What makes it different from others?

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Despise the presence of a bunch of Van Pattens (a stalwart of a lot of these teen-hijinks flicks), this is a pretty decent run-of-the-mill teen-exploitation flick. The big twist being the fact that ex-Frank Zappa drummer Tony Bozzio and his wonderfully beautiful wife at the time, Dale Bozzio (of previous Joe's Garage, Hustler, and Playboy fame), she of the squeaky voice and large talents, are both in the movie. The band, US Drag is credited, and they play the title track "Lunch Wagon Girls," Mental Hopscotch," and "Walking in LA". They of course were really Missing Persons. Not sure if they hadn't come up with the Missing Persons band name yet (MUCH better than US Drag), or if they were hiding the fact that they were in the movie in the first place (not sure why), but I remember seeing this on some late-night channel around 1988, hearing the songs, and thinking what the hell is Terry Bozzio doing in this?

This innocuous nudie comedy was made in the late 70's/early 80's between the great 70's drive-in sexplotation era and the 80's "Porky's"-style teen comedy era. The most obvious inspiration might have been "Gas Pump Girls" and "Teen Lust". While those two films were about three sexy girls trying to, respectively, run a gas station, and work as ride-along police cadets, this is about three sexy girls trying to run a lunch wagon for hungry (and horny) construction workers. Along the way they somehow get involved with two different gangs of inept jewelry thieves and have several run-ins with the (strangely uncredited) early 80's pop act Missing Persons.Voluptuous blonde lead actress Pamela Jean Bryant, who very recently passed away, had only a brief career, but appeared in a number of seminal exploitation films of the era like "HOTS". She played the sexy older sister of one of the protagonists in "Private Lessons" (one of the very first of the 80's teen exploitation comedies) and she also had a small role as a topless victim in the sleazy slasher flick "Don't Answer the Phone". African-American actress right Roseanne Katon might be as well known today for her tireless charity work as her exploitation career, but the latter stretched all the way back to Jack Hill's "The Swinging Cheerleaders". Candy Moore, the least-known actress of the main trio, is kind of miscast as a female body-builder (since she has slender 110-lb.fashion-model body), but her character has a funny fetish for small nerdy guys who can she can really take charge of in the sack. A little further down the cast list is Louisa Moritz as a bubble-headed gangster moll. She was ubiquitous in supporting bimbo roles from the mid-70's to mid-80's, her most famous being as race-car driver in "Death Race 2000" and as hot-to-trot Latina who takes on three pizza boys in "Last American Virgin" (another seminal early 80's teen comedies).The male cast are mostly supporting comic buffoons who provide some mildly entertaining antics between bouts of toplessness and generally drool over the female characters. They're not very memorable, but they're not too annoying either. Half-assed and leering as it may be, this movie still has a little of the 70's era feminism with the female characters taking center stage, whereas a couple years later movies like this were all about horny teenage boys trying to get laid. I have no idea how Missing Persons came to appear in this movie (or why they're not credited), but they contribute several memorable songs. They were definitely the best early 80's pop group fronted by a former Playboy Bunny.. .

A trio of lovely young ladies start their own lunch wagon business. The gals face serious opposition from no-count competitor Al Schmeckler (a perfectly hateful portrayal by Rick Podell). Moreover, things are further complicated by bumbling diamond thief the Turtle (a hilariously cranky and foul-mouthed Chuck McCann) and his gluttonous slob partner Ralph (the equally amusing Vic Dunlop). Director Ernest Pintoff, working from a blithely silly script by Terrie Maxine Frankle and Marshall Harvey, relates the cheerfully asinine shenanigans at a nonstop breakneck pace and maintains an infectiously good-natured tone throughout. The attractive and appealing cast tackle the admittedly inane material with great verve: Pamela Jean Bryant as the feisty Marcy, Rosanne Katon as the sassy Shannon, Candy Moore as brash, foxy body builder Diedre, James Van Patten as likable hunk Biff, Michael Tucci as nice bespectacled nerd Arnie, and the ever-adorable Louisa Moritz as bubbly blonde bimbo Sunshine. Rose Marie has a cool small part as the formidable Mrs. Schmeckler. This movie further benefits from a lively soundtrack of first-rate early 80's New Wave rock songs, with the dynamic "Mental Hopscotch" by Missing Persons rating as the definite stand-out track. Fred Lemler's sunny cinematography gives the picture a sparkling bright look. Despite a generous sprinkling of tasty female nudity and a sizable smattering of profanity, a certain sweet and even innocent charm somehow manages to pervade throughout this tremendously bouncy and upbeat romp. A totally breezy and enjoyable blast.

Lunch Wagon is a fun little comedy, about 3 girls trying to make it in the lunch wagon business, when they are pursued by a couple of bumbling jewel thieves. It has a new wave look about it, and never gets too goofy. Look for missing persons, and a lot of naked women...