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"Back to the Beach" was a wonderful 1987 comedy which re-united Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon 20 years after their last "Beach Blanket" movies in the 1960s! The movie struck just the right tone, by introducing a tough teenaged son Bobby who's genuinely baffled by his popular parents' history.

Bobby recounts his dad's days as a clean-cut teen idol who refused to score with his groupies, and his mother's membership in "a strange cult called the Mouseketeers." But Dad's now an ordinary businessman, running a Ford dealership in Ohio. And the film even makes a joke about Annette's real-life career as a spokesperson for Skippy peanut butter. Her kitchen cupboard is filled with jars of the stuff, and it's driving Bobby crazy!

The movie sets up its characters and its premise, but then delivers a series of nostalgic jokes and cameos. Bob Denver appears as dressed as Gilligan, though he's now a bartender that hates it when people call him "Little Buddy." 50s singing sensation Connie Stevens appears, though her character has created an obsessive shrine to Frankie's career. And retro-nerd Pee-Wee Herman is somewhere in the mix, doing a frantic new wave version of the song "Surfin' Bird."

That's one of the movie's real strengths: great music. Dweezil Zappa and Herbie Hancock do a remarkably rocking version of "Wipe Out," while Stevie Ray Vaughan joins Dick Dale for an 80s version of the classic surfing tune "Pipeline." Amazingly, even Aimee Mann is on the soundtrack, in one of her first solo songs ever - "Sign of Love." But my favorite moment was "Jamaica Ska," a charming dance number Annette did with the alternative band Fishbone. Singer "Dr. Madd Vibe" leaps from behind a steel drum, wearing a strange green suit and a Mohawk while Annette swings her old-fashioned red and white polka-dot dress.

Siskel and Ebert gave the movie two thumbs up, and it's easy to see why. The movie laughs gently at the two pop icons, but they laugh along themselves, playfully acting just as baffled by the new wave antics of the 1980s. Though son Bobby acts tough, and Frankie acts frazzled, it's inevitable that everyone will somehow find their way to a happy ending.

Just like they always did in the original "Beach Blanket" comedies.

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