[7]

Once they’re displaced from their dorm by the college’s alpha-male fraternity, a bunch of science geeks take it upon themselves to create a new fraternity and challenge the college’s preferential treatment of jocks. Revenge of the Nerds contains its fair share of puerile humor, sight gags, and obligatory boob shots, but these ploys aren’t what make the movie work. There’s just enough sincerity to the proceedings to keep you invested in the characters’ plight.

A sequence midway through the movie has the ‘Nerds’ throwing a house party with the ladies from a sister fraternity of social rejects. The sequence actually portrays the difficulty socially awkward people have at parties and gatherings. It makes you root for the guys and the gals to gather their courage and try to connect with people. That sequence does a lot in giving the characters their dues. It makes you realize that while the nerds are the butt of jokes in much of the film, the movie itself is on their side. And it’s a good side to be on. I was particularly pleased to see how progressively the movie treats racism and homophobia. The nerds are sponsored by a predominantly black fraternal order and include an openly gay man among their membership (he’s an effeminite stereotype, but it’s a start!)

It’s a fluff ball of a movie with a good heart, a handful of decent laughs, and a kick-ass soundtrack that ends with an orchestral version of Queen’s “We Are the Champions”. Among the cast members who would go on to have notable careers are Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield, John Goodman, and James Cromwell. Curtis Armstrong is memorable as the nerd nicknamed ‘Booger.’ The movie also has the distinction of being one of the first features scored by 14-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman.