Bobby, Bill Adler, a small-town boy, hears rumors about the wild nights of cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in California and heads out to see them for himself, stepping into a neon-soaked world where drag racers, topless dancers, and bikers set the pulse of the street.
In those opening scenes, chaos flickers to life as two men crash into each other’s cars, a vivid prelude to the freewheeling misadventures ahead. Greg, [Dennis Bowen], hooks up with a female biker, while Chooch, David Hayward (Leon Barnes), is busted for running a red light after being mooned. Bobby and Moon, [Cynthia Wood], also find themselves arrested for drag racing, a comical reminder that this night ride comes with consequences.
Bobby and Moon meet behind bars, and the group quickly realizes they’ve got plans to escape this circuit and head toward something as simple as an amusement park. Chooch’s night takes another turn when he falls ill, adding a layer of oddball tension to the lineup. Meanwhile, Bobby secretly throws himself into the rhythmic, exuberant world around him, learning to dance as a new side of himself begins to emerge. Greg, meanwhile, finds a spark with Camille, [Melissa Prophet], his dream girl, and the two of them begin a budding connection that adds a sweeter counterpoint to the edgier antics on display.
Wanda, [Tara Strohmeier], after a brief liaison with Bobby in his van, tosses off the advances of Officer Zass, promptly outmaneuvering him by handcuffing him to his own police car. That running thread of odd, escalating humor threads through the film’s beach and boardwalk moments, punctuating the action with a touch of the director’s signature absurdist tone. A visit to the doctor follows Greg’s episode of “lockjaw,” and Chooch again crosses paths with Wanda as they share a playful air hockey moment, the lightness of that scene contrasting with the film’s wilder stunts.
As the ensemble coalesces into couples—Chooch revealing his real name Leon and planning to marry Wanda, Greg and Camille forming a pair, and Bobby still craving a victory that will prove his piloting of a certain bravado—the test comes in the form of a drag race between Bobby and Moon in their respective vans. He wins the race, but Moon leaves him, confessing that she loves the vehicle more than the man. In a bold, impulsive gesture to prove his devotion, Bobby jumps clear as his van plunges toward a cliff. Moon, initially puzzled and shaken by his reckless act, drives away, only to circle back and embrace him as Greg, Camille, Leon, and Wanda surround them in their cars, turning the moment into a strange, communal celebration of love and loyalty.
The film’s mood shifts under William Sachs’s direction, leaning into absurdist humor that pushes the jokes and situations further than a straightforward valley comedy. On the beach, Officer Zass’s escapades grow increasingly ridiculous: a runaway biker steals his possessions, a dog crosses his path, and his own mother becomes a worried observer as the police search intensifies for his whereabouts. The finale tightens as Zass buys Leon’s car, while a second officer’s harassment over driving on Van Nuys Boulevard caps the movie’s recurring joke about authority, vanity, and the stubborn, gleeful chaos of the boulevard itself.
