Prince of Bel-Air

Year of release : 1986

Run time : 1h36m

Genre : Drama / Made for Tv

Cast : Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley

Robin Prince is a pool cleaner in Bel-Air, who is a womanizer, and has an affair with a married woman. Her husband almost catches them one morning.

Robin and his male friends always play the “wounded man carried by his friends” whenever they see a beautiful woman they want to..date, dropping him right next to her. I found it annoying, how they were hounding a stewardess, who was obviously not interested, but they stalked her to the airport in San Francisco! She still said No, but told Robin she was interested in him, not his friend, if he was interested.

One of his rich clients, Stan, is asking Robin to join his construction company. He also asks him to show his son the ropes, to teach him how to clean the pools. His son, Justin, who just finished high school, seems shy, but once he starts hanging out with him, and gets a girlfriend, he starts playing the field too, learning only the worst from Robin.

Ironically, Robin is interested in Justin’s cousin, and Stan’s nice, Jamie. Jamie knows from one of Robin’s clients (the woman cheating on her husband) that he’s a player and doesn’t want to date him, although she seems interested in him.

Jamie is an artist, and Robin doesn’t quit until she goes out with him. Jamie gives in, but keeps him at arms length. Until she doesn’t.

Dating Jamie changes Robin, thing which doesn’t sit well with his male friends.

SPOILERS Because he doesn’t like how it feels to be with his friends and think of Jamie, he has a fight with her. He leaves her place and ends up spending the night with a waitress he knew for he and his buddies always ate at her place. Jamie sees him with that woman the next day, walking her out of his place, and kissing her, and breaks up with him. His response is, “I want you to understand me” and “ I met her before I met you”. So?! WTF is this supposed to mean? That it’s Ok to cheat because you knew the person before you met me?! END OF SPOILERS

I personally hated the movie, it felt it was about nothing. I watched it on double speed as it felt it moved slow. Most of the time we see Robin cleaning the pools with Justin, and hitting on women. The dialogue is bad, and the characters, men and women, have no depth. They are all shallow, even the married ones.

I didn’t like how the movie was filmed, as it has the shaky camera problem from time to time.

SPOILERS I didn’t like the ending, as it looks like she forgave him after he bought her art. I didn’t know he had the money, considering he was complaining about money. END OF SPOILERS

The men, especially the lead, always wear very short shots with short t-shirts.

I liked Jamie’s clothes.

The acting was good.

I hated the soundtrack.

The movie has a popcorn meter of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

You can find the movie for free on YouTube.

Rating : The horror, the Horror !