both a script and direction that never comes near the wit or cleverness in Busch's own performance.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Ernest Hardy

Film.com

Top Critic

It definitively skewers the false innocence of American pop culture on the eve of the countercultural deluge.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Stephen Holden

New York Times

Top Critic

Cool original camp. This is a fun little movie.

November 16, 2007 Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

It's Back to the Beach writ saucy.

February 4, 2004 Comment

Gregory Weinkauf

New Times

It's all enjoyable enough, but it's played so broadly that it loses whatever impact it might have had.

August 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews

| Comment

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Sharp satire. Great fun.

January 25, 2003 Comment

Gerry Shamray

Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

If this wearying exercise in camp, rib-nudging double entendres, rhyming gollyspeak and groovy-daddio! set design wrapped around a wan murder mystery sounds like an Annette Funicello movie gone to hell, it at least succeeds on one level.

November 18, 2002 Full Review Source: Entertainment Today

| Comment

Brent Simon

Entertainment Today

Technically primitive but still enjoyable raunchfest.

January 9, 2002 Full Review Source: Movieline

| Comment

Stephen Farber

Movieline

A funny tongue-in-cheek comedy, cinematic commentary and murder mystery all rolled in to one.

August 28, 2001 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Janet Branagan

Apollo Guide

PBP made a smooth transition from stage to screen; I suppose since the play was mocking movies, making a movie of it was a more logical use of the script.

June 15, 2001 Full Review | Comment

Karina Montgomery

Cinerina

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Psycho Beach Party

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The only reason I watched this is because it is Amy Adams' second film. I didn't expect much, but it was more enjoyable than I thought. This film is nothing special, but it has a level of sillyness and appeal that will keep you entertained. The acting is not great, but the humor and crude remarks are enough to keep the

February 2, 2011

Jameson Worley

Super Reviewer

"There is so much ugliness in the world. Can't there be anyone who is utterly perfect?"What an odd combination of a slasher, dance numbers, surfing, cross-dressing, split-personalities, a murder mystery, and campy humor. I only chose to see Psycho Beach Party because of the presence of a young Amy Adams, who I will

August 8, 2010