I suppose it was only a matter of time...

Eleven years after MTV's "The Real World" helped pioneer the reality TV genre, and almost 3 years after it became a bona-fide phenomenon with the first "Survivor" series, the reality craze finally makes the jump to the big screen with "The Real Cancun." While it might be easy to dismiss this low-budget quickie as just a lame attempt to extend an over-rated gimmick into entertainment's final frontier, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was relentlessly, tastelessly and shamelessly entertaining.

More than 40,000 college kids flock to Cancun, Mexico, every year to take part in the world's most outrageous Spring Break party. This year, sixteen tight, buff, sexy students were chosen from college campuses across the country to share a beautiful beachfront villa for 8 days. While that may sound like a dream come true, they also had to endure the constant presence of 6 camera crews, who followed them around and filmed everything they did (and believe me, they did a lot). During this time, bonds were forged, romances were sparked, friendships were tested and hearts were broken all in the name of Spring Break.

Costing just under $8 million to make, "The Real Cancun" is opening in theaters a mere 5 weeks after it was finished filming. That type of rush job may signal a train wreck waiting to happen, but the results are surprisingly polished and effective. Of course, it helps that the film is too hot for TV and takes full advantage of its R-rating by supplying a healthy dose of topless girls, lots of T&A, sex, drinking, partying...and did I mention sex?

The (supposedly) unscripted dialogue is surprisingly sharp, and the film features more character arcs than you'll find in most Hollywood features. Front and center of the pack is Alan, who starts off his Spring Break holiday looking like he got off the wrong plane. An insecure, naive "good boy" to the extreme, Alan doesn't drink, smoke or take drugs, and he couldn't get laid even if his life depended on it. By the time the film is over, Alan becomes a super-confident party hero who could literally write the book on how to score chicks.

Among the others standing out from the sex-starved partygoers: Paul is a suave ladies man who finds himself drawn to the beautiful, headstrong Sky. After a few days of courting her with mixed signals, Paul loses his patience and moves onto greener (read: hornier) pastures. Matt, a buff stud who has never worked a day in his life, has the hots for Sarah, an aspiring actress who has a boyfriend back home. While they never really cross the line, feelings are eventually hurt to the point where you'd swear they actually hooked up.

I don't know what's worse; the fact that "The Real Cancun" is one of the most entertaining movies of the year (which speaks volumes about the crap we've seen so far), or the fact that it will most likely spawn lots of quality-deprived reality-based copycats before the year is out. Whatever the case, "The Real Cancun" is here, so you might as well enjoy it for what it is; an irresistibly funny and sexy party that will probably leave you feeling like you need a shower by the time it's over.

...now will somebody please pass the soap.

Scott Mantz, 2003