Teenage pals Tracy (likable Davey Jones) and Gene (the equally engaging Bo White) have graduated from high school and are about to go to college in another week. The duo pack up a van called the Meat Wagon full of beer and other supplies and hit the road in search of sex and thrills prior to facing the heavy responsibilities of encroaching adulthood. Naturally, our affably laid-back and immature pair encounter a colorful array of quirky characters: Joann Sterling as sexy hitchhiker Sparky and Lilly Bi Beep as her fetching buddy Bee, Jeff Allen as a menacing beefy biker, Larry Lima as flaky new age hippie guru Roger, Shana McGran and Any Mathieu as Roger's lusty'n'luscious flower child followers Liza and Deborah, Eric Edwards as hunky stud Fred, Melissa Evers as brash, boozy floozy Regina, and the ever-adorable Chris Jordan as spunky kook Miss No Name. Writer/director Chuck Vincent's simple, yet engrossing and eventful narrative uses the then trendy cross country road movie premise to craft a flavorsome evocation of the carefree early 70's that moves along at a constant brisk pace, buzzes with a winningly breezy'n'easy vibe, and delivers a few sizzling soft-core sexual interludes. Better still, Vincent earns extra praise for offering a few unexpectedly poignant moments amid all the amusingly silly antics: Tracy makes love to unhappy and neglected middle-aged housewife Margaret (an excellent performance by Jacqueline Carol) only to have her express regret for cheating on her husband (plus her son also shows up and further puts a damper on things) and the film concludes on a surprisingly melancholy note as the happy-go-lucky fun comes to its inevitable conclusion. Richard Billay's funky syncopated score and the infectiously bouncy soundtrack of upbeat songs by Sleepy Hollow both hit the right-on groovy spot. Stephen Colwell's plain, but sunny cinematography likewise does the trick. Jones and White display a loose and amiable chemistry in the lead roles. A cool little romp.
Review of Blue Summer
