I remember staying up until 2 in the morning to watch this one on Cinemax after dark. Had to wait for the parents to go to bed before I would chance watching it. It had some moments of humor and a few TnA shots. The one line I remember the most and the reason I bought this on VHS was for the comment right before the tennis match where Zigs says to one of the prep boys regarding her sister, "We are thinking about having her spayed." Unfortunately in the copy I bought this line has been edited out with about 15 minutes or so of other scenes that I remember. Really unfortunate, wonder why anyone would do that? I think that the unedited version that I saw had quite a few more laugh lines as well as most of the nudity. Guess that the censors were working overtime on this one. Oh well.
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lightninrod223810 February 2008
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sol-1 July 2006Without doubt, this is a not good film, but it is not a particularly poor film either. It has stupid characters and bits of plain stupidity, such as vomiting over a guy having hair on his back, but the film does have enough going for it that it works as lightly amusing stuff. If not worth watching twice, there's enough to give it at least one go, especially for fans of Patricia Arquette. As the main character's best friend, Arquette adds a lot of dimension to her character. Although she is sexy and appears well educated in such areas on the outside, she is actually naive and innocent on the inside, and unaware of so much in the adult world. Arquette is certainly a radiant light in the film's cast, which includes Dennis Cole in a terrible performance playing a typical sleaze-bag with no dimension at all. The acting of the film is not terribly good in general, but Arquette is excellent and Tricia Leigh Fisher in the lead has a few earnest moments when her face is not covered up by overdone makeup.
The other aspect of the film that causes it to rise above the lemon mark is the music. The title song is excellent and the music is generally bouncy throughout in a playful way, like during the tennis matches, and it is in a fashion that captures the rebellious, "in it just to have fun" attitudes of the 1980s perfectly. All that said, it is still bad film, if not a terrible one. There are so many over-the-top racial stereotypes, especially Swedish, that it goes beyond being funny and just becomes stupid. There is also some awful narration by an ageing character added in for the sole purpose of adding a lame joke to the end of the film when the narrator is revealed. The narration is clumsy and serves no purpose in advancing what is being shown. For example, he says "here come the sisters" as the two sisters in the film rock up to the school. Overall, this may not be terrible, but neither is it a good film. It is amusing towards the end and it has a few virtues that prevent it from being absolute trash, plus a memorable line "A rose, bud?" - but that is not quite enough to make it great viewing. -
culwin20 December 19982 trouble-making girls get sent off to boarding school in Greece. Just another typical 80's movie, with no substance or acting ability, just rebel kids getting into wacky situations. Not really as bad as many movies, but really boring. At least this one has some attractive girls (Tricia Leigh Fisher) to look at instead of just a bunch of nerds. And what is it about dumb 80s movies that they have these great theme songs? Weird.
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shawnbutler-7780729 September 2020Where can we get copy of soundtrack? Or copy of beginning credit song?
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culwin3 January 1999No, not the closing credits - I wouldn't recommend you stay that long! No, I'm talking about the opening credits! The first 5 minutes is all I recommend you sit through, as it is the only thing that contains anything related to a plot, and you get to sit through a rockin' song! If you can stay awake any longer than that, I commend you!
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Groverdox13 February 2016Pretty Smart is like a collision between two movies. I'll call the first one, the one I believe we were intended to see, Pretty Smart. The second one, that fits so badly with the first I conclude it must have been shoehorned in by producers eyeing sleaze value, I'll call Pretty Awful.
Pretty Smart is about two teenage girls, sisters, who are sent to a boarding school in Greece. They are completely different, and are immediately incorporated into the two ruling cliques that fit them the best: the preens, for the perfect, snide, overachieving one and the "subs" for the punk girl.
At first the punk girl tries to get herself thrown out, but ends up realising she has more in common with her fellow subs, and perhaps even her sister, than she realised.
