Line #14 Film/Baywatch2017


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baywatch_poster_3.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} Lifesaving takes a pair]].]]
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4	''Baywatch'' is a 2017 comedy film starring Wrestling/DwayneJohnson and Creator/ZacEfron, based on [[Series/{{Baywatch}} the television series of the same name]].
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6	Reimagined as an AffectionateParody of the original ''Baywatch'' series (similarly to the ''[[Film/TwentyOneJumpStreet Jump Street]]'' films' treatment of [[Series/TwentyOneJumpStreet their own source material]]), this film pokes fun at its premise while also embracing it -- and provides ''lots'' of eye candy for both the [[MaleGaze male]] and [[FemaleGaze female]] gaze.
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8	Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) is a no-nonsense lifeguard who is forced to work with cocky Olympian Matt Brody (Efron) when evil local club owner Victoria Leeds (Creator/PriyankaChopra) threatens to overrun the beach with crime and corruption.
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10	Creator/AlexandraDaddario, Creator/IlfeneshHadera, and newcomers Creator/KellyRohrbach and Creator/JonBass also star, while original ''Baywatch'' stars Creator/DavidHasselhoff and Creator/PamelaAnderson appear in [[RemakeCameo cameo roles]].
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12	While a sequel was planned before release, the poor box office killed those plans and, according to the current license owners, almost took the entire ''Baywatch'' brand with it, including freezing discussions of a potential television reboot.
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14	----
15	!!''Baywatch'' provides examples of:
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17	* ActorAllusion: One of the nicknames Mitch gives Brody is "High School Musical", which was Zac Efron's first major role.
18	* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Brody now has a troubled history and is forced to become a lifeguard to fulfill a community service mandate.
19	* AdaptationalCurves: Several examples:
20	** The film's version of Mitch Buchannon is considerably more muscular, as befits someone played by Wrestling/DwayneJohnson.
21	** Ilfenesh Hadera's Stephanie Holden and Alexandra Daddario's Summer Quinn are considerably more voluptuous than the versions from the TV show played by Alexandra Paul and Nicole Eggert respectively.
22	** Inverted with Kelly Rohrbach's CJ Parker. While very well endowed, she doesn't come close to matching the famous proportions of Creator/PamelaAnderson.
23	* AdaptationDeviation: The series took place in Santa Monica, California, the film takes place in southern Florida.
24	* AffectionateParody: The movie gives a comedic take on the TV series.
25	%%* AfraidOfBlood: Ronnie.
26	* AmbiguouslyBi: Summer, who is attracted to Brody but also shares some attraction towards CJ when she sees her running on the beach.
27	* AttractiveBentGender: In disguise, Matt Broody makes for a very attractive woman.
28	* BadBoss: Victoria Leeds. If you're an associate of hers and you either don't get her what she wants or so much as ask for more money, expect to have an unfortunate "accident" happen to you sooner or later.
29	* BaitAndSwitch: Brody catches a thief using a false-bottom cooler to steal from beachgoers by simply putting it on top and scooping the loot right in. Then Brody brings it to Ellerbee... and uses it to steal something off his desk.
30	* BetterThanABareBulb: The film hangs a lampshade on practically every trope and cliche the original series is known for while dialing all of them up to eleven.
31	--> '''Matt Brody:''' "All of what you're saying sounds like something out of a really, like, entertaining yet far-fetched TV show."
32	* BigBad: Victoria Leeds, the new owner of the Huntley Club. She's actually a rather serious and threatening antagonist for a comedy.
33	* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:CJ plants one on Ronnie to calm him down as he's having a panic attack about a computer station he has no experience with.]]
34	* BlackComedy: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, Mitch blows Victoria to pieces using a giant Roman candle. But its played for laughs.]]
35	* {{Blackmail}}: [[spoiler:Leeds' method for getting people to do what she wants involves finding out about their vices, illegal deals and dirty secrets and then blackmailing/bribing them into obedience. She is unable to do this with Chen, who had no dirty secrets to speak of.]]
36	* BrainyBrunette: Summer has very dark hair, has extensively studied the Baywatch manual, and has a working knowledge of marine biology.
37	* TheCameo: Vine star Creator/LoganPaul has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene as one of the guys in line to try out for Baywatch. WordOfGod indicates he initially had more scenes, but they were cut.
38	* CanonForeigner: Ronnie, Dave, and Victoria are all original characters.
39	* ChekhovsGun: Several, including [[spoiler: Ronnie's computer skills and the adrenaline-boosting sea urchins.]]
40	* CompositeCharacter: Matt has Eddie's backstory as a HeartwarmingOrphan (as well as his general status as ButtMonkey), and Cody's Olympic swimmer status.
41	* DaddyIssues: CJ apparently has some issues about being abandoned by her father, if her rant during her introduction of the obstacle course called "The Absentee Father" is anything to go by.
42	* DecoyProtagonist: Mitch is set up as TheLeader early on, and Dwayne Johnson gets top billing, but Matt is the one who undergoes CharacterDevelopment and grows from a selfish asshole to TheHero.
