Bikinis, Buckets, and Budget Bedlam

Read Time:6 Minute, 39 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Bikini Carwash Company + The Bikini Carwash Company II (Double Feature)
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Genre: Comedy
Year Released: 1992 / 1993, 2025 MVD Entertainment Blu-ray
Runtime: 1h 27m / 1h 29m
Director(s): Ed Hansen / Gary Dean Orona
Writer(s): Ed Hansen, George 'Buck' Flower / George 'Buck' Flower, Bart B. Gustis, Ed Hansen
Cast: Joe Dusic, Neriah Davis, Sara Suzanne Brown, Kristi Ducati, Rikki Brando, Brook Lynn Page, Eric Ryan, Scott James / Kristi Ducati, Sara Suzanne Brown, Neriah Davis, Rikki Brando, Larry De Russy, Greg Raye, Garro Ellis
Where to Watch: Available May 13, 2025, pre-order your copy here: www.mvdshop.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: There’s something strangely comforting about revisiting the VHS-era comedies that once lined the shelves of every neighborhood rental store. They weren’t perfect. They weren’t prestigious. But they had a brazen honesty: they knew exactly what they were selling and didn’t try to mask it. MVD Entertainment’s release of THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY and its equally chaotic sequel captures this retro spirit with an unapologetic embrace of skin, suds, and soft-core silliness, bundled together in a double feature that proudly leans into its absurdity.

These aren’t films concerned with nuance or character arcs. Instead, they operate on a simple formula: beach bodies, slapstick setups, and just enough of a story to string together the montages. But the lack of complexity isn’t a weakness here—it’s part of the appeal. These are time capsules from when late-night cable and dusty videotapes offered audiences an escapism, often heavy on innuendo and light on logic. That carefree quality makes the collection feel oddly timeless, even if everything about the production screams early ’90s excess. If you’re unsure what to expect, think of Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shear’s iconic late-night series ‘Up’ All Night and you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into.

THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY sets the stage with a straight-laced outsider thrust into a world of laid-back hedonism. A naive newcomer arrives in sunny California, tasked with managing a rundown carwash. Rather than follow conventional business advice, he crosses paths with a savvy young woman and her entourage of impossibly energetic friends, who present a different marketing strategy: replace uniforms with swimsuits, and the customers will follow. From there, the plot (if you can call it that) takes a backseat to sunlit frolicking, exaggerated comedy, and every excuse imaginable for someone to be splashed, stripped down, or both simultaneously.

Kristi Ducati leads the charge with more charisma than the script likely deserved, exuding a tongue-in-cheek confidence that helps sell the film’s more absurd moments. Her performance doesn’t aim for realism but has a charm that keeps the tone steady. The rest of the cast seems fully aware of the kind of movie they’re in, adding to the film’s intentionally over-the-top vibe. Instead of trying to elevate the material, they play directly to the tone, offering exaggerated reactions, cartoonish facial expressions, and that slightly-too-long eye contact that only makes sense in skin-centric comedy.

The sequel picks up not long after the soap has dried, and if you thought the first movie was loose with structure, this one completely abandons the roadmap. A cartoonishly evil businessman enters the picture, hoping to acquire the carwash, and the group responds with a pivot that somehow involves lingerie and low-budget television. The plot developments make as much sense as you’d expect, built primarily around showcasing as many beach-ready bodies as possible. Yet the sequel carries an even more infectious energy than the first, less like a continuation and more like a remix of the same elements, just turned up louder and with even more confidence.

Visually, the origins of these films as analog, standard-definition projects are unmistakable. Shot on video and edited with a flair for quick transitions and cheeky zoom-ins, they were never meant to be remembered this long down the road. But MVD’s upgrade shows real affection for the material. Using modern up-conversion AI, the company has taken the original footage and cleaned it up for a 1080p release, restoring color clarity while keeping that classic TV-ready aesthetic. The result isn’t perfect, but it’s faithful—and for this kind of release, that’s far more important. You can feel the AI in the HD version; there’s a slight uncanny valley there, but at the same time, it allows you to see these films closer to how the director saw them through the lens.

There’s no getting around these films being a product of their time. The humor is relentlessly male-focused, the camera lingers in places that make modern viewers raise an eyebrow, and subtlety is nowhere in sight. Still, something must be said about how completely these films commit to their ridiculous premise. They’re never trying to be high-concept or even clever. They exist in a world where comedy is key, motivations are secondary, and logic bends to whatever best leads into the next slow-motion bikini shot.

What sets this double feature apart from dozens of other bargain-bin sex comedies is its awareness. These films are goofy but self-aware enough to let the audience in on the joke. There's no attempt to mask the low stakes or the campy execution. Instead, they own their identity fully, leaning hard into the ludicrous without pretending to be anything more. That unapologetic attitude is oddly refreshing, especially in an era where everything feels curated and self-conscious.

Of course, critiques must be made—especially if you're watching from a modern cultural lens. These aren’t inclusive or progressive in any way. But they weren’t made to challenge the status quo; they were designed to sit on a rental shelf next to surf movies, party comedies, and soft-core curiosities, waiting for a teenager curious about rebellion. As long as you enter with those expectations, it’s hard not to grin at how earnestly ridiculous they are.

THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY and THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY II are silly, seductive snapshots of a bygone subgenre. They're loud, lewd, and laughably low-stakes—that’s exactly the point. For anyone who remembers sneaking a peek at late-night cable or walking down the aisles at the video store, this double feature is less about the movies themselves and more about recapturing that goofy, guilty pleasure energy.

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[photo courtesy of MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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