Private School (1983)

Christine (Phoebe Cates), a student at an exclusive all-girls private school, is in love with Jim, who attends an academy for boys nearby. Christine's arch rival Jordan also has her eye on ... See full summary »

Director:

Noel Black

Writers:

Dan Greenburg, Suzanne O'Malley

Stars:

Phoebe Cates, Betsy Russell, Matthew Modine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phoebe Cates	...	Christine
Betsy Russell	...	Jordan
Matthew Modine	...	Jim
Michael Zorek	...	Bubba
Fran Ryan	...	Miss Dutchbok
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Betsy
Ray Walston	...	Chauncey
Sylvia Kristel	...	Ms. Copuletta
Jonathan Prince	...	Roy
Kari Lizer	...	Rita
Richard Stahl	...	Mr. Flugel
Julie Payne	...	Coach Whelan
Frank Aletter	...	Mr. Leigh-Jensen
Frances Bay	...	Birdie Fallmouth
Bill Wray	...	Bandleader

Storyline

Christine (Phoebe Cates), a student at an exclusive all-girls private school, is in love with Jim, who attends an academy for boys nearby. Christine's arch rival Jordan also has her eye on Jim, and she is willing to do whatever she can to steal him away. Jim's uber-slob buddy Bubba is going with Betsy, Christine's cynical friend, though he would probably be unfaithful if any other woman were willing to get near him. Bubba and his pals sneak into the girls' school dressed in drag in hopes of reaching the Promised Land (better known as the women's shower room), while Christine and Jim run away together for the weekend, though their escapade isn't as romantic as they had hoped.

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Plot Keywords:

sex on the beach | car in swimming pool | teen sex comedy | shower | bare breasts | 

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Taglines:

You won't believe what goes on and what comes off in ... Private School

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Private School... for Girls

Filming Locations:

4839 Louise Avenue, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,411,861, 31 July 1983

Gross USA:

$14,049,540

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,049,540

Company Credits

Production Co:

Unity Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actors Michael Zorek, Jonathan Prince and Matthew Modine in one sequence all appear in drag in this movie.

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Goofs

When Bubba is in the sauna in the girl's locker room, he watches a girl with long dark hair held back by a chrome barrette leave the shower with a blonde girl, go to her locker, and dry off to get dressed. When he turns and looks toward the shower, the same dark-haired girl can be seen in the shower again.

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Quotes

Christine Ramsey: Bets, have you ever really done it, all the way?
Betsy: Well, yes and no.
Christine Ramsey: Wha'd you mean yes and no? Don't you know?
Betsy: Bubba says we did it once and it was very good for both of us, but I was passed out I don't remember a thing.
Christine Ramsey: Well, it's not gonna be like that for me. What else does Bubba say?
Betsy: He says that I had three orgasms, that I begged him for mercy, and that I've never seen a man so well endowed.
Christine Ramsey: Well is he?
Betsy: Is he what?
Christine Ramsey: Is he well endowed?
Betsy: I don't really know. I mean not first hand. Just from ...

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Alternate Versions

The TV version adds footage deleted from the theatrical release:

• A scene of Christine and Jim having dinner at the hotel they've come to lose their virginity at.
• Shots of Jim and Christine taking turns jogging from their car into a drugstore to buy condoms.
• The scene at the end where the girls moon Miss Dutchbok is replaced by a shot where the girls moon her wearing their underwear instead.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

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Soundtracks

She Said No
Performed by Bill Wray
Composed by Bill Wray and Leon Medica
Published by Mel-Dav Music, Inc. and the D.A. Venture
Bill Wray appears courtesy of Liberty Records

User Reviews

Russel and Cates in a Classic Teen Movie

This movie is all about Cates, and Russel, but there're good amount of flesh in between too.

The movie basically is about sexual interest the boys have in the girls that are in the same private school they're in. There're very little other plots to the story.

The movie basically revolves around Christine (Phoebe Cates), and Jordan (Betsy Russel). While Cates is severely limited in her range of emotions, Russel carries most of the interesting parts of the story.

For a movie that has almost no story to it, it's sure entertaining. The movie is basically a prototypical "cute" movies of the '80s, where raw power of the '70s started to take back seat to smaller social settings, and more charming behavior of the '80s.

The movie is certainly one of the classic teen movie of all times, and is still entertaining to watch. ≈