Cheerleaders Wild Weekend: Special Edition – MVD Rewind Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1979
Director: Jeff Werner
Writers: D.W. Gilbert, Jason Williams
Cast: Kristine DeBell, Jason Williams, Anthony Lewis, Wally Ann Wharton, Janet Blythe, Deslyn Bernet, Lachelle Chamberlain, Leslie King, Joan Wolff, Elizabeth Halsey, Marilyn Joi, Carmen Hayward, Debbie Doherty, Alexis Swanigan, Janie Squire, Lenka Novak, Shell Kepler, Robert Houston, Courtney Sands, Leon Isaac Kennedy

Release Date: December 17th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"A group of comely and curvaceous cheerleaders are kidnapped by a vengeful jock (Jason Williams, Flesh Gordon) and held for ransom in an isolated hideout. Plotting an escape, these shapely victims let by Debbie Williams (Kristine DeBell, Alice in Wonderland), use their hidden charms to entice their captors. But eventually kidnappers and victims are drawn ultimately together in exhilarating excitement while plotting to steal the ransom money and foil the cops." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "High Definition presentation".

Cheerleaders Wild Weekend comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.8 GB

Feature: 19.1 GB

Some source debris remains; fortunately, the bulk of this transfer looks great. That said, this transfer shares the same source as Code Red’s 2016 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look healthy, color saturation is very good, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and grain remains intact. 

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. This audio track sounds cleaner and clearer than Code Red’s 2016 Blu-ray release. That said, the dialog comes through clearly enough to follow, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, this audio track sounds satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a photo gallery (stills/advertisements), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate title card (3 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Leon Isaac Kennedy (27 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Marilyn Joi (14 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jason Williams (8 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Kristine DeBell (10 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with director Jeff Werner, editor Gregory McClatchy and Marilyn Joi, an archival audio commentary with Kristine DeBell, a collectible mini-poster, and a slipcover (first pressing only).

Other extras are trailers for Cop Killers, Joysticks, 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!, Hail Caesar, Ski Patrol, and LA Wars.

Summary:

Though known under the title Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend, the original title of the film was The Great American Girl Robbery. Jason Williams and Bill Osco are the creative forces behind Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend. They had previously collaborated on Flesh Gordon, Alice in Wonderland (1976), and Cop Killers. 

Three rival cheerleader squads are kidnapped on their way to the state finals. The kidnappers demand a 2 million dollar ransom in exchange for the safe return of the abducted cheerleaders. Can the kidnappers be able to keep their hostages in line long enough to collect the ransom?

Based solely on premise, Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend is a film ripe with exploitation cinema possibilities. Cheerleaders are held captive by kidnappers, a few of whom are deviants and have other ideas besides the ransom. From its opening moments, Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend firmly establishes what kind of film it is. In its opening credits, there is some nudity and a series of glamour shots with the cheerleaders.

The narrative is a playful mix of sexual naughtiness and off-the-wall humor that does a good job offsetting the more uncomfortable moments. The dialog is laced with innuendo; in one scene, a kidnapper offers a girl who is hungry his ‘Soul-Lami’. Another moment of humor is when one of the kidnappers gets caught masturbating to two lesbians bathing. The most memorable moment is when the kidnappers force the cheerleaders to compete in a beauty pageant, and the girls once again try to outdo each other as their clothes quickly fall off. That said, all of the humor is politically incorrect.

The most surprising aspect of Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend is the performances, which are overflowing with enthusiasm. The cast features several recognizable faces: Kristine DeBell (Battle Creek Brawl), Marilyn Joi (The Naughty Stewardesses), Leon Isaac Kennedy (Penitentiary), and Robert Houston (The Hills Have Eyes).

Despite its limited resources, Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend is a film that often exceeds expectations. The narrative's greatest asset is the way the cheerleaders try to deceive and escape their kidnappers. Another strength of the narrative is how effectively it uses flashbacks to fill in the kidnappers backstory. Also, the music, though dated, reinforces the mood superbly. Ultimately, Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend is a well-made exploitation film that never strays away from its strength, T&A.

MVD Rewind Collection gives Cheerleaders Wild Weekend a first-rate release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer