How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) Review

Title: How to Stuff a Wild Bikini

Year: 1965
Director: William Asher
Country: US
Language: English

In 1965 The Beatles and The Beach Boys were household names, each influencing the younger generation with psychedelic sounds that challenged the status quo. It was a feel good time and along with feel good music there were feel good Beach movies. How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) was a 60's time capsule. 

Frankie (Frankie Avalon) has been stationed in the South Pacific and is worried Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) could cheat on him.  Employing a witch doctor (Buster Keaton) and his crew, Frankie sets out to try to keep Dee Dee his by creating a perfect woman named Cassandra (Beverly Adams) who quickly attracts the attention of marketer Peachy Keane (Mickey Rooney),

What is a "Beach movie"? They are part-musical, part-comedy and part-nonsense. They aren't critically or commercially successful, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini has a 4.0 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. They were popular with teenagers who wanted an after-school escape. They were the "Netflix and Chill" of the day for date nights. 

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini sounds risque, and you'd see a lot more bikinis than in most flicks, but even at the time it was pretty tame. It has an incredibly low budget, but its real beach scenery (rather than using sets) adds to the fun and free atmosphere. 

In very small doses I enjoy "beach films" like How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. They do a very good job at distracting  you from real-world concerns & lowering stress levels.