''Totally Awesome'' is a television film produced by VH1. ''Totally Awesome'' directly parodies a number of 1980s movies, including ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'', '' Soul Man'', ''

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

'', '' Some Kind of Wonderful'', ''

Sixteen Candles ''Sixteen Candles'' is a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughes ...

'', ''

Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...

'', '' Better Off Dead'', '' Lucas'', ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'', and ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

''. The film premiered on November 4, 2006, on VH1, and was broadcast to promote the film's

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

release on November 7.

Plot

Ben Stein introduces the film as a long-lost film from the 1980s, so a lot of the jokes are now outdated in 2006. As the Gunderson family sets out on a cross-country road trip to their new home, boyishly handsome Charlie, blossoming dancer Lori, and highly intelligent Max all have their own ideas of what life will be like in their new town. When Charlie is singled out as the least popular senior on the very first day of school, kindly outcast Billie amiably agrees to show him the ropes and provide him with an illuminating crash course in the clique system. Meanwhile, Lori is shocked to discover that dancing has been banned in her new town and the only place to cut loose is at the clandestine dance sessions held in the garage of current janitor and former dance instructor Gabriel. Immediately forbidden from attending the highly secretive shindigs, Lori stealthily sneaks out to be with the kindly Gabriel as her feelings for the dance instructor grow and the pair set into motion a clever plan to usher in a new era of dancing around town. When Charlie vows to win the heart of popular girl Kimberly by competing against her athletic boyfriend, Kipp, in the upcoming school decathlon, lovelorn Billie quietly pines for the clueless newcomer from afar as he begins a rigorous training regiment with Japanese gardener Yamagashi. As his family struggles to adjust to their new life, reclusive genius Max continues working on a highly advanced home computer that soon draws the attention of the CIA.

Cast

Mikey Day Michael William Day (born March 20, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host of the Netflix show '' Is It Cake?'' He joined ''Saturday Night Live'' as a writer in its 39th season, became a featured player in i ...

as Charlie Gunderson *

Dominique Swain Dominique Swain (born August 12, 1980) is an American actress and producer. She came to prominence playing the title character in Adrian Lyne's 1997 film adaptation of ''Lolita'', alongside her supporting role as Jamie Archer in John Woo's ''Fac ...

as Lori Gunderson * James Hong as Mr. Yamagashi * Chris Kattan as Gabriel * Trevor Heins as Max *

Nicki Clyne Nicki Clyne is a Canadian actress, known for her role as Cally Henderson on the SyFy television series ''Battlestar Galactica''. Clyne is a member of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company founded by Keith Raniere. Former members, the media, an ...

as Billie *

Brittany Daniel Brittany Ann Daniel (born March 17, 1976) is an American actress. She is the twin sister of photographer and former actress Cynthia Daniel. Daniel is best known for her roles as Jessica Wakefield in the teen drama series '' Sweet Valley High' ...

as Kimberly *

Joey Kern Joseph Daniel Kern (born September 5, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is most widely known for his roles in the 2003 films '' Cabin Fever'' and ''Grind''. Early life Kern was born in Kentucky and was raised in northern Kentucky in t ...

as Kipp Vanderhoff *

Teryl Rothery Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress of stage, television, and film. She is best known for portraying Janet Fraiser in the TV series ''Stargate SG-1''. She co-starred as Grace Sherman in '' Cedar Cove'', and has had major roles as Muriel in ''Vi ...

as Mrs. Gunderson *

Greg Kean Gregory Kean Williams (born September 27, 1962) is a Canadian television actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Clancy Lass in the television series ''Dead Like Me''. Early life Kean was born in Oshawa, Ontario, the son of Dorothy and ...

as Mr. Gunderson *

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...

as Darnell *

Tone Loc Anthony Terrell Smith (born March 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Tone Lōc (), is an American rapper, actor, and producer. He is known for his raspy voice, his hit songs " Wild Thing" and " Funky Cold Medina", for which he was nomin ...

as himself * Ben Stein as himself

Reception

Heather Boerner of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave it 3 out of 5 and called the "VH1 spoof awesome just for '80s teen film fans." David Cornelius of

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

wrote that the idea didn't work when it was called "

Not Another Teen Movie ''Not Another Teen Movie'' is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features an ensemble cast including Chyler Leigh, Chris E ...

" and again the filmmakers confuse "reference for punchline". He says the film "knows enough about its subject to come up with nifty joke ideas, but can't quite turn them into solid chuckle material" and concludes "This could have been a keen, fairly hilarious spoof, but instead it's a dry, overblown project that can't bother to follow through with its ideas."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Totally Awesome 2006 television films 2006 films 2006 comedy films American comedy films American satirical films American television films Films set in the 1980s Films shot in Vancouver VH1 films 2000s American films