Getting In (1994)

Director:

Doug Liman

Writers (WGA):

P.J. Posner (written by) &
Joel Posner (written by) ...

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Med School - the price of admission is murder.

Plot:

Gabriel Higgs has failed to get into Johns Hopkins to study medicine. He's sixth on a list of backup candidates...

Plot Keywords:

Waiting List | College | Murder | Satire | Lab Rat

Cast

Stephen Mailer	...	Gabriel Higgs
Grahame Wood	...	Lab Partner
Kristy Swanson	...	Kirby Watts
Daniel R. Gerson	...	Ross
Stan Brown	...	Professor
Sean Bridges	...	Dumpster Hunter
Len Cariou	...	Dr. Lionel Higgs / Dr. Ezekial Higgs
Christine Baranski	...	Mrs. Margaret 'Maggie' Higgs
Dorothy Brown	...	Proctor
Dave Chappelle	...	Ron
Andrew McCarthy	...	Rupert Grimm
George Lee	...	Dr. Peters
Christina Keefe	...	Rachel
Roy Lind	...	Dean Stiller
Laura Cathey	...	Jubilant Student

Also Known As:

Student Body

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Germany:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Foxboro Entertainment

Trivia:

According to director Doug Liman, the title sequence was shot for $500 using his out-of-pocket funds. He brought the cat along to chase the rats and motivate them to run, but the rats weren't afraid of the cat. Rather, the opposite was true, so Liman filmed the rats chasing the cat and then re-edited the footage.

It's good and then it gets better

I saw this movie on TV this morning. Right from the start I noticed some big names on the credits: Christine Baranski, Matthew Perry, Dave Chappelle, and Calista Flockhart. Seeing as how these people are now all fairly major stars, I figured I should keep watching. I'm glad I did. (What's interesting is that I assumed since all these well-known actors were playing minor parts, this movie must date from the mid-80's. The picture quality seemed to agree, so now that I see IMDb said 1994, I am rather surprised. But Flockhart and Perry have INCREDIBLY small parts, as you will notice.) Anyway, the movie is about Gabriel Higgs (Stephen Mailer), whose father's family has gone to Johns Hopkins medical school for generations, and now it's Gabe's turn. (If you've read Kurt Vonnegut's short-story "The Lie", about a private boy's academy, this story will sound very familiar.) Gabriel prepares to take the MCAT to get in, but a crucial error costs him on the test, and he is put on the waiting list. His good friend, Ron (Dave Chappelle) hacks the school's computer to show that he is 6th. He then tries to get all those ahead of him to drop off. One student, Kirby Watts, becomes his love interest. Another, who reminds me of Mitch, the nerdy doctor roommate of "Patch Adams", downplays not getting in, although we later see he cared more. Gabriel doesnt tell his parents about his Wait-Listed status, hoping he can bump everyone else. Soon after he begins his quest, the people on the list start getting killed, thru various means. Gabriel becomes the obvious suspect, and the ensuing finishing scenes really make the movie. I highly recommend seeing this film. ODD NOTE: I mentioned all the kinda-big-names in this movie at the top. Later this evening I caught "The Birdcage" (another great movie) on ABC, and SURPRISE! Baranski and Flockhart also play in that (although their roles are much larger!).