Richard Gabai is one of those almost really talented guys. He is a half-way decent musician, an okay director and actor, but not real detail oriented when it comes to script writing. As a result his movies have always been an acquired taste. Frequently he plays the lead role of a cool character who befriends the downtrodden (frequently nerds) against the evil doers (frequently the idle rich). The acting all tends to be slightly over the top with a fair amount of goofy facial expressions.

In The Heavy Petting Detective, Gabai again champions his old fraternity as they struggle to avoid being evicted by the owner of the house who just happens to be the rival frat organization. Muffy, Bambi and Chip are all back from the first movie and up to their old tricks again. In case it was not obvious that Gabai was simply redoing the first movie, Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer each have identical sex scenes as in the original (both scenes are played for laughs). Tane McClure and Melinda Armstrong make appearances in very tight fitting outfits.

But in the end nothing really different happens than in the first movie although the production values are much higher. The jokes are still sophomoric, the plot is obvious from the start. While the movie is a solid example of the kind of filler that cable channels aired during their rapid growth in the late '70's (besides having Rhonda Shear in the movie, one of the cast members mentions Up All Night by name), it is likely to be enjoyed more by the guys who used to stay up late watching this kind of movie.

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