Nerd Night

The series of Revenge of the Nerds films is a typical product of its time – a franchise that could only have developed during pre-internet, when being a nerd meant being ‘good with computers'. Revenge of the Nerds features all manner of outcasts who have been thrown out of their freshmen dorms after fellow students burnt down their own accommodation.

The only reason the mean Jocks hate the nerdy Lambdas is because they are different. To prove their hipness, the Lambdas briefly change into a New Wave band, yet in the eyes of others, they will never belong. “They all look the same to me, “says one of the petty sorority girls.

Later on, people argued in favour of viewing Revenge of the Nerds as a parable about civil rights. The nerds demand justice and acceptance of their otherness. It is well put, but Revenge of the Nerds is also just a lowbrow university comedy – one of the best in the genre – featuring idiotic party animals, cliches about bitchy bimbos and sex jokes from a bygone era.