High School High (1996)

Truly Dreadful Film

Am I Missing Something?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Richard Clark (Jon Lovitz- of SNL fame) is a bumbling, caring and out of touch prep school teacher who feels like he should be doing more. He leaves his prestigious position as head of his department for Marion Barry High School, a fictional crime riddled inner city haven for the worst of the worst. Richard aims to help students get a better life out of their rough neighborhoods, but with hilarious results. Along the way Richard has help with class from secretar- err...I mean administrative assistant Victoria Chapel (Tia Carrera- Wayne's World, True Lies) and former thug turned good guy Griff (Mekhi Phiffer- 8 Mile) to help Marion Barry be the best or quite possibly the best...umm maybe.

Back when there were real comedies in Hollywood.It is lovely. The best about it is that it isn't a parody. It's a comedy concerning a teacher-with-underachiever-students, having little spoofs of some movies here and there.The formula is familiar since Blackboard Jungle (1955), and To Sir with Love (1967). Actually, this kind of movies don't stop. It never has a time of prosperity, maybe due to the fact that teaching is a continuing exam, since the circumstances are always changing, bringing new generations with new ways to deal with them. Ironically, the same year of (High School High) witnessed also (To Sir, with Love II) the TV sequel, and close movies like (The Substitute), and (Eddie).It doesn't pick clips from previous movies and toy with them as movies, from the same year, did such as (Spy Hard) and (Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood). It shows an easy yet well-made story. Some perfect slapstick, lines, puns, and simple parody comedy. And the result didn't contain things like being forced, bad taste, toilet humor, or all what I watch in the comedies of today! The cast did a fine job, especially the minor parts. It's only Louise Fletcher who didn't amuse me, giving a one-note sullen face all along. The thing about Jon Lovitz is that he's Jon Lovitz in every movie or TV show. That's not a bad thing at all, but maybe it affected his career in a bad way. Although I love the guy, I even watched the movie more than once to savor him better, but sometimes his confused moves do bug.The twist of the Principal being the bad guy, who forged her students' results, was wild. Yet I can accept it as a far try to present a satire that agrees with this movie's farcical time and general innocence. So, accordingly, when a school reaches being that bad, and stays as that, then the Principal must be a real *criminal* ! It's one small movie (it's even less than 90 minutes). But there are plenty of good dialogs (I love "Where The Hell is Our Dinner ?!!" the most), and detailed scenes (look at how the school was shown at the start). I can't forget the final encounter of the "new" students with their Principal in which they got to beat her by their hard study and right answers; see, this movie is constructively motivational on a deep level yet in its own way ! Even at one point the movie delivers a sad scene in a very special way; and I mean the moment of Richard Clark leaving the school, feeling the failure, with a rain over his head only, namely departing "under a cloud" literally. I love the genius blues melody in the background, the serious – rarely seen – performance of Lovitz, and the smart lines during it.Some criticized it as a predictable, formulaic...Well, so most of the comedies, rather most of Hollywood movies. However the question would be did the amount of entertainment manage to rule or not? And this time it did. So it's predictable, formulaic, yet clever and seductive to watch. I miss this kind of comedies. Now I can't find anything but teens trash, stupid family movies, and disastrous parodies like (Disaster Movie) !

Although it was co-written by David Zucker, this comedy is more conventional than, say, the "Naked Gun" series; it doesn't have the same rapid-fire, relentless pacing. However, it does have a number of successful gags (when the teacher enters the ghetto area, his car radio will play ONLY rap music), and, of course, the gorgeous Tia Carrere....wow! (**)

Jon Lovitz stars in a movie so bad, it had to go under my label of `brilliant stupidity,' which is a good thing by my standards. Not only was the humor great, the jokes in the film proved to be funny without the overabundance of potty jokes and bodily excrement. There are so many great moments to high light in this film, and it hits its marks pretty most of the time. Tia Carrere was also good in this film, being out of place yet ravishing in her role. One of those films you need to watch with friends or when drunk, or both.