So far, so good, for a positive, enjoyable movie aimed at teen girls, which is buoyed by the energy and freshness not only of Patricia Arquette, who makes her debut appearance in a supporting role, but also Tricia Leigh Fisher (that rhymes), who plays the lead role.
But wait! Here comes Pretty Awful.
Pretty Awful is a movie about a sleazy principal at the Greek school who supposedly has cameras hidden all over the school so that he can watch and record them undressing, showering, having pillow fights in their underwear (is there any other way to have them?), and in one bizarre sequence, pretending to punch each other with boxing gloves while also in their underwear.
It is not remotely believable, even for one second, that the low rent sleaze this principal watches in his office could come from anywhere other than the bargain bin of an adult entertainment store. It doesn't help when some of this footage, while supposedly being broadcast live from the students' rooms, is shown to us multiple times. That's right: the same footage is repeated, the producers apparently hoping we wouldn't notice, or wouldn't care.
The first movie brings fresh, young talent.
The second movie brings the dregs of softcore film circa 1987.
That the principal is also a drug dealer hardly seems to matter; it's barely explained, I guess so that the forced, ridiculous happy ending won't require much explanation either. That's the inevitable moment where the two movies meet and the first can't wait to shake off the stench of the latter, which is why we get an extended ending dealing with both scenarios.
I knew which one I preferred, but by trying to have it both ways you don't end up with two movies for the price of one; instead you get about a half of a good movie, and maybe one fifth of a terrible one. -
I recently watched Pretty Smart (1987) on Tubi. The storyline follows a young lady sent to a European boarding school against her wishes who uncovers a scandal involving the headmaster profiting from selling pictures of the students. She rallies the ladies to help her expose the headmaster.
Directed by Dimitri Logothetis (Slaughterhouse Rock) and starring Patricia Arquette (True Romance), Tricia Leigh Fisher (C. H. U. D II), Dennis Cole (Dead End City) and Joely Fisher (The Mask).
The film presents classic 80s premise, humor, characters, and dialogue. While the plot offers a realistic scenario, the resolution takes an unrealistic approach, relying on the audience's affection for the characters to overlook the far-fetched antics. The ladies in this are gorgeous, as you'd expect, and there's plenty of topless sequences to keep your attention in an otherwise average film.
Ultimately, Pretty Smart is a forgettable film, save for its attractive cast. I'd rate it a 4/10 and suggest skipping it. -
RavenGlamDVDCollector8 September 2015Ogling the girls at Ogilvy...
I don't care what the negative reviewers say of it, I liked it. Especially remembered for the come-uppance Crawley gets coming to him at the end when the girls chant "Crawley, Crawley, Crawley", evoking images of relentless persecution. I had a tough time finding it on DVD years ago, the search went on for very, very long. It was years since I had first seen it, and the movie was different from what I remembered, but I was just relieved to finally own it in a proper way. VHS sucks!
A feast for 80s fans. The look is very, very 80s (well, duh! of course! and you can't get any better than the real thing) in a good way. Download the trailer on VuClip for a quick sneak peek.
Maybe the negative voices are from viewers who were offended? Hidden cameras and a stash of sneaked videotaped indiscretions are bound to anger the prudes out there. People, it's all just a lot of fun, lighten up! Consider it a little jewel from the Late Eighties. -
ftpa112 March 2006This is totally my favorite B-rated T&A 80's movie! I STILL use some of the quotes from this movie...the "party grinds...still play twister!" line is classic! I can go on and on about the number of times I've just popped it in and watched it just to pass time. It was a cheap 80's tit-flick but hey, it was fun. I've actually used the "A rose? BUD?" on someone. Another classic line. Plus, look at all the people from this movie who went on to be stars! Joely Fisher...Patricia Arquette...even Tricia Leigh Fisher did some work after doing this one. I remember hearing a song of hers on the radio once. It didn't last long but it was there! I thoroughly enjoy this movie every time I watch it.
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chakotay-707705 June 2020The adventures and exploits of wealthy teenage girls attending an Academy at an exquisite Castle estate in Greece.
