Exemplifying art's ability to transcend cultural differences, 1987's Beach Fever presented a vision of U.S./Japanese cooperation at a moment when tension over business practices strained relations between the two countries. Throughout the '80s, corporations on both sides of the Pacific struggled to maintain an edge in crucial markets, but in Beach Fever, both parties found an alternative to the struggle. First introduced being inexplicably chased by a group of half-naked women, Rodney Ueno inadvertently stumbles on a pre-fame Kato Kaelin, himself on the run from a nattily dressed pimp named Fat Daddy. Upon reaching safety, the two get to know each other and agree that, in Ueno's words, "Gorls are velly strange creatures." Soon, Ueno informs Kaelin of a quest instigated by his wealthy father: "I discover answer to universal question on how to get a girl, he give me 100,000 American dollars. That's a lot of sushi!" Concurring that it is, indeed, a lot of sushi, Kaelin agrees to a free exchange of trade secrets and initiates Ueno into the world of beach-bumdom. Toning down such pickup lines as "Show me your melons, mama" only allows Ueno to make limited inroads into his target demographic, but the two find a new approach when they stumble on an amateur scientist (Jeffrey Asch) with a secret formula for a scent-based aphrodisiac. Soon, chaos erupts on the colorfully named Bendover Beach, attracting the attention of Fat Daddy, a guitar-strumming muscleman, many half-naked extras, and a bikini-clad Greek chorus. As the beach's pimps cook up a hostile takeover, using Asch's formula to turn surf-loving women into zombie prostitutes, Kaelin and Ueno struggle to maintain the integrity of the open marketplace, assuring a steady flow of animal-print swimwear, madcap antics, and queasy ethnic humor.
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