Fox Night at the Movies Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love

 ((Mon. (9), 8- 10 p.m., Fox))

By TODD EVERETT

Filmed in Southern California by Zacharias/Buhai Prods. in association with Fox West Pictures. Executive producers, Steve Zacharias, Jeff Buhai; producer, Ooty Moorehead; co-producer, Robert Carradine; director, Zacharias; writers, Zacharias, Buhai, based on characters created by Tim Metcalfe, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Zacharias, Buhai.
 
Cast: Robert Carradine, Curtis Armstrong, Julia Montgomery, Corinne Bohrer, Christina Pickles, Jessica Tuck, Robert Picardo, Stephen Davies, Larry B. Scott, Brian Tochi, Jamie Cromwell, Don Gibb, Bernie Casey, John Pinette, Gregg Binkley , Diane Robin, James Gleason, Ted McGinley, Joseph Bologna, Sophie Buhai, Paul Gleason, Marvin Kaplan, James Karen, Laurel Moglen, Rick Goldman, Anthony Gordin , Kathy Hartsell, Cynthia Hoppenfeld, Mark McDaniel, Michael James McDonald, Marcie Jo Warren, Marjorie Sue Wiener, Lawrence Wolf.
 

Not without charm, the nerds

nonetheless are wearing thin in fourth installment of series that began with 1984 feature "Revenge of the Nerds" and its 1987 sequel (directed by Joe Roth), then moved to TV for 1992's "Revenge of the Nerds III." Reuniting many members of the original cast, though not Timothy Busfield and John Goodman, pic's centered on nuptials of Dudley (Booger) Dawson.

Film is being programmed as part of Monday night "Fox-o-Rama" promotion, telecast in 3-D and with scratch-and-sniff "aroma-vision" cards available through 7-Eleven stores. Visual effects are OK (lots of smoke being blown into the camera); cards smell less like teen spirit than Kool-Aid.

Booger (Curtis Armstrong) is engaged to Jeanie (Corinne Bohrer), daughter of nouveau riche businessman and aspiring politician Aaron Humphrey (Joseph Bologna). This dismays Humphrey, his avaricious son-in-law, Chip (Stephen Davies), and their snooty butler, Romeo (James Gleason). Humphrey's wife (Christina Pickles) and daughter (Jessica Tuck) are more accepting than the men.

Hilarity, or a TV-movie facsimile, ensues in flabby script by Steve Zacharias and Jeff Buhai, capably directed by Zacharias.

Nerds arrive from all over for the wedding, notably charter members and/or returnees Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine) and his wife, Betty (Julia Montgomery), fey black Lamar (Larry B. Scott), Takashi (Brian Tochi), obese Scot Trevor (John Pinette) and nephew Harold (Gregg Binkley).

"Married ... With Children" regular Ted McGinley, in the "Nerd" series from the beginning, makes a token appearance as nerd Stan Gable, spending most of the show in bed with a case of the chicken pox. Bernie Casey, also in from early on, shows up for an even briefer cameo toward the end.

Bologna turns in what's for him a subtle performance, which works well; Pickles, Davies and Tuck are fine foils.

Camera, Zoran Hochstatter; editor, Gary Karr; production designer, Don Day; art director, Shirley Starks; sound, Mary Jo Devenny; music, Gary Schyman.