Why not also take time to gaze upon the beautifully landscaped grounds, aside from the attractive females, naturally? The academy itself is located on historical grounds, and this enhances the ambiance of the set. Loveliness is everywhere here: attractive girls, elegant or extravagant attire, tastefully decorated rooms and halls, and even a dash of Greek Music and Folklore...
None of these teenage vixen is a saint, but then nobody is...for that matter!! Yes, the girls can be naughty, but they do have their good moments, too. Cheeky and feisty, blunt and sexy....also!
What goes on inside the castle walls of AaWGeilby Academy...really? Well, that's for you to find out, of course! I, for one, was enthralled throughout, with never a dull moment. And you might be, too... -
Mousygirl3211 February 2004Trisha Fisher's scenes were at least interesting in this otherwise dull, pointless film.
I wouldn't recommend sticking around past the opening theme song, which is great. Also sung by Trisha Fisher. -
BandSAboutMovies15 September 2023Give director Dimitri Logothetis some credit. Not only did he make this movie, but he also directed Slaughterhouse Rock and Kickboxer: Retaliation.
Daphne "Zigs" Ziegler (Tricia Leigh Fisher,* Stick, C. H. U. D. II: Bud the C. H. U. D) has defeated every way that her parents try to tame her. As she works in a bank, a criminal comes in and tries to get her to give up all the cash. She responds by jumping on top of the counter and stripping off her goth outfit, which is one way to get out of getting shot by a bank robbery.
Her parents decide to send ZIgs and her fraternal twin sister Jennifer (Lisa Lörient) to Greece's most elite boarding school, Ogilvy Academy. Soon, they find themselves in two different social groups, as Daphne becomes one of the Subs - along with Zero (Patricia Arquette), Yuko (Kimberly B. Delfin, Body Rock) and Torch (Paris Vaughan) - and Jennifer becomes a Preen and starts hanging out with mean girls like Samantha Falconwright, who is played by Julie K. Smith, one of only four women to be in both Playboy and Penthouse,** where she was Pet of the Month for February 1993. She also trained with Stella Adler and is in so many movies that I've watched intently, including the works of Andy Sidaris (she's Cobra in The Dallas Connection, Return to Savage Beach and Day of the Warrior) and Jim Wynorski (The Bare Wench Project, The Witches of Breastwick).
The girls have one problem that brings them together and that is the dean of the school, Mr. Crawley (Dennis Cole) who is taking nude photos of all of them with hidden cameras when he isn't sneaking drugs on them and using them to move weight.
Writer Jeff Begun also did the script for Neon City and Saturday the 14th while the other writer, Dan Hoskins, was the writer of Chopper Chicks In Zombietown. It's a strange movie that at the same time wants to be empowering and then you have Julie K. Smith doing nude scenes, but then it's girls working together and discovering the power of playing in synth bands. I think the film's third writer, Melanie J. Alschuler, may be why it feels so much less a teen sex comedy and more a coming of age film. She went on to be an assistant to the Olsen Twins on their Our First Video and The Olsen Twins Mother's Day Special.
*Her sister Joely Fisher is also in this and to my amazement, they're both half-sisters of Carrie Fisher. Their dad is Eddie and their mom is Connie.
**It says this on Julie K. Smither's IMDB page, but I know that only Alexandria Karlsen, Linn Thomas, Victoria Zdrok were both Playmates and Pets. Teri Weigel was the April 1986 Playmate and was in Penthouse - but not as a Pet - in November 1985 before acting in Cheerleader Camp, Glitch!, Savage Beach, Predator 2, Return of the Killer Tomatoes and adult movies. Ursula Buchfellner was the October 1979 Playmate and German December 1977 Playmate before appearing in Penthouse - but not as a Pet - also in November 1985. She also is in Devil Hunter and Sadomania for Jess Franco. None of these magazines or their titles matter anymore.