Blu-ray Review – Revenge of the Cheerleaders

Always on the hunt for a trend to exploit, Hollywood producers found unusual inspiration in the ways of high school antics involving cheerleaders and their never-ending battle with lust, love, and rivals. 1973's "The Cheerleaders" made some money, and that's all the industry needs to chase moviegoing habits, with 1974's "The Swinging Cheerleaders" also providing hearty drive-in entertainment and sizable profit, keeping the brand name going. 1976's "Revenge of the Cheerleaders" is yet another attempt to capture viewer imagination with a fresh presentation of excitable girls, dim- witted boys, and a school staff trying to maintain some sense of order with oversexed teenagers. Director Richard Lerner doesn't have a major creative challenge on his hands with the project, mostly employed to contain the inherent chaos of the shoot. "Revenge of the Cheerleaders" is pure zaniness, eschewing the shaping of a story to deal mostly with mischief and non sequitur scenes, also paying close attention to the needs of audiences who've come to watch characters disrobe and enjoy tomfoolery. It's tough to say if this even qualifies as an actual film, but Lerner's permissiveness with it all does have a certain period charm, with the picture happy to go anywhere it pleases. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com