Cheezy two part TV movie soap opera with far too many characters and not enough decent character development or realistic plotting beyond the typical Barbara Cartland/Danielle Steele/Harold Robbins/Jacqueline Susann sleazy novel, overloaded with nighttime soap trappings that outside the big four of the time lead to a lot of quick cancelations. There's no real structure, just a bunch of vapid people who have homes on the beach, involved in all sorts of sexual intrigue, extremely unhappy even though they can afford to live there. Tons of veteran actors intermingling with lots of forgotten B actors of the day, and while it might have been a nice pay-day for legendary actors like James Coburn, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, George Hamilton and Richard Muligan, it's certainly not a credit they could have been really proud of.
I felt sorry for Susan Dey and Ann Jillian, stuck in hideous matronly hairstyles that looked liked spiked motorcycle helmuts, and really sorry for Jenilee Harrison as a constantly sulking ditz who gets lines like "I'd introduce you two if I remembered your names." Charming but amoral Coburn, a wealthy businessman, is involved in an affair with overly ambitious local reporter Jillian who was earlier kicked out of wife Saint's house for ignoring earlier requests for an intercity regarding Saint's pet charity, while newcomers Dey and William Atherton find themselves thrust into the scandalous amoralities of their neighbors. Real estate agent Novak, as breathy as ever, has an equal number of sexual scandals, while "Lenny"/"Can't Stop the Music" star Valarie Perrine wanders around aimlessly hoping for that one juicy moment.
Characters are introduced, disappear for long periods of time, and even as their mistakes catch up to the major characters, they seem to learn nothing. Steve Forrest, Troy Donahue and Anthony Newley are other actors thrust in with no real purpose. Even at their worst, the popular four nighttime soaps had characters that the viewers either loved or loved to hate. Nothing here comes close to the antics of J. R., Abby, Alexis or Angela, and the whole sordid mess just seems to have been a bunch of plot flash cards thrown into the air, and whosever name they fell near got the plot. If this represents anything close to the real Malibu, it needs a good soaking to get rid of the dirt that leaves a stench from what is presented here.
I felt sorry for Susan Dey and Ann Jillian, stuck in hideous matronly hairstyles that looked liked spiked motorcycle helmuts, and really sorry for Jenilee Harrison as a constantly sulking ditz who gets lines like "I'd introduce you two if I remembered your names." Charming but amoral Coburn, a wealthy businessman, is involved in an affair with overly ambitious local reporter Jillian who was earlier kicked out of wife Saint's house for ignoring earlier requests for an intercity regarding Saint's pet charity, while newcomers Dey and William Atherton find themselves thrust into the scandalous amoralities of their neighbors. Real estate agent Novak, as breathy as ever, has an equal number of sexual scandals, while "Lenny"/"Can't Stop the Music" star Valarie Perrine wanders around aimlessly hoping for that one juicy moment.
Characters are introduced, disappear for long periods of time, and even as their mistakes catch up to the major characters, they seem to learn nothing. Steve Forrest, Troy Donahue and Anthony Newley are other actors thrust in with no real purpose. Even at their worst, the popular four nighttime soaps had characters that the viewers either loved or loved to hate. Nothing here comes close to the antics of J. R., Abby, Alexis or Angela, and the whole sordid mess just seems to have been a bunch of plot flash cards thrown into the air, and whosever name they fell near got the plot. If this represents anything close to the real Malibu, it needs a good soaking to get rid of the dirt that leaves a stench from what is presented here.