U.S. box office. Despite the film's box office underperformance, the film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes shows an approval rating of 65% based on 17 reviews. Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote Shag, "a teen-age nostalgia film set in the summer of 1963, suggests a frothy female answer to Barry Levinson's 'Diner,' with a Southern twist." Roger Ebert, who gave the film 3 stars, praised the actors of the film, calling them "best of the younger generation in Hollywood, and they treat their material with the humor and delicacy it deserves." TV Guide also complimented the actors, calling them "uniformly attractive and energetic" performers who can "deliver performances that range from likable to delicious." The Austin Chronicle wrote, "Fonda's portrayal of the bad-girl preacher's daughter...steals the show." Margaret Moser, also of the Chronicle, wrote a retrospective review stating "the cast and acting raise this ultimately charming film from sleeper to cult status without stooping to pointless sex or nudity." Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times gave a positive review, writing "Named for a particularly Southern dance craze, 'Shag' is an artfully directed, frequently funny and carefully observed story" and praised the dance sequence, which was choreographed by Kenny Ortega. Soundtrack The original soundtrack album was released by Sire/Warner Bros Records on August 2, 1989. It was available on vinyl, cassette and CD. "The Shag" – Tommy Page "I'm in Love Again" – Randy Newman "Our Day Will Come" – k.d. lang and The Reclines "Ready to Go Steady" – The Charmettes "Shaggin' on the Grand Strand" – Hank Ballard "Oh What a Night" – The Moonlighters "Saved – La Vern Baker" "I'm Leaving It All Up to You" – La Vern Baker, Ben E. King "Surrender" – Louise Goffin "Diddley Daddy" – Chris Isaak Home media The initial VHS home video version was released on June 3, 1997. However, legal copyright infringements led to a second VHS release on January 13, 1998, that features different songs, or no music at all in some scenes compared to the original theatrical release. The 1997 home video version has a box cover almost identical to the theatrical poster, while the modified copyright-compliant version has different cover artwork. Shag was released on Region 1 DVD on May 22, 2001. The Blu-ray of the movie was released on June 27, 2017 by Olive Films. References External links Official