Recruits (1986) User Reviews

Typical Rafal Zielinski fare

[Tito-8 · 3/10 · 24 February 2016]

I keep watching Rafal Zielinski's 1980s T&A comedies even though I readily acknowledge that they aren't very good. They all seem to have a hard-to-explain likability to them even though the jokes consistently miss the mark and there isn't much to enjoy about them except for bare female flesh and a nostalgia factor if you're a child of the 80s.

In Recruits, the characters we are supposed to like are actually somewhat likable, which is not generally the case in Zielinski's films. As in all of Zielinski's efforts, the cast seems to be having a good time and they aren't taking their roles too seriously. And from a purely superficial perspective, there's plenty of attractive nude skin on display, most notably from Lolita Davidovich.

Unfortunately, the film simply isn't funny, which is obviously a fatal flaw for a comedy. Had I watched this movie when I was 13, or before the internet made nudity a click away, I might have enjoyed the over-the-top slapstick combined with copious amounts of nudity. But at three times that age, the proceedings got old pretty quick.

Worth watching if 80s sex comedies make you nostalgic. Otherwise, I suggest you pass on this one.

Police Academy done wrong

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 8 May 2020]

Mayor Bagley learns that the governor is coming to his town of Clam Cove to announce that they're getting a freeway. To make sure nothing goes wrong, he demands that Police Chief McGruder (Mike McDonald, who was also in Oddballs and Screwballs II) add more people to the police force. That means that anyone can be a cop. And before you can ask, "Isn't this almost the same movie as Police Academy?" I'm ready to answer that Canadian tax shelter movies made in Ottawa's Wasaga Beach, just like Fireballs, which was filmed at the same time.

If you want to win a trivia contest - actually I don't know who would ask this question - this would be Lolita Davidovich's third movie. It's also the first movie for Jon Mikl Thor, who would make Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare the very next year.

Director Rafal Zielinski would also make two Screwballs movies, as well as State Park, which you know that I've watched several times. He also made Spellcaster, which has Adam Ant, DJ Richard Blade and Traci Lind from Fright Night Part 2. You better believe I'm hunting that movie down as you read this.

An Unremarkable "Police Academy" Clone

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 6 October 2023]

This film essentially begins with a crooked police chief by the name of "Captain Magruder" (Mike MacDonald) coming up with a plan to embarrass his immediate supervisor "Mayor Bagley" (Jason Logan) in order to force his resignation and then move into the vacant position. To that effect, he conspires with his two assistants, "Master Sergeant Stonewall" (Tony Travis) and "Sergeant Schicklegruber" (Colleen Passard) to hire the most incompetent people they can find and then have them guard the mayor while they stage a fake assassination attempt--and consequently blame the fiasco directly on the mayor. What they don't count on, however, is the mess these newly hired police officers will create in the two weeks it takes to train them. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film was clearly a low-budget clone of the popular "Police Academy" franchise initially created two years earlier. And while this particular movie wasn't nearly as good as the first two films in the "Police Academy" franchise, it still managed to compare favorably to some of the others that followed them. Of course, that isn't really saying much, as none of those movies really stood out in the first place. That being said, while I don't consider this film to be that good either, I suppose it had a couple of humorous scenes here and there, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

"This is a police department. Not a summer camp!"

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 14 July 2010]

Canada's answer to the successful low-brow comedy "Police Academy" is this particularly tactless outing "Recruits". While an obvious low-budget rip, it's still just as stupid, sleazy and infantile (maybe more so) meaning a lot of brainless fun. Can't have it any other way. These types of features aren't meant to be polished art, but instead no-nonsense escapism even if its trash at heart. All I can say there, at least it has heart!

Mayor Bagley is preparing for the Governor to pay a visit to his town with the hope that the agreed highway is approved. To make an impression he gets Police chief McGruder to hire a temporary traffic patrol unit from its local citizens. However McGruder see this as chance to set a plan in motion of screwing everything up, by sabotaging this request by signing up a group of misfits which will surely cause nothing but trouble and shine a bad light on Mayor Bagley on the big day. Why this… well McGruder wants Bagley's job.

