High School High (1996)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Hart Bochner

Writers (WGA):

David Zucker (written by) &
Robert LoCash (written by) ...

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

Tagline:

There's a new teacha in the hood!

Plot:

Richard Clark has just left the well-known Wellington Academy to teach at Marion Barry High School. Now...

Plot Keywords:

School | High School | Attempted Rape | Hip Hop | Drag Racing

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 25

1:00 PM

Fox

Cast

Jon Lovitz	...	Richard Clark
Tia Carrere	...	Victoria Chapell
Louise Fletcher	...	Principal Evelyn Doyle
Mekhi Phifer	...	Griff McReynolds
Malinda Williams	...	Natalie Thompson
Guillermo Díaz	...	Paco Rodriguez
Lexie Bigham	...	Two-Bags
Gil Espinoza	...	Alonzo
John Neville	...	Thaddeus Clark
Brian Hooks	...	Anferny Jefferson
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Julie Rubels
Marco Rodríguez	...	Mr. DeMarco
Nicholas Worth	...	Rhino
Eric Allan Kramer	...	Hulk
Lu Elrod	...	Miss Bernie Wells

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, partial nudity and some drug references.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:MG6 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34337) | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Norway:11 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Lexie Bigham died in a road accident shortly after completing this movie.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the security guard checks students for weapons in the beginning.

Quotes:

Paco Rodriguez: Come on, I know you want this. I read Mike Tyson's book.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Deer Hunter (1978)

Soundtrack:

Why You Wanna Funk

Decent spoof

I've seen the movie about nine or ten times, so naturally many of the jokes--which I found hysterical at first--aren't that funny anymore. But I don't think they could've done a much better job at spoofing high school flicks like "Dangerous Minds," "Lean on Me," "The Blackboard Jungle" and "To Sir, With Love." There are lots of witty moments that hit the bullseye.

The jokes are not over-the-top, nor are they filthy and vomit-inducing like many recent spoofs. It's from the writers of "The Naked Gun" and the talent really shows.

Jon Lovitz is funny, like usual. Tia Carrerre has never looked hotter, and serves as great eye candy. Louise Fletcher is appropriately creepy as the principal, who is sort of like a female version of Joe Clark--she also roams the hallways with a baseball bat.

The young stars like Guillermo Diaz, Mekhi Pfieffer, Natasha Gregson Wagner and Brian Hooks are very good and their timing is just right.

I would probably praise this movie a lot more if I submitted this comment after my first viewing, but trust me--it's very funny! But, like many broad comedies of this kind, it's not as enjoyable on repeat viewings. After having seen the latest spoof, "Not Another Teen Movie," I'm able to appreciate this film a lot more. This is a spoof with wit and structure, and even has a few subtle in-jokes: the school is titled Marion Barry High. You get it?

My score: 7 (out of 10)