Main Cast: John Allen Nelson, Steve Levitt, Deborah Shelton, Rebeccah Bush, James Coco
Release Year: 1987
Country: US
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Bradley Brinkman (Steve Levitt) is a computer nerd who makes a deal with the Devil (James Coco) in this teen comedy. He is transformed into Hunk Golden (John Allen Nelson), the muscular blonde-haired, blue-eyed California heartthrob. She-devil O'Brien (Deborah Shelton) threatens to change the popular Hunk back into the anemic Bradley if he refuses to serve the Devil on Earth. Rebecca Bush plays psychologist Sunny Graves and co-stars with Robert Morse, Constantine Constapopolis, and Avery Schreiber. James Coco, who died a few weeks before the debut of this film, gives memorable comic portrayals of a pirate, a Nazi, and a caveman in addition to a delightful devil. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
This romantic comedy is a change of pace from the usual sex-comedy format. Hunk is free of the nudity and overtly smutty humor that most viewers associate with the genre, concentrating instead on plot and character to capture the viewer's imagination. To its credit, this works most of the time: some of the 1980's-centric references have dated a bit and the pace drags a bit in places but writer/director Lawrence Bassoff packs the film with clever conceits (like Satan treating his evil work as a corporate business) and weaves in some heartfelt messages about valuing character over looks. Better yet, Hunk boasts a variety of strong performances: James Coco lends some campy flair as the film's resident devil, Deborah Shelton is alluring as the devil's assistant, and Steve Levitt is charming as the pre-fantasy version of the film's awkward but goodhearted hero. However, the film belongs to John Allen Nelson as the manly alter-ego of the title: he looks like a classic leading man but gives a witty, carefully shaded performance that conveys all the uncertainty of his 'inner nerd.' In short, Hunk is an ambitious and likeable piece of work that will appeal to fans of 1980's comedies. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Catherine Hardwicke - Art Director, Steven J. Wolfe - Associate Producer, David Cohn - Casting, Paul Bengston - Casting, Bernadette O'Brien - Costume Designer, Ron Graham - First Assistant Director, Lawrence Bassoff - Director, Richard E. Westover - Editor, David Kurtz - Composer (Music Score), Bryan England - Cinematographer, Marilyn Jacobs Tenser - Producer, Lawrence Bassoff - Screenwriter
Bradley Brinkman is a nerd who has a hard time finding true love, but by way of a deal with Dr. D (who happens to be the Devil himself), Bradley becomes Hunk Golden, a stud who has the perfect body and special abilities, like eating a lot without gaining a pound, cavity proof teeth, and other things too. Hunk becomes a celebrity and now has it all, but he soon grows tired of the fame. Hunk learns that all deals come with a price, and that being famous is not actually as glamourous and great as it once seemed to be.
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Controversy
So-called "controversy" has been associated with the scantily-clad lead-role in the movie HUNK, with significant media attention focused on the over-developed dimensions of John Allen Nelson's private parts. Mr. Nelson's penis was apparently over defined, especially in the transformation scene when wearing a black speedo, incorporating prosthetics, thus making the penis larger than it is. Frequently touted as "the guy with the longest," Nelson's movie HUNK increasingly found its way into the gay sections of video and DVD rental stores, much to the dismay of Crown International Pictures. [1]
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