Some of the most prominent actors working today often get their start in low-budget films, though they often regret this. There’s Demi Moore in Parasite 3D, Jennifer Aniston in Leprechaun, and Nicole Kidman in BMX Bandits, to name a few. Then there’s Kevin Costner, who was a stagehand before getting his big break in The Untouchables and No Way Out. While working behind the scenes, Costner would pass by the office of producer Eric Louzil and ask for acting roles. Louzil had a project in line with first-time director Richard Brander, so he offered Costner a minor part. Admittedly, Louzil hired Costner more for his looks than his acting abilities, not to mention he was awkward. The movie was filmed during the winter of 1978-79 and initially released in 1981 as Malibu Hot Summer. In 1986, Troma acquired the rights and re-released the film as Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.
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Synopsis
Best friends Janice Johnston (Terry Congie), Dit McCoy (Lesley Brander), and Cheryl Reilly (Roselyn Royce) move out to California. Dit wants to be a famous singer, Cheryl gets a job as a physical education teacher, and Janice takes acting lessons. They decide to rent a beach house and Malibu and plan to try and live out their dreams. Janice falls in love with ranch hand John Logan (Kevin Costner), who teaches her horseback riding in between her classes. Dit gets a spot in a singing competition through a friend but soon discovers how sleazy the manager is. Also, Cheryl gets scolded by her supervisor at the school for supposedly having an insatiable libido. The three grow as friends, learn lessons along the way, and meet the loves of their lives. All of this is mixed in with plenty of TNA to distract you from how dull the plot is.
Review
Going into Sizzle Beach, U.S.A., I expected it to be one of those zany sex comedies from the early 1980s. Instead, you get a bland drama about three women, their friendship, and their dreams mixed with some nudity. After a while, the nudity starts losing its appeal and becomes annoying, like you’re praying they keep their clothes on. At least the three lead women look good naked, but that’s not enough to compensate for a dull movie. Congie, Brander, and Reilly have decent chemistry together, but there’s nothing to their characters to make us care. It’s not a shock that of the three, only one has more than two acting credits to their name. I’d comment on the rest of the cast, but they’re so forgettable that it’s not worth it. Then, of course, there’s the person we’re all here to see: Kevin Costner.
After hearing Louzil say he hired Costner for his looks, it makes sense given his performance or lack thereof. Costner sounds stiff and wooden, and he looks awkward and uncomfortable as if he doesn’t know what to do. Supposedly, he was most uncomfortable shooting a love scene without clothes on, and you can tell when you see it. While he’s never been great, you’d never guess that Costner would become the superstar he is today seeing this. Usually, I scoff at actors denying or feeling embarrassed by their past work, but in this case, I get it. Even with the rampant nudity, this is such a dull and uninteresting movie that you’ll forget about it fast. Even at 90 minutes long, you could do much better than this, even if you want cheap TNA. Overall, Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. might be worth it for Costner completionists, but it’s otherwise best avoided.
Buy Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uZxKCg.
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