Down the years there have been some pretty good sporting movies – Grand Prix, Slap Shot, Rocky, Raging Bull, Chariots Of Fire, and Any Given Sunday spring to mind. One sport that film-makers haven't done to death is beach volleyball. It's not a sport I know much about (in England, where I live, it is not a widely played game), but clichéd and totally predictable hokum like "Side Out" hardly encourages the uninitiated to want to become fans of it. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with this movie is the way that it suggests an inexperienced kid could go from zero to hero in the beach volleyball rankings within the space of two weeks. You don't have to know ANYTHING about ANY sport to know that things like that simply don't happen. Becoming a champion at anything takes years of sweat, tears, dedication and sheer determination. "Side Out" is an insulting movie - to its sport, to sports generally, and to its audience.Milwaukee law student Monroe Clark (C. Thomas Howell) comes to Los Angeles for the summer, where he is meant to be gaining some work experience with his wealthy Uncle Max (Terry Kiser). It isn't long before the cocksure Monroe starts sniffing around for the affections of sexy Samantha (Courtney Thorne-Smith). And it only takes him a little longer to make friends with Zack Barnes (Peter Horton), a faded beach volleyball player who had the talent to reach the top but never quite made it. As the boring paper-work piles up, Monroe becomes more and more interested in learning how to play beach volleyball… and he believes Zack is just the man to show him the ropes. Pretty soon, Zack's passion for the game is re-ignited, leading to him and Monroe becoming a two-man team who enter an AVP tournament. Will the old pro and the young pretender be able to battle their way to victory? A quick summary of the plot synopsis is enough to confirm that "Side Out" is a formulaic, predictable sports drama of the most simple-minded kind. If you find yourself doubting at any point what the outcome of the movie will be, then you ain't seen many films of this kind! But it is not merely the predictability that spoils the film. For one thing, the people who made the movie are so much in love with California that they virtually paint it as paradise on earth, sugar-coating every facet of life in Los Angeles with embarrassingly over-the-top glitz and glamour. Another weakness is the performances – Howell's cocky youngster comes across as too smug and irritating to truly root for; Horton acts better from the neck down; Thorne-Smith is undone by a typically weak "pretty face" role; and Kiser still seems to think he's playing a corpse (as he did in the previous year's "Weekend At Bernie's"). Those knowledgeable about the sport might find some pleasure in spotting several real players in guest roles, and those who admire toned female bodies in tight bikinis will find sufficient eye candy to occupy their mind. But for everyone else, "Side Out" is a tiresome trip down a road travelled too often in cinematic terms – the sport might be different, but the clichés and the outcome are as obvious as ever!

As an avid beach volleyball player I found this movie to be an embarrassment to true players everywhere. C. Thomas Howell's character lacks a lot of the basic volleyball skills(especially setting) to make it believable. Randy Stoklos/Sinjin Smith the opponents in the final were one of the greatest volleyball teams in the world at that time however they were HORRIBLE actors and had too many lines (more than one was probably enough). The scene that topped it off was the ridiculously bad(and illegal) set that Howell's character made on match point to win the championship! I can understand making a point of an underdog coming out of nowhere to get to an AVP final but the manner in which it was done was a joke to all those players who work their butts off to be on the tour year in and year out.

This is one of the truly great volleyball movies of all time. Not that I can think of any other volleyball movies that were released. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it when I first saw it. Remember, this came out in 1990, so of course it may not be up to par with todays standards of movies, but the same could be said about the original Star Wars trilogy. This movie is what got me into volleyball back in the day (my high school years). I'd recommend it to anyone. In fact, it comes out on DVD in early July. It's at least worth the rent! I'd give it 9 out of 10 stars.

A film about beach volleyball players in California. Do I need to continue? A near total waste as second-rate actors C. Thomas Howell and Peter Horton compete in volleyball tournaments all summer. Howell is a law student who came to California for a summer job but ends up going after good-looking women and spiking volleyballs over the net instead. A really sophomoric film that feels like it was submitted by a group of dumb teenagers that had nothing else better to do. Some very attractive women in swimsuits are the only real attractions here. That is not near enough to make "Side Out" anything more than a long advertisement for its sport. 2 stars out of 5.