I’ve long been a proponent of the Popcorn Flick. There’s something to be said for a couple of hours of brainless entertainment. After all, that’s the very premise of “guilty pleasure” tv shows like The Bachelorette.
So, it was with that mindset that I settled into my seat for Baywatch starring Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and Priyanka Chopra. There could be no better truth in advertising than what the trailer promised and the full-length feature delivered. The movie is saturated with the anticipated raunchy jokes–though they weren’t quite as over-the-top as expected from the post-American Pie generation. The movie’s self-aware humor addresses everything from Efron’s looks to Chopra’s potential as a future Bond girl.
Baywatch delivers exactly as predicted. Sure, the set ups are obvious and the jokes hit on the same note a few too many times. This movie, like the long-running tv show which inspired it, isn’t academic and there are just as many manly muscles as — ahem, feminine curves.
The actors commit to Baywatch with acting gusto, a significant element in selling a movie in which Johnson and Efron must believably carry two full-sized refrigerators on their backs. Their commitment to this silliness sells the concept and the entirety of the movie itself.
Baywatch also stars Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera and Jon Bass.
For more about Baywatch, including eagle-eye details and Dwayne Johnson’s integrative marketing, take a look below:
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