The Last American Virgin Blu-ray Review

• 30th Sep 2013

A confluence took place in the early 1980s with the merging of video players being brought into the private space of the home (with an ensuing war between VHS, Betamax and Philips 2000) introducing a whole new cinema to the home market and the rise in the teen sex comedy that commenced with National Lampoon’s Animal House in 1978 and carried on through to the mid-1980s culminating with the gross out Porky’s in 1982, very much a forerunner to the American Pie films. The films followed a pattern: they usually centered around a bunch of high-school boys, at least one of whom is overweight, who are on the constant quest for parties, sex, corrupting girls and banging a MILF (a term that turned up in American Pie). The teenager and often teenage boys fancying a cheap titillating time among their buddies would be key renters in the video market; they would rent a film on a Saturday night, watch with some beers and were able to freeze frame on the video player any displays of breasts and nudity. It’s all here in The Last American Virgin, a somewhat forgotten film from 1982 made in the shadow of Porky’s (there’s even a shower peephole sequence). But the film has different origins in that in itself it was a remake of an Israeli cult teen sex comedy, Lemon Popsicle (1978). Lemon Popsicle was an early film in the genre and has since become something of a cult classic itself. Like many of these films it was set in the 1950s with a strong emphasis on its rock and roll soundtrack. The Last American Virgin was not set in the 1950s, but instead in the very contemporary 1980s; indeed the music is very much a part of the films defining feature.

Set in LA, Gary (Lawrence Monoson) is a typical high school lad, works at his father’s pizza delivery place and with his friends he is on the constant hunt to lose his virginity. At high-school he meets a nice virgin girl, Karen (Diane Franklin) who he is in the constant pursuit of. Being an awkward teenager love never runs smooth, especially as a virgin. He and his friends plan a party and invite Karen and her friends over. They have drugs to snort too in the form of candarel sweetener and begin to undress and seduce the girls only to be busted by one of the boy’s shocked parents catching them in various stages of undress. One of Gary’s friends, Rick (Steve Antin) also fancies Karen and has better success with her. Meanwhile, Gary’s friends seem to have better success in their quest for sex including a MILF, Carmela (Louisa Moritz) in perhaps one of the more erotic moments in the film.

At times the film verges on low budget soft porn, particularly in Carmela’s seduction scene but the moments of titillation are far and few between but there are a couple of areas where the film is a big plus. One of course is the fantastic eighties soundtrack which includes Blondie, Journey, The Cars and Devo; it was an ear opener with the soundtrack that includes some great songs. The other aspect, mostly missing from these type of films is the anguish and pain of teenage romance. As the film develops one cannot help but feel the pain of Gary in his pursuit of Karen, particularly when his attempts are blighted by his so-called friend Rick and actually has a fairly dark ending from a time in which one didn’t necessarily expect to get a sequel. It’s easy to see how this film can become a cult fave with soundtrack and all and is certainly ripe to be seen again. A typically nicely packaged release by Arrow with extras on the disc include that include 20 minute talks by Franklin, Monoson and director Boaz Davidson.

Chris Hick