Summer School (1987)

Just perfect...

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Blistering performances.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Spirited, fun-loving gym coach (Mark Harmon, never more charming or high energy) is saddled with high school kids stuck in summer school due to terrible grades in English, needing to get them to pass a test at the end so he can reach tenure. While the vice principal (a well cast stick-in-the-mud Robin Thomas) doubts Harmon can do it, the kids, through bribing (Harmon agrees to grant them favors if they will allow him to teach them English!), start to actually study and learn progressively. Meanwhile Harmon continues to ask fellow teacher Kirstie Alley (never more yummy) out on a date, unimpeded by her constant rejection towards him.An electric cast of familiar faces in young roles, a splendid sunny coastal setting, sense of humor that aims to please, breezy direction that makes the most of the formula plot, and some delightful homages to the slasher films of the 80s (this was around '87 as slasher films were riding the high soon to wane in the next few years) really keep the film appealing. It is a cult comedy that is anchored (and boosted) by Harmon's winning personality (he is mostly known as a dramatic actor with more effort toward intensity and sincerity which makes this character a welcome change of pace for him) with memorable duo of horror make-up aficionados, Chainsaw and Dave (Dean Cameron and Gary Riley, quite a pair), leaving a zany impression. But the cast is filled with faces those who grew up with television and movies in the 80s and 90s know: Patrick Labyorteaux (Little House on the Prairie; Heathers; Ghoulies III: JAG) as football player needing to lift his grades to make the team, Courtney Thorne-Smith (Melrose Place; Ally McBeal) as teenage surfer infatuated with Harmon, Kelly Jo Minter (after this she was in both The Lost Boys and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5) as dyslexic student trying to get her driver's license, Ken Olandt (April Fool's Day was right before this and he also starred in Leprechaun a few years later) as underage stripper who sleeps during summer class, Shawnee Smith (Saw; Who's Harry Crumb?) as pregnant teenager Labyorteaux takes a shine to, Richard Steven Horvitz as allergy-plagued dork who is burdened with being the black sheep in terms of not passing class (he has made a career as a voice artist), foxy foreign exchange student Fabiana Udenio who eventually strips to bikini and is an object of lust for the horror film geeks to drool over, and hulking Duane Davis who goes to the bathroom on the first day and returns the last to take the test (and passes with the highest grade!).Memorable scenes include the cast frightening a sub for Harmon with a splatter scene right out of a Freddy movie (the make-up effects are epic!), Harmon losing his girlfriend to a Hawaii trip as he must stay behind in order to remain employed, fireworks setting Harmon's couch on fire during a party at his house, Harmon's early teaching methods (which included field trips to an amusement park and the library), the summer school ending exams which had all the students rushing to just finish them, and the driver's exams where Cameron and Minter have their share of problems. Harmon and Alley have good chemistry, and his efforts finally pay off at the end...and how Harmon tries to disable Courtney's crush on him comes with some complications. Harmon's simply infectious, and NCIS fans might want to take a look at this to see a more laid-back and easy-breezy personality quite different from the rock of Gibraltar he inhabits on the long-time military action show.

Jethro Gibbs he is not in this movie. Mark Harmon is an all around fun grown up who hasn't grown up. Even though this movie was filmed in the 80s, the only real way to tell was Pam's uncles awful mullet, a bit of clothing, and the free sunglasses. This movie could've been filmed yesterday and you probably wouldn't even notice. Courtney Thorne-Smith is painfully sexy, Kirsty Allie coming in second. The acting is surprisingly good, and there are minimal obvious errors and goofs. This movie is fun, easy to watch, and a real "brighten up your day" kinda film. Mark Harmon, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Kirsty Allie, and Wonder Mut...all on the beach. What more could you want? Thumbs up twice for this gem!

For beautiful female faces and bodies, you cannot beat this movie... Never have Courtney Thorne-Smith, or Kirstie Alley (Cheers) been more physically scrumptious. No skinny model-bodies there! Shawnee Smith (Becker)was gorgeous, if pregnant. The male counterparts were equally California attractive. The Venice boardwalk/beach location shots are nice. What school building location is that? I found the two delinquents (Chainsaw and pal) to be NOT funny, but annoyingly, arrogantly, repulsively criminal (because I am over 18) and they should NOT have been indulged by Harmon's character, but rather, sent to juvenile detention facilities so the other schoolmates could perhaps advance a bit faster. Just my opinion.

I have never been a fan of teen comedies for many reasons that I can't possibly list here. Most are menial, mediocre movies that have little or no effort put into them and usually just fall down the pits into low brow comedy including but not limited to scatological humor and/or perverse sexual jokes. Am I saying all comedies of this nature are like that? No, absolutely not. I really enjoyed "American Wedding". Though there are others like "The New Guy" that are just plain awful. While "Summer School" has nothing to offer the film medium in terms of new stuff, it manages to be an enjoyable romp.The story concerns a gym teacher, who goes by the name "Shoop" (Mark Harmon). School has ended for summer vacation and students and teachers alike are eager to get out. The exception is for the teachers who have to teach the summer school students. When the original English teacher supposed to teach the summer school students bails out, the Vice Principal (Robin Thomas), puts Shoop on the job. If all goes well, Shoop will get tenure. But considering the type of kids Shoop will have to deal it, it will be a long road ahead. Shoop also strikes an unsuccessful string of dates with another summer school teacher, Ms. Bishop (Kristie Alley). Will Shoop be able to get the kids to study and not only get a date with Ms. Bishop? It's one of the hardest to things to review a film that is good, but offers little in being able to be discussed. The actors overall seem to be having a fun time with the characters they portray. They aren't dull for a moment and everyone brings they're own amounts of energy to the roles they play. Mark Harmon in particular has not only a lot of energy, but has charisma that helps to add to his characters enjoyable nature. This not only helps with his on-screen chemistry with Kristie Alley's character. They play well off one another in key scenes very well, and are overall fun to watch. Robin Thomas also does well as the stereotypical evil principal.The comedy works for the most part in this movie because it deals with clichés and stereotypes, and plays exactly off of both. The students all have "Breakfast Club-like" stereotypes including a jock, nerd, losers, and outcasts. The writers and director Carl Reiner seem to enjoy these clichés and go far to make them funny, but not crossing that edge into annoyance and stupidity. All of this culminates into somewhat of a non-stereotypical which satisfied me and partly surprised me, which I'd prefer not to give away as it help adds more to this funny movie.Overall, if you just want to see a movie that you know you will have a goodtime at, "Summer School" might just be the selection for. Just don't go in any with any expectations. I went in with bad and came out with good. As Alfred Hitchcock would say "It's only a movie."