Leofwine_draca
This is probably one of the most obscure features I've yet to see on late night television, and on watching THE VIRGIN QUEEN OF ST. FRANCIS HIGH you quickly realise why you never heard of it before: it's poor, as poor as the usual fare from Crown International Pictures. The only difference with this one is that it's Canadian, but otherwise it's a cookie cutter romantic comedy.The plot is simplistic stuff about two guys who make a bet that one of them can score with the school's 'virgin queen'. The rest of the film sees the guy trying to do so, but real romance gradually gets in the way. It's as trite as it sounds, mixing dumb jokes with sentiment, and the acting is notably poor here. Joseph Straface comes across as desperate and creepy, and Stacy Christensen has virtually none of the charisma you'd expect from someone so supposedly alluring.As usual, the film is marred by cheap production values and a general lack of ineptness which makes it quickly boring. You'd be better off with a John Hughes film from the same era; at least they were well written, and thus popular for a reason.
love1982
The other day I found this video at a bookstore by chance, and I wonder how come Hollywood does not make such innocent movie anymore rather than making those filthy ones. Mike (Joseph R. Straface) appears as a shy boy, and he is such a sweet actor. I fell in love with him and I watched this video many times. Of course I recommended to my friends. Also the music was great and if you like top gun soundtrack or 80's sound then you will definitely love this one. My recommended tracks are "wait for another day" (theme of this movie) and "strange things to remember". I was surprised that "paradise bungalows" and the hotel where Mike said his father own the place (Banff springs hotel) really exists in Canada. If you are looking for a fresh, innocent movie then please check this out!
bigeasy
Well I for one thought this was a great little comedy and great look back at the eighties. Sure it was an idea that's been done before, (boy meets girl, boy tries to win girl, boy looses girl, then boy wins girl back), but it was fresh and funny. The lead actor kept me laughing through the film and the leading lady was not only a good actress, but she was very nice on the eyes as well. I cannot imagine for the life of me, a "mutiny" occurring during the screening of this film. I've seen many films that have deserved to have eggs thrown at them, but this is definitely not one of them. It was a sincere attempt at a genre that is all too often moronic in its attempt to induce laughter. It was a genuine film and the arc the main character took through the movie was realistic and endearing. Indeed all the actors did a wonderful job in keeping the film lively with their perfomances. Kudos to the director for taking the chance to portray a teen comedy that has some intelligence to it. I would, and have recommended this video to friends of mine and to those would be "mutineers", step on the plank and jump, cause you don't know a sincere film when you see one.
b_jonas
In most respects, this film is a clunker, hence the bad reviews; however, it is only fair to note that what the film is, and what it obviously intended to be, are two entirely different things.I don't know anything about the film's history, but it comes across like a no-budget college student film. Penned and directed by Francesco Lucente, the story is about a wager between two high school students, Mike and Randy. Mike, frustrated by the fact that he's constantly one-upped by the hubristic Randy, bets his nemesis $2,000 that he can bed Diane, the title character, who obviously has a reputation at stake. And the `courtship' is on. However, as Mike undertakes the challenge, he finds himself falling for his intended conquest.Similar plot lines have been used to better effect in recent efforts, namely She's All That starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook, and American Pie, featuring the relationship between Chris Klein (Oz) and Mena Suvari (Heather), both released in 1999. Unfortunately, Lucente didn't have an astronomical budget to work with - heck, none of the scenes even feature St. Francis High. But, low budget efforts have worked before, so that can't be targeted as the primary reason this film doesn't work.The film mainly falls flat for two reasons: 1) a weak script, and 2) a wooden performance by Joseph Straface in the leading male role. Straface just doesn't possess the acting chops to convince the audience that Mike has what it takes to win over Diane, and therefore it isn't very believable when he does succeed in his mission. Even so, Stacy Christensen delivers a respectable performance as Diane, the title character, and Anna-Lisa Iapaolo (now a New York-based jazz singer) as her best friend Judy, Lee Barringer as Randy, and J. T. Wotton as Charles (Mike's best friend and Judy's younger brother), do adequately in their supporting roles. Wotton, in fact, comes across as a natural in front of the camera, managing to salvage many of his scenes with Straface, whose character has most of the screen time.
The ending of the film was downright ridiculous, consisting of a `chickie run' between Mike and Randy. I was left with the impression that Lucente chose to work the scene in out of homage to Rebel Without A Cause, a true teen classic, completely neglecting the fact that it was an absolutely pointless maneuver on his part. It just doesn't seem to really fit into the film. It was as though he had run out of ideas and was fishing for a dramatic ending.Although the film does have some heart, it lacks much else to recommend it, save for some half-way decent tunes on the soundtrack. Sadly, I must concur with the overall consensus that there really isn't much going to recommend this film to others, unless you want to be left, like I was, with a feeling of what could have been but never will be.
