Nerds in Paradise (1987) – Nostalgia Central

This worthy sequel to 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds (subtitled Nerds in Paradise) reunites many of the cast from the first film.

Robert Carradine is lead lunatic Lewis Skolnick; Timothy Busfield is nearsighted hypochondriac Arnold Poindexter; Andrew Cassese is computer whizz Wormser; Curtis Armstrong is the disgusting Booger, who meets his match and mentor in Snotty (James Hong), an equally murky-minded Chinese “teacher” (“To truly hock a loogie, one must not retrieve the phlegm from the throat, but from the soul”); and Larry B. Scott returns as Lamar Latrelle of the exotic name and chintzy wardrobe.

This time, these five fascinating fruitcakes from the Lambda Lambda Lambda (Tri-Lamb) fraternity are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a United Fraternity Conference, where they come up against another group of Alpha Beta nerd haters, and the boys rally to the cause again, getting their own back in some very original ways,

Anthony Edwards also appears briefly as Lewis’ best friend and advisor, Gilbert Cowe, who is unable to go to the conference because he has broken his leg playing chess!

When they are thrown out of their hotel by the acting manager – another champion of the Stamp-Out-Nerds campaign – the boys wind up at the run-down, vermin-infested Hotel Coral Essex run by the unbelievable Aldonza (Priscilla Lopez) – a wonderfully awful amalgamation of all the terrible Z-grade Latin American movie vamps ever to hiss “Si, si!”

Ms Lopez obviously has a ball.

The hotel itself is a horror to behold with features like the Esther Williams swimming pool (which Esther would assuredly only be seen dead in!) and the Ricky Ricardo suite.

Despite negative reviews from critics, the film grossed $30 million domestically against a $10 million budget, paving the way for further sequels.

Lewis Skolnick
Robert Carradine
Dudley “Booger” Dawson
Curtis Armstrong
Lamar Latrelle
Larry B. Scott
Arnold Poindexter 
Timothy Busfield
Sunny Carstairs 
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Wormser
Andrew Cassese
Fred “Ogre” Palowakski
Donald Gibb
Roger Latham
Bradley Whitford
Buzz
Ed Lauter
Stewart
Barry Sobel
Tiny
Tom Hodges
Mr Comstock
Jack Gilpin
Gilbert Cowe
Anthony Edwards
Edgar Poe “Snotty” Wong
James Hong
Aldonza
Priscilla Lopez
Mr Skolnick
James Cromwell
Winston
Jason Julien
Mrs Comstock
Marilyn Caskey
Gundy
Richard Joseph Paul
Indian Maiden
Rhonda Waymire
Lori
Donna Rosea
Michelle
Susan Vanech
Jerry
Robert Goodman
Pot Roast
Michael Fitzgerald

Director
Joe Roth

Video