Just full of hot air.
Psycho Beach Party (2000)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:17
Rotten:14
Average Rating:5.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: PSYCHO BEACH PARTY was scripted by playwright Charles Busch (author of the long-running off-Broadway hit VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM), adapted from his 1987 play of the same title. Florence Forest... PSYCHO BEACH PARTY was scripted by playwright Charles Busch (author of the long-running off-Broadway hit VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM), adapted from his 1987 play of the same title. Florence Forest (Lauren Ambrose) is a perky but unfulfilled teen. After witnessing the antics of a gang of strapping young surfer dudes at the beach one day, she decides surfing's the thing for her, and asks the group leader, the "Great Kanaka" (Thomas Gibson), to give her lessons. But Kanaka won't give Florence (or rather "Chicklet," as she is soon dubbed by the boys) the time of day--until her alter ego, S/M dominatrix Ann Bowman, unexpectedly makes an appearance. Meanwhile, a mysterious killer is offing the town's teens one by one. Detective Monica Stark (played by Busch himself) is on the case, but soon her investigation is complicated by an overabundance of suspects: Could the killer be Florence's frustrated mom, who disapproves of the company her daughter's been keeping? There's also B-movie babe Bettina Barnes (Kimberley Davies), in town incognito after running away from her studio. And then, of course, there's schizophrenic Florence herself. Expertly mimicking the corny, frantically upbeat tone of 1960s teen flicks, PSYCHO BEACH PARTY is a campy (and occasionally raunchy) alternative treat. [More]
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Nicholas Brendon, Thomas Gibson, Danni Wheeler
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Nicholas Brendon, Thomas Gibson, Danni Wheeler, Charles Busch, Kimberley Davies, Amy Adams, Beth Broderick, Matt Keeslar, Kathleen Robertson, Andrew Levitas, Nick Cornish
Director: Robert Lee King
Director: Robert Lee King
Screenwriter: Charles Busch
Producer: Jon Gerrans, Virginia Biddle, Marcus Hu, Victor Syrmis
Composer: Ben Vaughn
Get This Movie
Reviews for Psycho Beach Party
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.
It's all enjoyable enough, but it's played so broadly that it loses whatever impact it might have had.
Saddled with both a script and direction that never comes near the wit or cleverness in Busch's own performance.
The sort of movie that even today's superstars might love to slum around in.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Psycho Beach Party at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



