Up the Creek (1984 film)

Up the Creek

Up the Creek theatrical poster
Directed by Robert Butler
Produced by Michael L. Meltzer
executive
Samuel Z. Arkoff
Louis S. Arkoff
Written by Jim Kouf
Based on story by Jim Kouf
Jeff Sherman
Douglas Grossman
Starring
Music by William Goldstein
Cheap Trick
Cinematography James Glennon
Edited by Bill Butler
Production
company
Distributed by Orion Pictures
Release dates
 April 6, 1984
Running time
 96 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $7 million
Box office $11,708,269

Up the Creek is a 1984 comedy film, directed by Robert Butler. Although the film itself was not as popular as other "college romp" films, the four lead parts all came to the film with experience in popular comedies, most notably Animal House and Porky's.

Plot summary

Bob McGraw, Max, Gonzer, and Irwin, students at Lepetomane University (known derisively by some as "Lobotomy U"), are volunteered to compete in a collegiate raft race. They are "recruited" by Dean Burch who uses records of McGraw's checkered past as a means of blackmail to get them to compete. "You're not AT the bottom of the list. You ARE the bottom of the list!", says Burch. He even offers them degrees in the major of their choice as additional incentive. They're up against Ivy University, prep schoolers who, with the help of an Ivy alumnus named Dr. Roland Tozer, plan to cheat their way to the Winner's Circle.

Their adversaries also include the Washington Military Institute, disqualified for their attempts to sabotage the other schools' rafts. Captain Braverman, the leader of the Military men, has it in for McGraw because he personally curtailed the attempts to sabotage the other rafts. Also entered is a team of beautiful co-eds, one of whom ends up falling for Bob. The dangerous rapids as well as Ivy's cheating end up disabling many of the other teams' rafts. It is all down river adventure for the Lepetomane gang.

Cast

Production notes

This film was filmed near Bend, Oregon.

Writer Jim Kouf later said Robert Butler "was not a great comedy director, he missed a lot of jokes.”[1]

Soundtrack

Up the Creek
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released 1984
Genre Rock, Hard rock
Length 41:28
Label Pasha
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
  1. "Up the Creek" – Cheap Trick
  2. "The Heat" – Heart
  3. "30 Days in the Hole" – Kick Axe
  4. "Great Expectations (You Never Know What to Expect)" – Ian Hunter
  5. "Chasin' the Sky" – The Beach Boys
  6. "Get Ready Boy" – Shooting Star
  7. "One Track Heart (Passion in the Dark)" – Danny Spanos
  8. "Take It" – Shooting Star
  9. "Two Hearts on the Loose Tonight" – Randy Bishop
  10. "Get Ready Boy (Instrumental)" – Shooting Star

One song that was in the film, but not on the soundtrack is "First Girl President" by Namrac.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times said the film was "not as consistently amusing" as Police Academy but was "rambunctious and raunchy enough to divert undemanding audiences."[2] The Washington Post called it "a moist smut movie" in which the best performance was given by the dog.[3] The New York Times called it "a ridiculous ordeal, all right, but certainly not in the way the filmmakers intended."[4] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune however said the film was "a good time", where Matheson, Furst and Helberg "play their roles with the same whimsical naturalness that made Bill Murray a star. They don't push themselves upon us, and that allows us to identify with them in a relaxed way. The result is a very tight script with breathing room. That's most unusual for a teen comedy, and that's why Up the Creek is one of the best."[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt GRIMM Interview" by Andre Dellamorte Collider accessed 18 December 2014
  2. ↑ MOVIE REVIEW: THIS 'CREEK' GOES WITH THE FLOW Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 05 Apr 1984: k1.
  3. ↑ Get Stuck Up This Creek and You'll Need a Shovel The Washington Post (1974-Current file) [Washington, D.C] 06 Apr 1984: WK21.
  4. ↑ Screen: 'Up the Creek,' College Humor By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 07 Apr 1984: 13.
  5. ↑ Tempo: Teenage comedy flows fast in 'Up the Creek' Siskel, Gene. Chicago Tribune (1963-Current file) [Chicago, Ill] 11 Apr 1984: e4.
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