Exchange Lifeguards



Exchange Lifeguards known in the United States as Wet and Wild Summer!, is a 1992 Australian-American comedy film directed by Maurice Murphy and starring Christopher Atkins, Julian McMahon and Elliott Gould.

Premise
A property developer wants to take over an Australian beach for a high rise resort. He sends his son to Australia to check out the situation, posing as an exchange lifeguard. He falls in love with a woman who owns the land his father needs for the development and finds himself sympathising with the locals.

Cast

 * Christopher Atkins as Bobby McCain
 * Julian McMahon as Mick Dooley
 * Rebecca Carlton as Julie Thomas
 * Vanessa Steele as Charlene
 * Elliott Gould as Mike McCain
 * Richard Carter as Al Eastman
 * Amanda Newman-Phillips as Kylie
 * Christopher Pate as Richard Gray
 * Lois Larimore as Donna McCain
 * Brian M. Logan as Terry
 * Mark Hembrow as Max
 * Peter Gow as Tishi
 * Anthony Lawrence as Clint Eastman
 * Ann Brisk as Annie McCain
 * Rick Hochman as himself

Production
Avalon says that sales agent Dick Bateman suggested he write and produce a film set around the beach and lifeguards, with humour and a romance. Bateman said he would buy all rights for $1.5 million. Avalon wrote a script Gary Hamilton of Beyond agreed to help finance if Avalon could get Elliott Gould and Chris Atkins to star; Avalon succeeded in doing this and the film was made for $1.6 million.

Reception
In her review of the film Marsha Porter describes the film as a "vulgar Aussie version of Frankie-and-Annette beach movies" and as "sexist, badly acted, and buffoonish".