The Virgin Queen of St. Francis High (1987)

Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Shy and insecure nerd Mike (a fine and likable portrayal by Joseph R. Straface) makes a $2,000 dollar bet with smarmy jerk big man on campus Randy (a pleasingly obnoxious turn by Lee Barringer) that he can deflower Diane (a wonderfully sweet and beguiling performance by the adorable Stacy Christensen), who's the most popular girl in high school. However, things get complicated when Mike falls in love with Diane. Writer/director Francesco Lucente takes a premise that could have been easily done as your basic crassly pandering raunchy smut and instead treats it with surprising taste, warmth, heart, and even genuine charm: There's a touching and good-natured affinity and sensitivity for the appealing main characters that's impossible to dislike or resist, Mike's fantasies are both funny and witty (the James Bond send-up are especially amusing), and the upbeat conclusion doesn't comes across as remotely forced or too sappy. Straface and Christensen both do terrific work in the lead roles; they receive fine support from J.T. Wotton as Mike's loyal, long-suffering friend Charles, Anna Lisa Iapaolo as Diane's sarcastic best gal pal Judy, and Bev Wotton as Diane's strict, overprotective mother. Joseph Bitonti's bright cinematography gives this movie an attractive sunny look. The bouncy rock soundtrack keeps things bubbling along. A real sleeper.

I found this movie to be particularly interesting for me as I am perhaps the biggest James Bond fan ever. The 20-minute Bond dream sequence is totally 80's which is another thing I like and I was cracking up at the music playing during the dream sequences. Despite this part of the film, I quite enjoyed the rest of it as well. The whole movie just gave me a warm feeling as I was watching it. I thought the ending was pretty fitting as well. I would really like to get a copy of this movie but, of course, it is a very difficult movie to find. I once taped the latter half of it (including the James Bond sequence thankfully) off T.V. but I've since lost the tape. Jeez... I remember frantically looking around for a blank tape so I could start taping it right away and I found one just in time for that sequence. This is definitely a fun movie and it's strange that I'm now living in B.C. (the province in Canada right next door to Alberta where this was filmed in 1987). I'd have to say that most people would enjoy this film when you're in the right mood with an open mind. I think the movie turned out to be exactly what the writer/filmmakers intended it to be; just a fun teen movie that delivers a nice message effectively and shows the importance of forgiveness and compromise and in a very cute, innocent way.

A terrible movie, but worth seeing if you enjoy laughing at a ridiculous 80's stinker. Everything about it sucks, and I believe thatthe main character, Mike, is one of the most repulsive humanbeings on the planet. I can't imagine anyone ever wanting tospend more than a few minutes with him, left alone a whole nightat the notorious "Paradise Bungalows" as the poor Virgin Queendoes. Unintentionally hilarious, this film contains some wonderfulcinematic moments such as a Daddy Long Legs attack, a 20minute James Bond dream sequence, and a man-in-bear-suitattack. Watch it with friends if you're bored enough, but make sureyou don't see it alone, or your witty insults and snorts of laughterwill go unappreciated.

After reading the reviews regarding "The Virgin Queen of St. Francis High", I was compelled to rent the movie to see if the comments made by other viewers were justified. The reviews were so dire that I needed to see for myself if this movie was really as "inept" as others had claimed it to be. I put the tape in and began watching what was supposed to be the "worst movie ever". I was prepared to add my venomous review to the list, but what I discovered instead, was that I genuinely enjoyed the film. The movie revolves around a nerdish type of guy named Mike (Joseph Straface), who makes a $2,000.00 bet with Randy (Lee Barringer), the most popular guy around, that he can get Diane (Stacy Christenson), the most popular girl around, not to mention the most unatainable one, to a place called Paradise Bungalows. A sort of lover's lane motel in the woods. The antics begin when Mike tries to woo and win Diane's heart with his impish charms and with the aid of his best friend Charly (J.T. Wotton). Through his persitence, Diane begins to fall for Mike's charms and against the adivce of her best friend Judy (Anna Lisa Iapaolo), who also happens to be Charly's sister, she ends up going to Paradise Bungalows for the weekend. Judy discovers the truth about the wager and feels it her duty to inform Diane about the deception. Now Mike must save face with Diane and save her honor as well, by confronting Randy in the climax of the movie.I found the climax reminiscent of a Sergio Leone western and found it a most entertaining homage, as the hero and villain face off in a classic "Good, Bad and Ugly" encounter. It was a stylish ending to a stylish movie.All in all, the Virgin Queen of St. Francis high was indeed a pleasant surprise. It was funny, enchanting and endearing. I found myself rooting for Mike as he went from a bumbling nerd to charming hero. After watching the film I had to conclude that the other critics simply missed the point and compared to the myriad of useless romantic comedies out there, I found this to be a gem. It was fresh and different. The music was great and really added to the overall experience as did the great scenery. I would indeed wholheartedly recommend this film and give it a two thumbs up!