School Daze (1988)

A not so popular young man wants to pledge to a popular fraternity at his historically black college.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writer:

Spike Lee

Stars:

Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell-Martin

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Fishburne	...	Dap (as Larry Fishburne)
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Julian
Tisha Campbell-Martin	...	Jane Toussaint (as Tisha Campbell)
Kyme	...	Rachel Meadows
Joe Seneca	...	President McPherson
Ellen Holly	...	Odrie McPherson
Art Evans	...	Cedar Cloud
Ossie Davis	...	Coach Odom
Bill Nunn	...	Grady
James Bond III	...	Monroe
Branford Marsalis	...	Jordan
Kadeem Hardison	...	Edge
Eric Payne	...	Booker T. (as Eric A. Payne)
Spike Lee	...	Half-Pint
Anthony Thompkins	...	Doo-Doo Breath

Storyline

In the South of the United States are taking place confrontations between two groups of students who have different ideas and are not able to accept the one of the opponent.

---

Plot Keywords:

black college | college | fraternity | black cast | beauty salon | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aulas turbulentas

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,802,656, 15 February 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,545,844

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the DVD commentary, Tisha Campbell-Martin said the blonde dye damaged her hair so badly she had to cut it out.

---

Goofs

During "I Don't Want To Be Alone Tonight," the Gamma Rays' black gloves go from above the elbow, to below the elbow, and back again between shots.

---

Quotes

Monroe: Learn to articulate, you juvenile delinquent!

---

Connections

Featured in Retrosexual: The 80's (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Kick Out the Tigers
Music and Lyrics by Consuela Lee Morehead
SpringTree Music Company (BMI)

User Reviews

Powerful, but only for Adults (or Mature Teens)

I pray that racism isn't the reason this film has such a low rating on here.

I'm a black college student who used to be in a white fraternity and this film is actually fairly accurate to the ideas those organizations promote.

The acting is stellar, Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Champbell, and Spike Lee steal the show but as much effort is put into almost every supporting role.

The cinematography is done pretty well, not flawless but as a film buff I appreciated it. The music is awesome and keeps you engaged, it really serves as a nice break for the more dramatic scenes.

The storyline is overall about finding yourself in college which is a very difficult task and even more difficult now in the age of social media.

The only complaint I had about this film is that the actors don't really look like college students, but it's minuscule in comparison to the film's themes.

I would recommend this film, but the primary audience is adults and I would keep high school students away from this film unless they're exceptionally mature for their age.

Go into School Daze with an open mind and be prepared for a powerful film that sticks in your mind well after your initial viewing.