Review of Lambada

"Lambada" (1990) has a pretty laughable, hackneyed script. The story is also very predictable: Kevin 'Blade' Laird (Eddy Peck) is a high school teacher by day (a bit like Clark Kent) and then he turns into lambada dancing superman by night at the barrio dance club, "No Man's Land," and teaches poor Latino kids about mathematics and other subjects into the bargain (so that they can obtain their high school diplomas). But with all that said, a crazy part of me still liked this film. One reason is the really hot and sexy lambada dancing, against a backdrop of great 1980s music, that creates a lively and exciting atmosphere for a movie that would otherwise have been hamstrung by its poor script and inept plot. The second reason is that J. Eddie Peck (Keven 'Blade' Laird) and Melora Hardin (as his high school student Sandy Thomas) generate more chemistry and sparks together than the vast majority of couples do in the romantic comedies, including the recent "Friends with Benefits." To be sure, "Lambada" is not a profound film about the human condition in keeping with the tradition of the great romance films. But watching Peck and Hardin interact on screen does wonders for the libido (even if the high school teacher ultimately remains faithful to his wife), making "Lambada" surprisingly effective as an erotic film. The third reason why I liked this film is because all the so-called high school students, including Melora Hardin, look like they are in their twenties. As a result, the sexual tension building up between Kevin and Sandy does not look dirty at all. Overall a pretty entertaining movie. 6.5/10