Reception
The film grossed approximately $6.9 million at the US Box Office. It was not a big hit when initially released, and commercially was considered a flop. Despite the film's box office failure, the film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that, out of 15 critics in total, 64% gave the film a positive review. In recent years it has become something of a cult film to fans of beach music and the Carolina Shag, with a cult-like following.
Roger Ebert, who gave the film 3 stars, praised the actors of the film, calling them "best of the younger generation in Hollywood, and they treat their material with the humor and delicacy it deserves." TV Guide also enjoyed the actors, who called them "uniformly attractive and energetic, and deliver performances that range from likable to delicious." The cast is fascinating for its family ties: Bridget Fonda is the daughter of Peter Fonda; Page Hannah is the sister of Daryl Hannah; Tyrone Power Jr. is the son of Tyrone Power; Carrie Hamilton is the daughter of Carol Burnett; and Annabeth Gish is a descendant of silent film stars Dorothy Gish and Lillian Gish.
Shag's East coast beach music was the cause of its cult following.
| Song | Performed by | Composed by |
|---|---|---|
| "The Shag" | Tommy Page | Tommy Page & Andy Paley |
| "Oooo Ahhh" | Jacki O | Barry White, Jackie Milligan, & Fleming Williams |
| "Harlem Shuffle" | Bob and Earl | Earl Nelson & Bob Relf |
| "Saved" | La Vern Baker | Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller |
| "Let Me In" | The Sensations | Baker, McDaniel, Rodgers |
| "Easier Said Than Done" | The Essex | Huff Linton |
| "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am" | The Tams | Whitley |
| "Stay" | The Voltage Brothers | Williams |
| "Since I Don't Have You" | The Skyliners | Beaumont, Vogel, Versharen, Lester, Taylor, Rock |
| "Diddly Daddy" | Chris Isaak | Bo Diddley & Harvey Fuqua |
| "Seven Lonely Days" | k.d. lang and The Reclines | Earl Shuman & Marshall Brown |
| "39-21-40 Shape" | The Showmen | Johnson |
| "Unknown Waltz" | W. Warren | |
| "Catfight" | Andy Paley | Andy Paley |
| "Ready to Go Steady" | The Charmettes | Jonzun & Paley |
| "Shaggin' on the Grand Strand" | Hank Ballard | Hank Ballard & Andy Paley |
| "Monkey Time" | Major Lance | Curtis Mayfield |
| "Dixie" | The Royal Doulton Band | Gardner |
| "Up on the Roof" | The Drifters | Gerry Goffin (as Goffin) |
| "Weekend Whirlwind" | Ehm's Law | Robert Howard Jones & Leslie Ehm |
| "Under the Boardwalk" | The Drifters | Arthur Resnick & Kenny Young |
| "Alley Cat Song" | Bent Fabricius-Bjerre | Harlen Bjorn |
| "Oh, What a Night" | Nick Kamen | Marvin Junior & Johnny Funches |
| "Every Day I Have to Cry" | Ben E. King | Arthur Alexander |
| "I'm in Love Again" | Randy Newman | Fats Domino & David Bartholomew |
| "Alley Oop" | The Hollywood Argyles | Dallas Frazier |
| "I'm Leaving It All Up to You" | La Vern Baker & Ben E. King | Harris & Terry |
| "Sixty Minute Man" | The Voltage Brothers | Billy Ward |
| "It Will Stand" | The Showmen | Johnson |
| "Stagger Lee" | Lloyd Price | Lloyd Price & Harold Logan |
| "Surrender" | Louise Goffin | Louise Goffin & Domonic King |
| "Our Day Will Come" | k.d. lang and The Reclines | Bob Hilliard & Mort Garson |
| "Blue Hawaii" | Leo Robin & Ralph Rainger | |
| "Baby Work Out" | Jackie Wilson | Alonzo Tucker & Jackie Wilson |
Read more about this topic: Shag (1989 Film)
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)
“To the United States the Third World often takes the form of a black woman who has been made pregnant in a moment of passion and who shows up one day in the reception room on the forty-ninth floor threatening to make a scene. The lawyers pay the woman off; sometimes uniformed guards accompany her to the elevators.”
—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)