Paramount's attempt to jump on the clean teen bandwagon did not result in one of the classics of the era (it's no Gidget, no Beach Party) but is bright enough. Tommy Sands (distracting dyed blonde) and Toby Michaels are two platonic best friends from college who decide to spend the Easter break together at Sands' mother's beach pad, playing house together (because it's 1961 this means she agrees to do all the cooking).
Michaels' character is a little sweetheart; Sands' character is an intellectual, pompous individual who seems very old fashioned in his view of the sexes (expecting Michaels to cook and clean) - and has nil sexual interest in Michaels... at least until Fabian rocks up, as a member of the coast guard. And even then he's more protective in a fatherly way most off the time.
Very possible to do a gay reading of this film, particularly when Fabian brings over a floozy for Sands and he displays no interest in her either. Or maybe that's too limiting: because when Fabian puts the hard word on Michaels she is very coy and not keen at all, despite flirting heavily throughout the movie until then. So maybe it's more accurate to describe this movie as being about two people with low sex drives who find each other; at the end they do kiss, but when they're together at the very end they are chatting away as per normal.
There are some unexpected surprises here: a catchy theme song sung by Sands (written by the team of David and Bacharach), poignancy in the last act where parents Edward Andrews and Jan Sterling realise they've been neglecting their kids. Of the three leads, Michaels (billed as "the new kid" but didn't have much of a career) and Fabian come off best; Sands has the showier role but lacked the chops to pull it off (he's not a believable intellectual). Fabian was still inexperienced but is more comfortable in a straightforward part: all American (Italian-American, rather) coast guard. (He sings a song too.) There's strong veteran support from Andrews, Sterling and John McGiver.
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