Drink & Watch: Revenge of the Nerds II

Last night was one of those grab-a-burrito, open-a-bottle-of-tequila, and sit-on-the-couch-watching-old-80s-movies kind of nights. My wife fell asleep early, I was sipping shots of blanco until late, and Curtis Armstrong was on my television screen revisiting his role as "Booger", or Dudley Dawson for those in the know. Not only was Nerds in Paradise a better pairing than the original flick for my spicy takeout cuisine, there was more of a booze industry-related metaphor at play in the first sequel. The Tri-Lambs head to Fort Lauderdale to take their place in the national Spring Break fraternity council, but find themselves up against the same old road block: the asshole Alpha Betas who come off as confident and cool, but are really oozing with insecurity. The plot is predictable: the jocks don't want the nerds around and resort to mean, dastardly pranks in order to get rid of them. The irony, however, is that while trying to point out how annoying the Tri-Lambs are, the Alphas ultimately reveal how uptight and disconnected they are themselves. By remaining true to themselves and who they are as people, the nerds finally win the day and find acceptance within the greater social sphere of the collegiate Greek council. Because 99.9% of the time most folks would rather hang out with a laid-back nerd than a type-A jock.

What's funny to me is how opposite things are in the booze world. In my experience over the past five years the nerdiest of wine and whisky drinkers have become the bullies, trashing more-casual drinkers who don't know a cab from a merlot, or mocking those "dumb enough" to buy NDP whiskey because it tastes good. I take solace in one of the film's best scenes, however: the Alphas sitting in a spa, talking about how great they are and trying to figure out a way to get rid of those pesky nerds. But the reality of the scenario is that the four Alphas are sitting there alone, forlorn, frustrated, and without friends. That about sums it up. 

-David Driscoll