''Dangerous Curves'' is a 1988 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by David Lewis and starring

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in ''The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

and

Grant Heslov Grant Heslov (born May 15, 1963) is an American actor and filmmaker known for his producing and writing collaborations with George Clooney, which have earned him four Oscar nominations. As a co-producer of ''Argo'' (2012), he received the Academy ...

. The movie also featured brief appearances by

Debbe Dunning Debra Dunning (born July 11, 1966) is an American actress, model, television host, spokesperson and comedienne. She is best known for playing Heidi on ''Home Improvement'' (1993–1999). Career Dunning played Heidi Keppert, the "'' Tool Tim ...

and

Cynthia Geary Cynthia Geary (born March 21, 1965) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelly Tambo on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Early life Encoura ...

, early in their respective careers. Both actresses were cast as participants in a

bikini contest A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...

Plot

Chuck (

), an uptight college student in Los Angeles, is hired by a successful businessman to deliver a

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

to his daughter in Lake Tahoe, with the promise of a job if the delivery is successful. His fun-loving, girl-obsessed friend and roommate, Wally (

) convinces Chuck to drive him to San Diego first. The Porsche is stolen, and Chuck decides to try to get it back with Wally's help but without involving the police so that the businessman does not find out. Meanwhile, Shawn (

Karen Lynn Scott Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic ...

), a fun-loving Texan, has convinced her naive friend Michelle (

Danielle von Zerneck Danielle von Zerneck (born December 21, 1965 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles) is an American actress and film producer. Career von Zerneck began her acting career in commercials and television films. From 1983 to 1984, she played Louisa "Lou ...

) to participate in a beauty pageant. The car thief is a successful local businessman, Greg Krevske (

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

), who pledges the stolen Porsche as part of the grand prize in the contest; Chuck and Wally meet Shawn and Michelle, who are initially skeptical of the boys' story. Rival pageant contestant Blake (

Valerie Breiman Valerie may refer to: People *Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie *Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 son ...

) has a controlling stage mother who tricks Shawn and Michelle into going to a party on Krevske's boat to try to get them out of the way for the next round of the pageant so that they will be disqualified. Chuck and Wally sneak onto the boat in order to get evidence of the theft. Chuck finds a briefcase full of incriminating evidence, including the Porsche's original license plate. The four flee on WetBikes, steal Krevske's Ferrari, and agree to work together to steal back the Porsche. Chuck and Michelle spend the night together on a

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

on the beach. The next day, with Michelle's help, Chuck and Wally steal back the Porsche. They present Krevske's Ferrari to the pageant as a replacement grand prize, and give the police the incriminating evidence from Krevske's boat. Wally suggests leaving in order to make it to Lake Tahoe on time, but Chuck refuses to leave without talking to Michelle again. Blake wins the beauty pageant, Shawn invites Wally to stay in San Diego with her to have fun, and Chuck and Michelle get ready to drive to Lake Tahoe.

Cast

as Chuck Upton *

as Michelle West *

as Wally Wilder *Valerie Breiman as Blake *

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...

as Louis Faciano *

as Greg Krevske *Karen Lynn Scott as Shawn *Michael Rosenberg as Jackie Diamond *Elizabeth Ashley as Miss Reed *

Robert Romanus Robert Romanus (born July 17, 1956), also billed as Bob Romanus, is an American actor and musician who has starred in film and television. He is perhaps best known for his role as ticket scalper Mike Damone in the 1982 comedy ''Fast Times at Rid ...

as Hector *

Eva LaRue Eva Maria LaRue (; born December 27, 1966) is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Maria Santos on '' All My Children'' and Det. Natalia Boa Vista on ''CSI: Miami''. Early life LaRue was born in Long Beach, California ...

as Leslie Cruz *Martha Quinn as Tympani Charles *

Robert Klein Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (197 ...

as Bam Bam

Production

Reception

References

External links

*
Images from the film
with commentary, focusing on Debbe Dunning 1988 films 1980s English-language films 1980s sex comedy films American sex comedy films Vestron Pictures films Films about beauty pageants Films shot in San Diego Teen sex comedy films 1988 comedy films 1980s American films Films set in San Diego {{1980s-comedy-film-stub