High School U.S.A. (1983)
Set in a senior high school class, J.J. pursues the girlfriend of a rival from a higher clique which culminates in a race at the end of the movie between the two rivals in this light comedy.
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Sick Product of a Sick System
Memorable, crazy movie
Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
HIGH SCHOOL U.S.A. is a lame and tame high school-set teen comedy of the early 1980s, chiefly of interest today for featuring Michael J. Fox before he became famous. This was a TV movie which explains the lack of contentious material - when most films of this genre were full to the brim of sex and skin, this one seems to have been made with kids in mind. Certainly the plotting is of a childish nature, completely obvious, a rivalry between the geeky unpopular heroes and the impossibly cool and slimy bad guys. Fox is endearing to a degree and does his best, and there are some other turns for the likes of Crispin Glover and Anthony Edwards, but generally this one's a bore, and that closing car race is as dull as it gets.
This film is a blast. Because of such a stellar cast, it's far better than you'd expect nonsense like this to be. Michael J. Fox is charming and likable. And Crispin Glover (in ultimate nerd mode) has several memorable one liners. And to this day I'll never forget the character of Bandini. As he's shuffling along complaining about how his toes hurt. And Fox points out that he has his shoes on the wrong feet. To which Bandini replies, "No I don't. These are my feet." Classic!Don't miss Anthony Edwards doing his best Eddie Haskell impersonation - to Ken Osmond, the original Eddie Haskell himself.The cheap DVD is not the best quality. But hey, it should last forever. And it's pretty inexpensive at the moment. Definitely check it out!
Contrary to some of the other comments, Crispin Glover actually does have a big role here, so much so that he should have been listed 2nd or 3rd in the credits. And yes, he does steal the show. Also the chemistry he has with Fox is excellent, and makes for a great double feature with Back To The Future. It is a shame the two didn't make more films together.Anyways, this is one of the best films of the 80's, TV or otherwise. And its one of the best high-school oriented films as well. The cast is perfect and the story is cute and funny. Also expect some major star-gazing from a who's-who of vintage TV, along with many now-famous movie stars. And above all, for those who lived through this era, it will be a slice of nostalgia heaven.So give this neglected classic some love! Pronto!
Come back with us now to the 1980s. While movie companies were cashing in on teen success, NBC decided to take advantage on the teen movie trend by making their own. High School U.S.A. was the beginning. It was originally a TV pilot, but you could hardly tell it was. Still, this movie featured teen stars of the time who went on to big things that included:Michael J Fox (Family Ties), Nancy McKeon (The Facts of Life), Todd Bridges & the late Dana Plato (Diff'rent Strokes), Lauri Hendler (Gimme a Break), Crystal Bernard & Cathy Silvers (Happy Days), Anthony Edwards (who went to big things), David Packer (V), Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), and the late Tom Villard (who did many supporting & guest roles in movies and TV).The setting is Excelsior Union High School in Missouri. JJ Manners (Fox) is sort is the somewhat leader of a group of uncool kids. He is likable, but the prep & jocks (led by Beau Middleton, played by Edwards) can't stand him or his kind. It gets even worse when JJ falls in love with Beth Franklin (McKeon), who was a zero but became part of the A-crowd when she started to date Beau. There are many subplots as well, which as just as funny. A host of 50s & 60s TV stars show up. It is pretty interesting seeing teen stars from one generation meet up with another. Do I think it would've worked as a TV series? Probably not. Some of the stars were involved in other TV shows and projects. It would've been impossible top bring all the cast members back. Still, it stands on its own well as a TV movie. It was probably best it ended that way as well.It's worth a look for fans of the 80s and even fans of 50s and 60s.Pat