Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and written by Steve Zacharias and Jeff Buhai. The film stars Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, and Bernie Casey. Set at the fictional Adams College, the film follows a group of socially awkward students who form their own fraternity to counter ongoing harassment from the dominant Alpha Beta fraternity and its sister sorority, Pi Delta Pi.

Inspired by a magazine article about computer programmers in Silicon Valley, the film was produced by 20th Century Fox and shot primarily at the University of Arizona and Old Tucson Studios. Made on a reported budget of $6–8 million, it was released theatrically on July 20, 1984, and grossed approximately $40.9 million in the United States and Canada.

Upon release, Revenge of the Nerds received generally negative reviews, with criticism directed at its sexual content and use of racial and gender stereotypes, though some reviewers praised its underdog premise and satirical elements. In the decades since, the film has been reassessed as a cult comedy and a notable entry in the "slobs vs. snobs" subgenre of 1980s teen films. Its legacy has included three sequels, an unaired television pilot, attempted remakes and reboots, and the founding of a real-life Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity inspired by the film.