Shag

"On a summer weekend in 1963, four girlfriends made memories that would last a lifetime."

1989 1h 38m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 63

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Summer of 1963. Carson is getting married to her boyfriend so her friends Melaina, Pudge and Luanne take her to Myrtle Beach for one last irresponsible weekend.

“On a summer weekend in 1963, four girlfriends made memories that would last a lifetime.”

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Cast

Phoebe Cates
Carson McBride
Scott Coffey
Chip
Bridget Fonda
Melaina Buller
Annabeth Gish
Caroline "Pudge" Carmichael
Page Hannah
Luanne Clatterbuck
Robert Rusler
Buzz Ravenel
Tyrone Power Jr.
Harley Ralston
Jeff Yagher
Jimmy Valentine

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zelda Barron
Writers: Terry Sweeney, Lanier Laney, Robin Swicord
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zelda Barron, shot by Peter MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Laurence Méry-Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Phoebe Cates and Scott Coffey and Bridget Fonda carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "On a summer weekend in 1963, four girlfriends made memories that would last a lifetime.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0098300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zelda Barron directs. Peter MacDonald behind the camera. Laurence Méry-Clark cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

137 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Zelda Barron, shot by Peter MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Laurence Méry-Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Phoebe Cates and Scott Coffey and Bridget Fonda carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "On a summer weekend in 1963, four girlfriends made memories that would last a lifetime.".
7IMDB entry: tt0098300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter MacDonald
Editing: Laurence Méry-Clark
Production design: Buddy Cone
Costume design: Mary E. Vogt
Makeup / hair: Kathy Shorkey
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Shag (1989)

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Zelda Barron

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-05-27
★ 8/10
Youths having fun at Myrtle Beach in 1963 RELEASED IN 1989 and directed by Zelda Barron, "Shag” is a teen drama about four girls freshly graduated from high school taking a vacation weekend at Myrtle Beach in 1963. There’s the senator’s daughter, Luanne (Page Hannah); the engaged or encaged Carson (Phoebe Cates); the wannabe Hollywood starlet Malaina (Bridget Fonda); and the thinks-she’s-still-fat-but-she’s-not Pudge (Annabeth Gish). The movie plays like a melding of “American Graffiti” (1973), “Dirty Dancing” (1987) and “Mystic Pizza” (1988). It’s far superior to the overrated “American Graffiti” and lacks the idiot subplot of “Dirty Dancing” (see my reviews of both for details). The script thrusts the four girls into the weekend festivities at Myrtle Beach as quickly as possible wherein the story splits into several vignettes that intertwine. The weekend highpoints include: A beauty contest on the beach, a wild house party at the senator’s vacation home (unbeknownst to him, of course) and a shag dance contest. Thematically, the flick tries to advocate the wise middle ground between life-stifling legalism and foolish libertinism. Some have called this a “chick flick” and I can see why since the focus is on the four girls, but there’s just as much here for dudes to relate. For instance, there are several voluptuous cuties on display, both in the main cast and in the periphery. Kudos to the director for his excellent eye for women. Bridget Fonda is particularly showcased in all her glory with her white bikini scenes being a highlight. She was 23 when the film was shot in 1987. There are also several prominent guys in the cast: Harley (Tyrone Power Jr.), Buzz (Robert Rusler), Chip (Scott Coffey), Jimmy Valentine (Jeff Yagher) and, to a lesser extent, the manager (Paul Lieber) and Big Bob (Jay Baker). Lastly, the movie features a great period soundtrack with excellent cuts like “Stay” by The Voltage Brothers, performed (lip-synced) at The Pavilion. THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 38 minutes and was shot entirely in South Carolina (Georgetown, Myrtle Beach & Florence). WRITERS: Lanier Laney, Terry Sweeney & Robin Swicord. GRADE: B+

Production companies