Pizza delivery boy Gary, loudmouth David, and hunky Rick are three high school students out to lose their virginity any way they can. Gary falls for transfer student Karen, who gets involved with Rick.
Boaz Davidson is an Israeli film director, producer, and screenwriter who made a name for himself in his homeland in 1978 when a low-budget high-school comedy he directed, “Lemon Popsicle,” became a worldwide phenomenon. Seven sequels followed it; “Going Steady,” “Hot Bubblegum,” “Private Popsicle,” “Baby Love,” “Up Your Anchor,” “Young Love,” and “Summertime Blues.” Each movie was filmed in Hebrew, and the series was responsible for many teen sex romps that came out of the US in the 1980s. Davidson decided to jump on the bandwagon by remaking “Lemon Popsicle” in America and calling it “The Last American Virgin.”
The film tells the story of three high-school friends, Gary (Lawrence Monoson), Rick (Steve Antin), and David (Joe Rubbo), who spend all their time trying to get laid. At school one day, Gary sees a beautiful new transfer student, Karen (Diane Franklin), and is determined to find out everything about her, but Rick, being the hunk of the group, gets to her first, much to Gary’s annoyance. Watching Rick take advantage of Karen simply so he can have sex with her sets Gary’s blood boiling as he has genuinely fallen for her, but because they have been friends for so long, he continues to hide his feelings. That is until he discovers Karen is pregnant and Rick has dumped her. As she considers abortion, with nobody to turn to, Gary illustrates just how much he cares for her by agreeing to help her in whatever capacity she needs, hoping she will see him for the good guy he is and eventually feel the same way toward him, but things don’t go according to plan.
Growing up in Ireland in the ’80s, I watched many American teen sex romps, from “Porky’s” and its two sequels, to “Screwballs,” “Hardbodies,” “Recruits,” My Tutor,” and one of my all-time favorites, “Meatballs.” While I saw the VHS cover for “The Last American Virgin” every time I went to the store, I just never felt drawn to it, so when MVD Entertainment recently sent me a review copy, I figured I had no more excuses and sat down to give it a watch. While I didn’t care for the original, “Lemon Popsicle,” as a teenager, simply because it was badly dubbed, I realize now it was much better than the American remake. Like a lot of foreign filmmakers who direct hit movies in their home country and then remake it into an English version, such as George Sluizer with “The Vanishing” and Takashi Shimizu with “Ju-on: The Grudge” and its American counterpart, “The Grudge,” “The Last American Virgin” is populated with good-looking and energetic actors but is missing the enthusiasm and merriment of the original.
The movie can’t make up its mind as to what it wants to be; a screwball comedy or a coming-of-age drama. It utilizes both elements to the nth degree, and while some scenes are relatable, mainly because we have all been teenagers and understand their predicaments, the overall ambiance is chaotic and, at times, just plain imbecilic. Characters go from experiencing uproarious situations with their best friends to tragic heartbreak, and while teens do experience these feelings, within the context of this story, it just feels uneven and erratic at best. Writer-director Davidson stated that this story was based on his experiences as a teenager living in Israel, but exactly what experiences he is referring to are never made known.
While many films of this ilk end up with the lead protagonist getting the girl, here, to Davidson’s credit, the ending is just the opposite. After helping Karen with her abortion and getting back on her feet, she runs back to the arms of Rick with no consideration for Gary, even though he had told her that he loved her. The film ends with Gary driving off as the closing credits roll, tears streaming down his face. I felt his heartache as I had been there many times as a teen and began to detest Karen for her actions. Even actress Diane Franklin, who played Karen, said she didn’t understand how her character could treat Gary the way she did after he was the only one to help her through her difficult situation, but hey, that’s Hollywood for you. “The Last American Virgin” is an intriguing look at the life of American teenagers through the eyes of a foreigner, and while it doesn’t always hit the mark, it comes close.
Available on Special Edition Blu-ray™ January 24th