It reads very similar to "Police Academy", but while the gags are familiar and fairly lame it's still deliriously charming. Director Rafal (Screwballs 1, 2 & 3) Zielinski (who I just watched his enjoyable comedy "State Park" two weeks back) keeps this fluff buoyantly brash and always on the move with chaotic situations tailored by endless topless nudity or sardonic dialogues. You can't have these type of films without a bouncy soundtrack, and it covers the bases with a rocking title song too. But it's the characters that stand-out, even though the performances are enthusiastically forced. Some recognizable faces stream through; like the delightful Lolita Davidovich, Colleen Passard and a convincing Mike MacDonald as the smarmy McGruder. Outside Tony Travis riot turn as Sergeant Stonewell with his uptight shtick, I found the minor characters of the ragtag group to be the most amusing; Mark Bluntman as Clint… Eastwood… yeah moments involving some sort of identity crisis were rib-tickling. Herb Field as the drunken cop, while subtle it seemed to work and Annie McAuley is transfixing as the lusty blonde nymph… the mayor's daughter. There are able lead turns from Doug Annear, John Canada Terrell, Stephen Osmond and Alan Deveau (who would be known for his roles in the two "Screwballs" films.

Ridiculously entertaining and raunchy goof-ball b-picture.

RIDE HARD LIVE FREE ...

[beingofsoundmind · 8/10 · 11 August 2002]

Despite the obvious restrictions in low-budget commercial film-making, the numerous funny, stupid, gritty and sexy ideas in this 'Police Academy' take-off, spring out at every turn, due in most part to the creativity of Canadian producer Maurice Smith of Maurice Smith Productions.

Kudos to lovely Lolita Davidovich riding around nude in a mayor's limo during a big-city parade; the gorgeous Elizabeth Harden and her sweet turn as a yacht owner's wife; 6-year old Sasha Dolgy challenging a Harley-riding cop to a drag race; the absolutely wild motorcycle stunts; and a great theme-song "Recruits - Ride Hard Live Free" by Michael Stevens and Curtis Lee (ideal for any number of motorcycle/car commercials).

There are some good ideas here ...

Talk about cheap rip-offs!

[cfc_can · 25 October 2000]

This was clearly made to cash in on the Police Academy films which were popular at the time. It's about a bunch of dopes who are recruited to join the police force in a small town and the predictable comedic problems which ensue. The comedy is about as desperate as you can get and there is lots of footage of people on motorbikes. It makes you wonder if the producers were trying to make a biker film. Stick with the Police Academy films instead!

A low-brow Police Academy ripoff...if such a thing is possible!

[JimHaggerty1973 · 10/10 · 23 February 2009]

The dreaded 'Police Academy' series was considered by many a snobbish movie buff to be the ultimate in low-brow, tasteless humor. Imagine how those film-snobs must feel seeing something like 'Recruits' - an even more tasteless take on the same premise.

I, for one, love it! Never had a problem with (most of) the 'Police Academy' movies, and this makes me laugh even harder because the humor is even more juvenile and gross. There's something about a movie that just doesn't even try to show a little restraint that tends to crack me up in a 'I can't believe they did this' kind of way. Another good example of this is 'Hamburger: The Motion Picture".

The jokes are brazenly funny, the acting isn't very good - even by a young Lolita Davidovich (who was still going by Lolita David at the time) but it works, there are generous amounts of gratuitous t&a, and the bad guy's right hand man is so over the top I can't stop laughing anytime he's on. He barks everything he says to the recruits and shouts one specific word for greater effect (e.g. "There will be no WOMEN in your ROOMS!!!"). It's hard to describe how funny it is in the movie, you just have to hear it.

Anyway, 'Recruits' is great - I first fell in love with it when I rented it back in 1986 (if I remember correctly, the store just got it in and I was the first one to rent it) and I now own my own VHS copy which I watch every couple of years and laugh all over again. We need a DVD!

This may be a Police Academy rip off..sure, but it's funny too!

[cinematic · 10/10 · 24 December 2000]

Does this film look like a Canadian Type film??? No, especially since it was done in Toronto back in '86 when most Canadian films all looked like CBC had it by the balls. This film has a lot of up coming actors ...like Lolita D. / Mike McDonald / .... It looks very American and if it were released in the year 2000, it would still hold up as being entertaining. Any ways...most of the best Police Academy films were done in Toronto.

an cheap police academy adult spoof

[frankie-smales · 8/10 · 14 July 2017]

another fan favourite franchise can't escape of cheap imitations made by other countries by using cliché plots and characters of varied stereotypes like an butch horny female lieutenant an scheming captain with an hapless staff sergeant along with the racial stereotype comedic black man and others including an romantic slacker an drunken buffoon an horny nerd an heavy metal airhead an comic relief that all these stereotypes has being done to death in the 80's no matter on what they are spoofing it gets rather tired this is an fine demonstration that Hollywood can't come up with anything new instead of these lazy cash grabs by low budget film companies but Jon Mykl Thor feels like filming an hour and an half rock video but I only give this an 8 out of 10

FRANKIE CROFT SMALES