Side Out—which stars C. Thomas Howell and Peter Horton as Monroe Clark and Zack Barnes—is the quintessential beach volleyball movie. There is a distinct lack of competition in that field, but regardless, it is a 1990s filmmaking delight.
The central conceit of Side Out is that Clark, an aspiring lawyer, comes to California to intern for his uncle Max—an unscrupulous attorney who's always out for money. This fortuitously leads him to Barnes, an aging and disgraced former "King of the Beach."
From there, it's magic....
Side Out—which stars C. Thomas Howell and Peter Horton as Monroe Clark and Zack Barnes—is the quintessential beach volleyball movie. There is a distinct lack of competition in that field, but regardless, it is a 1990s filmmaking delight.
The central conceit of Side Out is that Clark, an aspiring lawyer, comes to California to intern for his uncle Max—an unscrupulous attorney who's always out for money. This fortuitously leads him to Barnes, an aging and disgraced former "King of the Beach."
From there, it's magic. All of it. From the Kenny Loggins needle drop, to the ultra 90s aesthetic, to the incredible montages, Side Out is so bad it actually transcends its absurdity and attains greatness.
Honestly, I'm clearly in the minority on this. Side Out grossed well under $1 million on a budget of $6 million—a cost apparently offset by its insane amount of product placement. It also bankrupted one of the studios that backed it.
But, who cares!? We're here for the sand, beers, and babes! And this movie has an abundance of those. Plus, there is enough neon and Mossimo apparel to make your head spin.
So sit back, relax by the ocean with a California Honey Blonde Ale from Pizza Port Brewing Co., and take a tour of the dead stars! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Chumpzilla, and Mayor McCheese are entering the Jose Cuervo Classic for a shot at glory!
This Week’s Segments:
- Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Side Out is perhaps the greatest beach volleyball movie ever, though that is admittedly not saying much. (00:00)
- Lingering Questions – We hear from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA, and then we tackle Side Out's most enduring mystery: Does Zack Barnes conquer his crippling gambling addiction, or does he squander his new found winnings? (42:48)
- The "King of the Beach" Trivia Challenge – The Double Turn Podcast sets us up for a spike, and then I challenge the field to a series of questions relating to the movie. (1:03:18)
- Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week, honor the late Norm Macdonald, and next up: We continue "Hops and Sports Ball Flops" with the all-star chimpanzee shortstop Ed! (1:13:21)
And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—the odd amount of volleyball video games and more—from this week’s episode!
You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, and Amazon Music!
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