Underclassman (2005)

User Rating:

3.2/10   

Director:

Marcos Siega

Writers (WGA):

Brent Goldberg (story) &
David Wagner (story) ...

Release Date:

2 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A Comedy About Upholding The Law And Disturbing The Peace

Plot:

A young detective goes undercover at an elite private school to destroy an international stolen car ring. |

Plot Keywords:

Private School | Undercover | Car Chase | African American | Police

Cast

Nick Cannon	...	Tracy 'Tre' Stokes
Adrian Young	...	Jose
Art Bonilla	...	Cuervo
Bart McCarthy	...	Earl the Bum
Kelly Hu	...	Lisa Brooks
Ian Gomez	...	Detective Gallecki
Cheech Marin	...	Captain Victor Delgado
Ryan Beil	...	Warren Williams
Peter Bryant	...	Michael Barry
Angelo Spizzirri	...	David Boscoe
Sam Easton	...	Oliver Horn
Shawn Ashmore	...	Rob Donovan
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Ms. Hagerty
Kaylee DeFer	...	Des
MyCale Guyton	...	April (as MyCale)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual references, drug material and some teen drinking.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Camarillo, California, USA

Company:

Underclassman Films Ltd.

Trivia:

Originally set for a US theatrical release in 2004. Then two massive waves of layoffs were sustained at Miramax and Dimension, and the infamous Disney and Miramax split reached it's height. This film thus remained in the Miramax vaults unreleased during this time of uncertainty. When the Disney and Miramax divorce was finally completed, numerous films under the Miramax and Dimension label were finally released theatrically.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Tracy Stokes: [at a five-star restaurant with Rob] I'm telling you, in my old neighborhood, gettin' crab is something totally different.

Movie Connections:

References Point Break (1991)

Soundtrack:

Can I Kick It

A weak attempt at comedy

Police detective Tre Stokes (Nick Cannon) goes undercover at an upper class private school to infiltrate a car-thieving ring and find out who murdered one of the students, but he soon finds that this sort of school environment is very different from the streets of L.A.

The premise is very thin and unoriginal so the strength of the film is entirely up to Nick Cannon. Unfortunately, Nick Cannon doesn't deliver. He tries way too hard to be funny and he only manages to make a couple of jokes work. I think he has some potential but he needs to pick better scripts. Also, he should start off as a supporting actor since he doesn't really have what it takes to be a leading man, in my opinion. The main problem with the film is the script since it's very lame and offensive. Most of the jokes are racist and derivative so there's another problem. Screenwriters David Wagner and Brent Goldberg come up with a bunch of annoying clichés that don't work out. They don't seem to be trying at all which isn't surprising since they are responsible for My Baby's Daddy.

After Nick Cannon, the supporting actors aren't any better and this is clearly a paycheck movie for everyone involved. Shawn Ashmore is okay as Iceman but his performance isn't very good here. Cheech Marin doesn't really do anything special and he ends up being bland. Kelly Hu and Ian Gomez both play detectives and they just look bored throughout the entire film. Roselyn Sanchez is sadly underused in her role.

Director Marcos Siega does an okay job behind the camera. He at least tries to keep things interesting with a few car sequences that should wake up the viewer. Besides for that and a few jokes, the film is a dud. The romance between Cannon and Sanchez is unbelievable and forced. Most of the supporting characters are one dimensional and they are props for Cannon's insults. The film is also pretty offensive with its racial stereotyping and outdated jokes. Underclassman could have been an enjoyable, harmless film even if it isn't original. However, the offensive script kills that opportunity and the movie ends up being below average. In the end, unless you're a big fan of Nick Cannon, skip this film. Rating 4/10