It came listed as a sexploitation movie and I really didn't think it would have so much story. I was expecting Confessions of a Window Cleaner except with groupies instead of window cleaners, and instead it was quite a reasonable, and as far as I can tell, accurate, story of its time. (Barrring the usual lapses like "tripping" on marijuana ("maharajah"). You'd think someone on the film would have asked Release about drugs before they finalized the script. Release has been around with its pamphlets since 1967.) The music was quite good too. Way too poppy for my tastes, but not as god-awful as it could have been.
Much of it was indeed about groupies, but the subplot about vans was the truly cool feature. I loved the Transit van scenes but I had to admit in the Big Chicken Run, the ultra-cool Bedford easily outfoxed the Transit, which is all as it should be.
As another van-related feature, IMDB points out that the group's van runs over a pedestrian in the opening sequences. I think it was staged, and I think it was supposed to be funny. My theory is based on the way the pedestrian collapses and rolls before the van gets him. Here's the shots.
The van is rushing because it's pulling away from the group's house which has been surrounded by autograph/souvenir hunters. I have to say that seemed unlikely - the girls would have stripped the van while they were waiting for the boys, surely? Or at least ripped out the distributor cap to give them a better chance at outrunning the van. Overall, the acting was barely adequate (except from the vans) and the nudity was not particularly enticing, but the plot was relatively strong. I felt sorry for the young woman, who was too dim for her own good, and felt that the boys' attitudes, sadly, were probably quite realistic.
Verdict: If you like 1970 you'll probably like this movie.
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