Back to School (1986)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Redundant and unnecessary.

Fresh and Exciting

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Oh man, Back To School is one of my most watched comedies from the 80's era. This is the film that transformed Rodney Dangerfield from stand up comedy guy to a comedic actor and star. This is one of his finest performances in front of the big screen and Back To School made a lot of money. With the solid direction of Alan Meter, the screen writing by Harold Ramis and an excellent supporting cast, Back To School is a non stop party from start to finish, but also a solid well made movie that holds up after repeated viewings. In my opinion, this is Dangerfield's best film by far and the incredible support cast of Sally Kellerman (as Rodney's love interest), the criminally underrated Keith Gordon(as his son, and Keith always gave a memorable performance and good in everything I have seen him in),Burt Young,Ned Beatty, M Emmet Walsh,William Zapka(who previously was seen as a bully in The Karate Kid and Just One Of The Guys), the lovely Terry Farrell, an early performance from Hollywood wildman Robert Downey Jr. Plus cameos from maniac comedian Sam Kinison, Adrienne Barbeau and Kurt Vonnegut appearing as himself. Back To School is a great film and cinematic gold, an absolute comedy classic.

If it were the mid-1980s, and you were casting a formula-driven, broad-premise comedy film, and you needed two actors to play a tweedy pair of college professors, my God, you couldn't have done better than Sally Kellerman and Paxton Whitehead. Or if it were the 1980s, and you needed a rapid-fire quipster who could credibly laugh in the face of a muscled goon and get away with it, how about an SNL-era Robert Downey, Jr.? And what if your comedy was about the college underdogs, the smaller, slighter, offbeat undergraduates, and you wanted to inject a love interest that was gorgeous but also had a little, you know, geek cred? What about (then future) DS9 heart-throbber Terry Farrell?And what if, after you had signed your comedy's straight men, your sidekick, and your love interest, you also landed Ned Beatty, Adrienne Barbeau, Burt Young, Sam Kinison, and Kurt Vonnegut-yes THAT Kurt-freakin'-Vonnegut (to play himself, naturally, it's a film about higher learning) for minor roles and cameos?Pretty ding-dang good, right? But wait, it's a college film, so for the heavy, you need a classic, turned-up collar, sneering, "bro" type. And you go get William Zabka--yeah, the 'Cobra Kai' kid from The Karate Kid. Ring the bell (wait, do colleges use 'bells?'). This movie, an absolute mid-1980s gem, exists, with this cast, and it stars Rodney Dangerfield. It is the best comedy and best film he ever starred in (Caddyshack excepted, but was he a lead there, really?). It is called Back to School. Rodney Dangerfield is "Thornton Melon," captain of industry, millionaire. Thornton's normal-guy son Jason has started college, but it's been a bumpy ride, and he wants to drop out. Thornton, who never went, offers to enroll in college with him so the loving father and son can tough things out together. He enrolls, both son and father face down their natural rivals, and a wonderfully acted feel-good comedy ensues. Back to School is, it seems, permanently underrated and under-viewed since most people who haven't seen it will mistake it for a Dangerfield yuck-yuck schtick groaner, and never press 'Play.' This movie is worth your time on a quiet evening, and it is extra fun for parents and older teenagers to watch together.

Rodney Dangerfield stars as Thornton Melon, a self-made millionaire whose one big regret in life was that he never went to college. When his son Jason(played by Keith Gordon) says that he wants to drop out of college, his father makes him a deal; if Jason stays enrolled, he'll enroll himself, which starts a comedic chain of events that will change their lives,(and the college!) forever.Reasonably good-natured comedy has Rodney's bright performance and self-mocking routine going for it, and the hilarious scenes with Sam Kinison as a most unorthodox(and angry) history teacher. Other aspects and characters are not so funny or believable, but film's pluses outweigh the negatives in this amusing comedy.

Rodney Dangerfield exudes great charm, and in Back to School he really shines. A gifted stand-up comedian, Rodney is an old school Las Vegas comic known for delivering scathing, self-deprecating, yet wholesomely witty one-liners. His unique comedy is further enhanced by his bulbous eyes, deep voice and hysterical intonations.Rodney plays Thornton Melon, an eccentric millionaire, doting father, and former college diving competition champ. Thornton went from rags to riches selling men's custom-tailored suits to the big and tall. His only child and son Jason is a freshman in college, painfully single, and having a tough time adjusting to academia, campus life, and his chosen sport - diving. Hilarity ensues when Thornton comes to his son's rescue by enrolling in the same university, partying, throwing money around and slacking off. Then he is literally put to the test, having to pass a series of exams, or get expelled by his nemesis, the pompous Dr. Phillip Barbay, Dean of Students. Thornton also has to learn to stop smothering his son and be a normal dad. Of course, Rodney doesn't do normal, which brings the laughs consistently, with an explosive dive competition-climax that has to be seen to be believed. Back to School immortalized Rodney Dangerfield like no other movie. This movie also has a great supporting cast (Burt Lancaster and the late Sam Kinison come to mind) and a fitting, cheery score by none other than Danny Elfman (three years before he did Batman and The Simpsons). You'll laugh and cheer for Thornton Melon, and after you do, you'll watch this wonderful 80's comedy gem again and again.