43	* DestructiveSavior:
44	** Brody nearly runs over several civilians on a hijacked dirtbike just to rescue three people. Mitch calls him out on this.
45	** Mitch himself isn't immune to this. Chasing one of Leeds' thugs leads him to trash a little girl's bedroom.
46	* {{Determinator}}: Ronnie. He previously tried out for Baywatch twice before and failed. He makes the cut the third time because Mitch and CJ are so impressed by his spirit and unwillingness to give up (although his real reason for wanting to join Baywatch is because he's completely in love with CJ, and wants to be closer to her).
47	* DirtyCop: [[spoiler:Captain Thorpe. Leeds bribed him to set Brody up as the new leader of Baywatch and provided Thorpe an excuse needed to fire Mitch (two murder victims made to look like beach accident victims).]]
48	* DumbBlonde: Averted. CJ Parker may be a gorgeous, buxom blonde, but she also happens to be a very competent lifeguard.
49	* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: CJ Parker, who is so enthralling that even the girls become dumbstruck by her:
50	-->'''Summer''': Why does she always look likes she's running in slow-mo?\
51	'''Ronnie''': You see it too?
52	** When the original Casey Jean (Pamela Anderson) shows up in the end to train the new members and everyone is entranced, complete with her hair flipping in slow-motion. Lampshaded by Stephanie.
53	-->'''Stephanie''': This might take a while...
54	* FallenOnHardTimesJob: [[spoiler: Mitch becomes a cell phone salesman after being fired from Baywatch.]]
55	* FanDisservice:
56	** The shot of Ronnie's ass in the shower scene.
57	** Mitch telling Matt to check a corpse's 'taint' as part of a prank.
58	** Ronnie taking off his shirt to prepare for training, complete with flabby arms, belly and some odd hairy nipples.
59	* {{Fanservice}}: Not only is C.J. a sexy and competent lifeguard, she also has some ''serious'' dance moves.
60	* FlirtatiousSmackOnTheAss: CJ does two of these. [[spoiler: Both of which involve Ronnie. First, she playfully smacks his rear in the shower scene before leaving. Then at the end after they sleep together, she offers to make him "cinnabuns" and smacks her own rear, strongly hinting at more coitus.]]
61	* FriendOnTheForce: Mitch has one of the VitriolicBestBuds variety. Deconstructed as Officer Ellerbee resents Mitch's interference.
62	* TheGenericGirl: Stephanie doesn't get much focus.
63	* GiveGeeksAChance: [[spoiler: CJ goes out of her way to encourage the shy and awkward Ronnie, due to her romantic interest in him.]]
64	* HopelessSuitor: [[spoiler:Averted.]] Nerdy and unremarkable Ronnie is enamored with the stunningly beautiful CJ, and [[spoiler:although it seems like he has no chance with her it turns out that the affection is mutual and she becomes his girlfriend at the end of the film.]]
65	* IndecisiveParody: The movie can never seem to decide if we're supposed to take the story seriously or just see everything as a straight-up parody.
66	* IneffectualLoner: Matt starts this way as a lifeguard.
67	* InformedAttractiveness: While CJ is no doubt ''gorgeous'', she is not noticeably more attractive than Stephanie or Summer, yet is fawned over as an EvenTheGirlsWantHer goddess.
68	* InformedJudaism: Had Ronnie not made a passing mention of how he learned to dance from "Hebrew school," nobody in the audience would have known he was Jewish.
69	* JerkassHasAPoint: In-universe the police officer treats Matt saying they should leave things to the cops as this. He agrees with him, but still thinks he's a "blue-eyed demon."
70	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Mitch and Brody are dicks to each other due to their disdain of each other's work ethic or lack thereof, but they do genuinely do end up working together in order to deal with the crime situation endangering the beach. Also, CJ isn’t fond of Brody (although he never says or does anything particularly disrespectful towards her), but she begrudgingly finds him a place to crash when she finds him sleeping outdoors.
71	* JurisdictionFriction: Cops vs. Lifeguards Who Take Their Jobs ''Way'' Too Seriously.
72	* KnightOfCerebus: Victoria Leeds is a murderous psychopath and crime lord, and clashes greatly with the film's increased focus on comedy (the show had the occasional criminal showing up, so she wouldn't have been too odd there).
73	* LighterAndSofter: Than the TV series, which dealt with somewhat serious crime and domestic drama plots while the movie tries to be an unabashed comedy.
74	* LudicrousGibs: [[spoiler:Leeds' fate, due to being on the receiving end of a very large [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_candle_(firework) roman candle.]] Chunks of her start falling afterwards.]]
75	* MrFanservice: Wrestling/DwayneJohnson and Creator/ZacEfron spend a large portion of the movie shirtless.
76	* MsFanservice: Creator/AlexandraDaddario and Kelly Rohrbach in the tight red swimsuits are guaranteed to make a ''powerful'' impression on the audience.
