So I just came across “The Allnighter” on the Encore channel, and I immediately Googled it. Turns out, it’s pretty handy having the New York Times archives online:

WATCH enough exploitation films about sun-loving, fun-loving teens and you become accustomed to a certain level of benign idiocy. But even by that standard, ”The Allnighter” is outstandingly dim. It concerns graduation eve at a California college, though none of the students seems clever enough to graduate from driving school. The principals are three bubble-headed women who room together, and the film could be accused of sexism if their male counterparts were not equally dumb.

”The Allnighter” stars Susanna Hoffs, who fortunately has another, much more successful career as lead singer with the Bangles, and the film’s producer, director and co-writter is her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs. At best, it’s a family affair. Miss Hoffs plays Molly, who, amazingly enough, is the college valedictorian. On this particular evening, she has no time to worry about preparing her speech, being more concerned with how to tell C. J. (John Terlesky), who is a walking work of calendar art, that she likes him.

That’s part of a very accurate 1987 review by Janet Maslin. At least Susanna Hoffs had that musical career to fall back on. Oh wait…

If anything, the movie’s even worse than the review indicates. Saint Elmo’s Fire, it’s not. But it’s pretty cool seeing Joan Cusack looking and dressing exactly like Boy George.