With Honors (1994)

Convinced he'll graduate with honors because of his thesis paper, a stuffy Harvard student finds his paper being held hostage by a homeless man, who might be the guy to school the young man in life.

Director:

Alek Keshishian

Writer:

William Mastrosimone

Stars:

Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, Moira Kelly

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Pesci	...	Simon Wilder
Brendan Fraser	...	Montgomery 'Monty' Kessler
Moira Kelly	...	Courtney Blumenthal
Patrick Dempsey	...	Everett Calloway
Josh Hamilton	...	Jeffrey Hawks
Gore Vidal	...	Prof. Pitkannan
Deborah Lake Fortson	...	Homeless Woman
Marshall Hambro	...	Chuck, Security Guard
Melinda Chilton	...	Helga
Harve Kolzow	...	Harvard Cop
James Deuter	...	Judge
Caroline Gibson	...	Donation Student
M. Lynda Robinson	...	Newspaper Purchaser #1
Richard Auguste	...	Newspaper Purchaser #2
Patricia B. Butcher	...	Librarian

Storyline

Monty is a student, and when his computer crashes, he's left with only a single paper copy of his thesis. Frightened of losing it, he immediately rushes out to photocopy it, only to stumble and drop it down a grate. Searching the basement of the building, he discovers that it has been found by Simon, a squatter. Simon makes a deal with Monty: for every day's accomodation and food that Monty gives him, he will give a page of the thesis in return.

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Plot Keywords:

thesis | harvard | homeless man | terminal illness | law school | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and brief sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Con honores

Filming Locations:

Boston Athenaeum - 10½ Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$20,043,254 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spring Creek Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claudia Haro, who plays Marty (the girl who asks Simon to dance at the party), was actually married to Joe Pesci.

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Goofs

In the steam room Monty limps due to his fall outside of the library. At first it appears he is limping on his right leg, and then he switches over to his left leg.

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Quotes

Simon Wilder: Women. Ain't they perfect?
Monty: Not always.
Simon Wilder: Yes, they are, they're perfect. Don't matter if they're skinny, fat, blond or blue. If a woman is willing to give you her love, Harvard, it's the greatest gift in the world. Makes you taller, makes you smarter, makes your teeth shine. Boy, oh, boy, women are perfect.

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Connections

References ABC News Nightline (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Dream of You"
Written by Sy Oliver, Edward P. Moran and Jimmie Lunceford
Performed by Django Reinhardt
Courtesy of RCA Records Label of BMG Music

User Reviews

Delightful

I´m one of those people who knows what to expect from a movie and the best part of it is that you can be surprised.

"With Honors" is certainly one of my favorite little movies so far. There are times when one gets tired from blockbuster-movies and cars blowing up and heros and spies and guns and the all-so-great 'wipe out the world ploy' (yes, I am quoting The Mummy Returns). I stopped by Blockbuster and decided I´d watch old movies and simple ones, so I got what I wanted but it was more than satisfying.

I love Joe Pesci and as surreal and unreal as his bum version was, you can´t help loving the guy. There was something very ´common place´ (the poor but incredibly wise man that is) about it, but the movie has it´s merits.

I knew Brendan Fraser could kick ass and look hot but I was pleased to see him act. The guy´s good and his character was really captivating, which gets the movie going.

There is a lesson coming from the movie, but it´s not one that will make you want roll your eyes (although it´s perfectly acceptable).

I watched it twice, and I´d watch it again.