When you consider all the low-budget comedies in the wake of Police Academy that follow the formula of gathering together a group of miscreants and shoving them into various professions (Stewardess School and Fireballs spring to mind) it's perplexing that the only EMT-based flick I can think of is 1988's Paramedics. Which makes the appearance of Skid Marks all the more timely - if by timely you mean about twenty years after the trend's high point died off.

The type of humour you're about to get from this is apparent just by considering the title and looking at the box art: put a girl in a bikini that doesn't appear in the movie? Check. Make the title a less-than-subtle wink at something off-colour? Double check. But I can't fault them for this, and they must be doing something right, because I didn't really hesitate when I saw the DVD staring out at me from the cheapie bin at the local Wal-Mart. Then again, it's not that hard to persuade me with the promise of boobies and smutty humour to begin with - and the dirty look I received from the cashier when I went to buy it made it even more worth it.

Welcome to the town of Bayside, which as a roadside sign tells us, is the home of "America's Greatest Seamen". It's a town filled with bored drunks and tourists and it's in this seaside setting that we meet the ambulance driving team of B.A.L.S. that is headed up by the sarcastic slacker type Rich (Tyler Poelle). Their main competition comes from D.I.C. (holy shit, that's funny!) who are certainly a more competent group than Rich and his crew, who not only enjoy drinking on the job and smoking pot but also includes a stuttering African-American and midget to give the makers more opportunity at juvenile comedy - like when our small-statured EMT gets his head nestled in the privates of an overweight patient.

When planned budget cuts will lead to one of them shutting down, the good men of B.A.L.S. set out to keep their jobs getting into all sorts of situations, pulling pranks on their rivals such as a "boner biting dog", and filling the flick's skin quota during scenes involving a surf board accident and their visit to a local strip club before heading for a silly, typical finale. There's also a mild love interest sub-plot between Rich and nurse Megan (Dianna Ayron) who can easily keep her job at the hospital despite the fact her midriff is showing all the time.

As a throwback to the T&A comedies of old, Skid Marks does a pretty good job of emulating the low-brow, innuendo and slapstick filled flicks I used to consume during the heyday of VHS. There's really nothing here we haven't seen before but the results are still pretty watchable thanks to an unserious tone and a likeable cast who are obviously having fun with it. Poelle is an alright ringleader to his gaggle of goofballs but its Tim Piper and David Lee Schultz who offer up the most chuckles as the two main drivers for D.I.C., Neil and Bob (Hey! That joke was used way back in 1990 in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane!). Shultz definitely steals it and the funniest moment comes when Neil gets upset and is pounding on the hood of his ambulance yelling "dammit!" repeatedly before changing his tune to "awesome!" after being told to be positive. It's a dumb joke, but I liked it.

The type of film where it's required you shut your brain off upon pressing "Play", Skid Marks makes for an entertaining 85 minutes. It revels in its political incorrectness and is the type of thing that wouldn't feel out of place on late night television - meaning that if you're a fan of misfit comedies you should give this one a look. (Chris Hartley, 9/14/10)

Directed By: Karl Kozak.
Written By: Karl Kozak, Don J. Rearden, Kraig X. Wenman.

Starring: Tyler Poelle, Mikey Post, Scott Pittman, Kathy Vyen.