the audience applauded

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

You probably know what you are getting if you decide to see this one. It's another mid-80's teen sex comedy with a silly plot, bad acting, ridiculous situations, and gratuitous nudity. If you grew up during this era, the music and fashion will take you back. Two brothers inherit a bikini shop. Todd is the laid-back party dude who wants to keep the shop and let the good times roll. The other brother is a straight-laced finance major who just wants to sell it and get back to his career. Eventually they join forces to save the store and presumably grow old together in the Malibu sun. Some of the positives of this movie: I really felt like the characters were having fun, and it looked like it would be a nice place to hang out (and I already live in southwest Florida). Also, the simplistic story drew me in enough that I was happy for the business-minded brother when he finally dumped his sexist caricature of a finance and got with the sweet, gentle bikini sales girl. It's all very predictable and not really much to look at (nobody looks good with 80's hair), but as I said, if you enjoy movies like Private Resort, Revenge of the Nerds, and Porkys, you won't really care.

"Malibu" Bikini Shop is a Sex Comedy that manages to be neither comedic nor sexy. Well, maybe a little bit sexy. But the scenes of Barbara Horan in the hot tub are hardly worth enduring terrible music, embarrassing fashions (sadly, the bikinis are some of the biggest violators) a thin, implausible, wholly predictable plot, and characters that are all one dimensional caricatures. This isn't even a "so bad it's good" kind of bad. It's more of a "sixth graders write better than this" bad and "how the hell can a movie about girls wearing bikinis be so unenjoyably" bad. Imagine an Elvis movie and the depth of plot those had, only instead of Elvis you have a pair of B-cups thrown in every 18 minutes or so and you have a pretty good idea of what you're in for with Bikini shop.I realize this isn't exactly Masterpiece Theater, but if you want to see skin (which is why 99% of people would even consider watching this) it would be so much more efficient to just look at a Playboy or even an episode of Rock of Love. The girls in this movie, while young and fit, are saddled with horrendous wardrobes and situations. Visually, none of them really rate higher than about a 7 out of 10.If you're still reading this review, you may be a Trekkie interested in Bruce Greenwood's early work and you're on the fence about if it's worth the time. Be warned: are you prepared for Bruce in a belly shirt? I advise having your thumb locked and ready on the ff/scan button. Life is too short to waste watching trash like this, and when I write "trash," I don't mean in a morally reprehensible way. I mean in a lazy, lowest common denominator kind of way.Bonus points to anyone who figures out why "Malibu" is sometimes attached to this title when the movie hints that it takes place in Santa Monica.

LOng before he would make a name for himself in films like "The Great Hereafter"."Double Jeopardy" and "Thirteen Days",handsome Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood was in this perpetual boner on celluloid. He plays the easygoing,beer-guzzling beach bum who co-owns the titular shop with his upright,uptight brother(Michael David Wright,anyone know where he went?)after their dear Aunt passes on,leaving the store to them in her will(likely? You betcha!). Of course,nearly everybody in this film is a nobody(Save for long-running lounge and TV variety act impresario Charlie Brill,in a bit part),and the film is entirely motorized on the presence of sexy,scantily clad women who may or may not be taking' it all off over the course of the film. THink "HArdbodies" with a slightly less misogynistic tone. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit when I was a teen(take a wild guess as to why),and while I probably haven't had a look at this film since the early nineties,I saw it enough times that I can practically count all the scenes of nudity(and recall them in loving slow-mo!)that occurred and which ones I liked the best(a scene involving a two-way mirror and a proportionately perfect,LAnders-sister-looking model was my favorite). i would say that if you've rarely if ever seen naked women before,or are under the age of eighteen,you'll enjoy this film immensely. To anyone else--and assuming you'd have the patience to sit through this!--I'd say,understand that this whole film is a device and accept it for what it is: a pure,brainless '80s sex movie featuring an up-and-coming actor who'd probably like to forget he'd ever agreed to do it. Well,Bruce,just repeat to yourself:it was experience and I needed the money.

This is it! I just can't believe that people don't like this movie. Whenever I'm sad, I watch it and it always cheers me up. And by the way, the music is great. The closing song is my favorite. Though I'm a hip-hop fan I really like it. If I see the movie in the morning I can't get it out of my head til late afternoon. And it's always enjoying to see all these palms and sunny beaches. And the mood is so right :)) And even the fact that people are getting old and this movie reminds them of what they won't ever have again is not enough. If you want to see a drama, go and see "Titanic". If you want to see many special effects, go and see "Star Wars", but if you want to see a funny movie full with sun and smiles, go and see "Malibu Bikini Shop" because I really think that young people will enjoy it.