77	* MyEyesAreUpHere:
78	** Summer reminds Matt of this when he's [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted by her chest]] - he replies he knows her face is up there... but it's so close to her boobs...
79	-->'''Summer:''' Not here! ''[cue bouncing]'' Here! ''[points at eyes]''
80	** He gets to do the same towards the end.
81	* NWordPrivileges: Matt tries to guilt a black cop by throwing the cop's use of "you people" back at him. Mitch puts a stop to it, remarking: "Uh uh. You're just tan."
82	* NiceGirl: CJ is incredibly sweet and kind to Ronnie, continually encouraging him despite his awkwardness.
83	%%* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler: CJ and Ronnie, by the end]].
84	* PreMortemOneLiner: "I'll die when the tide stops and the moon drowns. Until then... [grabs fireworks] I'm oceanic, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch motherfucker!]]" Leeds is clearly unimpressed, given she has time to react with "How tacky" before being hit.
85	* PrettyBoy: Matt Brody. Mitch repeatedly throws this in his face by nicknaming him after boybands.
86	* RaceLift:
87	** Stephanie here is black, when on the TV show she was white.
88	** More obviously, Mitch. He was played by a white actor in the original show and by a half-black, half-Samoan actor in the movie.
89	* RagingStiffie: Ronnie is so attracted to CJ that when she performs the Heimlich maneuver on him, he gets one. Out of embarrassment, he jumps onto a wooden sunbed and gets it stuck in between the slats. Nevertheless, it plays a role in her mutual interest in him.
90	* RemakeCameo:
91	** Creator/DavidHasselhoff and Creator/PamelaAnderson. This isn't really a spoiler, considering that they are both listed in the opening credits.
92	** The same happens in the Japanese dub, when Creator/TakayukiSugo, who voiced Hasselhoff in the dub of the original TV series, also dubbed him in this film as well.
93	** Interestingly enough, this doesn't happen in the Mexican Spanish dub, albeit with a very bizarre twist: rather than being voiced by the same voice actor of the series (Juan Alfonso Carralero), Hasselhoff is voiced by Roberto Carrillo, who voiced him as Michael Knight in ''Series/KnightRider''.
94	* RunningGag:
95	** The never-ending string of pop bands that Mitch uses to refer to Brody.
96	** The little figure of Mitch in the fish tank that keeps changing.
97	* SatelliteLoveInterest: [=CJ=] is pretty much just there for Ronnie to impress.
98	* SeaHurtchin: A weaponized case, as Mitch stings itself with an urchin so the adrenalin high makes him stronger, [[DrunkenMaster even if out of his mind]].
99	* SeriousBusiness: Mitch's approach to lifeguarding, par for the course for the show. Also extends to the beach as a whole, with a huge degree of fanfare surrounding the Baywatch tryouts.
100	* SettingUpdate: The original show was in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while the movie is in Broward County, Florida.
101	* SexEqualsLove: [[spoiler:CJ and Ronnie eventually sleep together, offscreen, thus starting a relationship]].
102	* ShownTheirWork: Brody's attempt to rescue drowners shows the realistic problems to doing so alone and without proper gear -- for the former, there is more than one person in danger and the need for more lifeguards is necessary; as for the latter, Brody nearly drowns himself while trying to rescue one of the drowners without a lifeboard.
103	* SignificantNameOverlap: [[invoked]] Mitch Buchannon and his mentor, Mitch Buchannon.
104	%%* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:Victoria Leeds.]]
105	* StealthSequel: Mitch's mentor is Mitch (from the original TV show). Also, Casey Jean (played by Pamela Anderson) is mentioned as being the leader of Baywatch's Hawaii Team. The final few seasons of the TV show were set in Hawaii.
106	* StrawFeminist: Victoria Leeds has shades of this. She's resentful over the fact that her brothers inherited the family business while she had to work from the ground up and all of her murder victims happen to be men.
107	-->'''Brody:''' You're fucking crazy!\
108	'''Leeds:''' If I was a man, you'd call me "driven".
109	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The Baywatch team repeatedly butting into the police's investigations only gets them into trouble as they are not trained law enforcement officials. Eventually, Mitch gets fired from his job because he seemingly neglected his duties as a lifeguard leading to a guy getting killed by a shark.
110	* TokenEvilTeammate: Matt was initially this to the Baywatch crew, but fixes his attitude after his first screw-up.
111	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Some trailers show Mitch [[spoiler:blowing Leeds up with a Roman candle.]]
112	* UglyGuyHotWife: [[spoiler:Or in this case girlfriend as the insanely hot CJ genuinely is attracted to the goofy yet endearing Ronnie.]]
113	* VulgarHumor: Lots of it, including the case listed on RagingStiffie, and Brody being forced to mess with the nether regions of a corpse.
114	* JustForFun/XMeetsY: In-universe. Matt is one of the greatest swimmers in the world, and is described as "like if a human fucked a jet-ski."

Context Film / Baywatch2017