Revenge of the Nerds

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Revenge of the Nerds

R

1984

1h 30m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Geeky college students Gilbert (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Robert Carradine) are evicted from their dormitory when the Alpha Betas -- who recently burned down their own fraternity house by accident -- confiscate the building. When the college forces the freshmen to live in the gym, Gilbert, Lewis and their fellow dorks relocate to a run-down house. When the Alpha Betas, led by jock Stan (Ted McGinley), repeatedly humiliate them, the nerds plot revenge.

Critics Consensus

Undeniably lowbrow but surprisingly sly, Revenge of the Nerds has enough big laughs to qualify as a minor classic in the slobs-vs.-snobs subgenre.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

07/20/2017

While much is in the Animal House vein and quite funny, several tasteless episodes mar the film.

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Rita Kempley

Washington Post

10/02/2015

If you've seen Porky's, Animal House, D.C. Cab, or Police Academy, you've seen Nerds. And if you liked the prototypes, you'll like the latest of the genre, low humor and all -- belching, mooning, panty raids, peeping at girls and booger jokes.

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Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

Simple-minded romp about a group of freshmen outcasts doesn't qualify for the dean's list, but Revenge of the Nerds shows more than enough smarts to deserve passing grades.

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David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

10/02/2015

The underlying intelligence of director Jeff Kanew glimmers through at times, and is reflected in a couple of nice performances.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

10/02/2015

1/5

There is a theory that every Hollywood star has a turkey or two in their closet, so today, step forward Anthony Edwards, star of the hit TV series ER.

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Film4 Staff

Film4

10/02/2015

It's one of the great unfathomable mysteries of Hollywood that this unspeakably awful comedy was successful enough to spawn no less than three (count 'em) sequels.

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Woodruff F.

@Woodrufffoley Feb 25

An American classic. Lots of boobies too.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Dec 3

It's not a minor classic. It IS a classic. I love this movie.

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Georgan G

@RT98616417 02/02/2025

Goofy but some funny parts in this 1980s comic classic.

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J.J. E

@RT89399181 08/16/2024

Best movie of 1984. Period.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life 01/31/2024

This is a classic 80's Movie with terrific characters and hilarious moments. I absolutely love this movie. Tim Treakle

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Erik B

@Atma-X 11/06/2023

Perfect 80's movie depicting The Jocks vs. The Nerds - all stereotypes included. An early example of Nerd Power, this movie has a lot of super-iffy scenes and concepts, but remains a fun watch if you keep it in the context of the time.

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Jeff Kanew

Director

Robert Carradine

Lewis Skolnick

Anthony Edwards

Gilbert Lowell

Ted McGinley

Stan Gable

Timothy Busfield

Arnold Poindexter

Andrew Cassese

Harold Wormser

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Synopsis

Geeky college students Gilbert (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Robert Carradine) are evicted from their dormitory when the Alpha Betas -- who recently burned down their own fraternity house by accident -- confiscate the building. When the college forces the freshmen to live in the gym, Gilbert, Lewis and their fellow dorks relocate to a run-down house. When the Alpha Betas, led by jock Stan (Ted McGinley), repeatedly humiliate them, the nerds plot revenge.

Director: Jeff Kanew
Producer: Ted Field, Peter Samuelson, David Obst, Peter Bart
Screenwriter: Jeff Buhai, Steve Zacharias, David Obst, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Tim Metcalfe
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox, Interscope Communications
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 20, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2019
Runtime: 1h 30m