Review of Spring Broke

I just caught Spring Broke tonight on Showtime, and despite the somewhat awkward title of the documentary itself, had a great time watching it. I knew absolutely nothing about this movie before tuning in. I had no idea whether the movie was going to be a serious look at the history of spring break in America, or a more sleazy, exploitative feature. Luckily, Spring Broke is definitely the former and is far more interesting, informative, and entertaining than one might expect. The film chronicles the origins of spring break in the 1960s, its huge rise in popularity in the 1980s due to MTV, and its steady decline in the 1990s. Rather than take on the subject of spring break throughout all of America, the filmmakers wisely keep the focus on the state of Florida, specifically Daytona and Fort Lauderdale. There are interviews with a number of celebrities from the 1980s and 1990s including Pauly Shore, Ed Lover (probably the best interviewee), and Dave Barry. Every participant has a lot to say about the subject, and there is rarely a dull moment. While there are definitely pieces that could have been more in depth and the running time is way too short, Spring Broke is a great little documentary that is well worth checking out. 8/10