Main Cast: Robert Carradine, Jennifer Ashley, Lisa Reeves, Michael Mullins, Bill Adler
Release Year: 1976
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Guys go crazy for the gals cheering on the home team in this raunchy teen comedy from the Seventies. It's football season at Rosedale High, and Johnny (Robert Carradine) and Jesse (Michael Mullins) are eager to lead the school's team to victory. But while Coach Hartmann (Robert Gammon) wants to put the team on the right track, his abusive methods and obnoxious attitude are turning some of the players against him. Meanwhile, the guys on the team are just as interested in making time with the girls on the cheerleading squad as they are in scoring touchdowns, and Johnny starts dating Laurie (Jennifer Ashley), much to the annoyance of her former boyfriend Duane (Bill Adler), a thick-headed tough guy. Meanwhile, the Rosedale High team is gearing up for their annual game with cross town rivals Hardin High by launching a battle of pranks, which reaches its peak when the Rosedale guys steal a fire engine. The Pom-Pom Girls was an early credit for director Joseph Ruben, who later went on to make The Stepfather, True Believer and The Forgotten. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
This exploitation quickie is intermittently amusing but never manages to hit the sweet spot the way the best drive-in fare does. It's a shame because The Pom Pom Girls has the right elements and the proper carefree attitude: the filmmakers chose the right good-looking young people to bring the story to life (including a young Robert Carradine), the film makes effective use of California's beaches and teen hangout spots and there's plenty of amorous carousing in the back of cars and vans to please the movie's target market. Unfortunately, the script never gets around to telling a story beyond the usual romantic hanky-panky and suffers from many dull stretches as a result. Also, the film's two male protagonists are portrayed in a manner that makes them come off as selfish jerks. Ultimately, there isn't much for a viewer to hang their hat on aside from the period-specific details and the typical teen sex-comedy shenanigans. Thus, The Pom Pom Girls ends up being a lesser example of the form and is best left to b-movie obsessives. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
James Gammon - Coach; Lou Fant - Principal; Diane Hart - Judy; Cooper Huckabee - Hardin Tough; Cheryl Smith - Roxanne; John Sebastian - Father; Susan Player - Sue Ann; Jim Kester - Hardin Tough; John Lawrence - Sheriff
Credit
Cal Naylor - First Assistant Director, Joseph Ruben - Director, George Bowers - Editor, Michael Lloyd - Composer (Music Score), Stephen M. Katz - Cinematographer, Joseph Ruben - Producer, Marilyn Jacobs Tenser - Producer, Alex Vandekar - Sound/Sound Designer, Robert J. Rosenthal - Screen Story, Joseph Ruben - Screenwriter
