Revenge of the Nerds
A group of college misfits turns technical ingenuity and collective defiance into a raunchy campaign against fraternity bullies.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- raunchy
- irreverent
- witty
- nostalgic movie night
- college comedy marathon
What critics said
Critics recognized the satisfying underdog premise and energetic satire but broadly faulted the crude humor, predictability, and racial and sexist stereotyping.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gilbert, Lewis, Booger, Poindexter, Lamar, and Wormser form their own fraternity after being displaced and targeted by the jocks.
The story contrasts the privileged Alpha Beta jocks with freshmen excluded from housing and campus acceptance.
The film combines scatological humor, a panty raid, sexual deception, pie eating, and technological pranks with an outsider victory arc.
The nerds use their technical ingenuity to retaliate against the jocks and reverse the campus power dynamic.
Films like Revenge of the Nerds, and why
Animal House
shares a raunchy teen comedy format, outsider protagonists, and rebellion against entrenched social hierarchies
Real Genius
shares an 1980s college setting, broad campus humor, fraternity culture, and an underdog ensemble
The Breakfast Club
shares a teen comedy structure centered on unpopular outsiders challenging status-conscious social groups
Porky's
shares bawdy humor, adolescent social satire, and a sympathetic ensemble of misfits
Movie Details
- Director
- Jeff Kanew
- Release Date
- 1984-07-20
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (841)
Cast
- Robert Carradine
- Anthony Edwards
- Timothy Busfield
- Curtis Armstrong
- Larry B. Scott
- Andrew Cassese
- Brian Tochi
- Julia Montgomery
- Michelle Meyrink
- Ted McGinley
Common questions
- What is Revenge of the Nerds about?
- A group of college misfits turns technical ingenuity and collective defiance into a raunchy campaign against fraternity bullies.
- What is Revenge of the Nerds like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Revenge of the Nerds as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Revenge of the Nerds violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Revenge of the Nerds as mild.
- What did critics think of Revenge of the Nerds?
- Critics recognized the satisfying underdog premise and energetic satire but broadly faulted the crude humor, predictability, and racial and sexist stereotyping.
- Which films are like Revenge of the Nerds?
- Films with a similar feel include Animal House, Real Genius, The Breakfast Club, and Porky's.
- How long is Revenge of the Nerds?
- Revenge of the Nerds runs 90 minutes.
