Making the Grade (1984)

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

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Palmer Woodrow is given an ultimatum. Either he goes to school or he is cut off from his money. Woodrow chooses the latter. He conjures up a scheme to pay a compulsive gambler named Eddie Keaton to be Palmer Woodrow, and act as him, while Palmer takes off to Europe. Eddie Keaton makes enemies immediately, when he sets eyes on Tracey, angering Biff, the Academy suck up in the process. Eddie's life begins to get very tumults when his bookie from the old neighborhood, Dice, comes to collect Eddie's gambling debts I would never call Judd Nelson a great actor. There is a reason he faded in the late 80's (Well, two reasons, the other being he had an overly arrogant attitude in real life) I do have a major soft spot for him, though. He can be very entertaining when he wants to be. The Breakfast Club proved that. I actually was looking forward to this film. It seemed to be right up my alley. I love cheesy 80's comedies. This one tanked at the box office for a reason. It is way too derivative and shockingly dull. Do the movies Arthur and Trading Places ring a bell? This movie is essentially a combination of the two. It is filled with corny slapstick that fails to garner any chuckles or laughs. Judd Nelson seems bored half the time and as a result, he is also boring. He tries to incorporate part of the things that worked so well with Bender to no avail. He isn't interesting enough to command your attention. His humming of "Nuh-Nuh-Nuh" got annoying fast. He did have an epic dance scene, I'll say that. Scott McGinnis is OK as the academy bully. He was rather dull in all honesty. He looked like a poor man's James Mardsen. Andrew Dice Clay does alright. Jonna Lee makes for a rather average love interest. She didn't really have anything that stood out about her. The ending is filled with proper ethics where Eddie has a change of heart. I don't think I need to explain the rest, you should be able to figure it out for yourself.Final Thoughts: I didn't hate it, I just didn't get into it all that much. It lacks everything I loved about cheesy 80's comedies. They were expecting a big hit, as evident from the promised sequel at the end credits "The Tourista" with Judd Nelson returning. I'm really glad that didn't happen.5/10

I am getting mentally exhausted from watching so many generic movies. "Making The Grade" looks as if it was churned out of the same factory as a hundred other '80s movies.A spoiled high school kid doesn't want to spend his senior year going to a private school. He hires a trouble maker (Judd Nelson) to pretend to be him and attend the school in his place. End of story.There is no chemistry whatsoever between Nelson and his female costar (Jonna Lee). What about comedy? I literally laughed one time during the 100 minutes of this film. It is dull and predictable. You would be infinitely better off watching Judd Nelson for the millionth time in "The Breakfast Club" rather than watch this piece of drivel. 1/10

If any of you remember John Bender from The Breakfast Club, then Eddie Keaton of Making the Grade will seem familiar. They are similar, except that John Bender has more depth. Making the Grade is a silly, sometimes funny, parody of the "Preppy" Lifestyle. It makes fun of everything from wearing no socks, to the bright, peppy colors. It's an all around funny movie. This is Judd's first movie, and I recommend it to all of you who enjoy his work. For those of you who don't, I suggest you watch it anyway, and make an opinion for yourself...! *+*Anna*+*

I am a huge 80's buff. I love the classic comedies that have come from that era. This is by far and away the best of the bunch. It is quite possibly the best comedy ever. It plays on the stereotypes of Preppies and intercity kids. It is great. Palmer Woodrow, played wonderfully by Dana Olsen, is a scene stealer. This is also one of Judd Nelson's first films. It is Andrew Dice Clay's first film apperance. It is a classic piece of Americana. Buy it, rent it, steal it if you have to. It is that good.