School Ties (1992)

Set in the 1950s, a star-quarterback is given an opportunity to attend an elite preparatory school but must conceal the fact that he is Jewish.

Director:

Robert Mandel

Writers:

Dick Wolf (story), Dick Wolf (screenplay)

Stars:

Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brendan Fraser	...	David Greene
Matt Damon	...	Charlie Dillon
Chris O'Donnell	...	Chris Reece
Randall Batinkoff	...	Rip Van Kelt
Andrew Lowery	...	'Mack' McGivern
Cole Hauser	...	Jack Connors
Ben Affleck	...	Chesty Smith
Anthony Rapp	...	Richard 'McGoo' Collins
Amy Locane	...	Sally Wheeler
Peter Donat	...	Headmaster Dr. Bartram
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Mr. Cleary
Kevin Tighe	...	Coach McDevitt
Michael Higgins	...	Mr. Gierasch
Ed Lauter	...	Alan Greene
Peter McRobbie	...	Chaplain

Storyline

David Green is brought into a prestigious 1950s school to help their football team to beat the school's old rivals. David, however, is from a working class background, so he isn't really "one of them", but he's very successful at making friends. David is a Jew, and has to keep this a secret from his friends for fear of being rejected.

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | school | 1950s | jew | athlete | 

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Taglines:

Just Because You're Accepted Doesn't Mean You Belong.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew French

Release Date:

18 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broderskabets bånd

Filming Locations:

Acton Indoor Tennis Club - 908 Main Street, Acton, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,020,071, 20 September 1992, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,715,067

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The French assignment that McGivern fails to recite properly is a French translation of the poem "On Seeing the Elgin Marbles for the First Time," by John Keats.

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Goofs

At the homecoming football game, David first appears in a soiled jersey. When the game begins, it's clean.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Joyce: Davey! Davey you're here.
[big hug]
Jack Connors: He's not going off to war, only Massachusetts, huh?

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

Dolores
by Frank Loesser and Louis Alter

User Reviews

"Is it worth breaking tradition"?

It's a line the headmaster of the school asks the star quarterback David Greene when he catches him praying at church after curfew but praying in observance of the Jewish new year. Greene's reply to the Headmaster of this Christian Prep Academy is..."mine or yours". This is the essence of the storyline. A Christian Prep Academy in New England is tired of mediocrity in football and losing to their arch rival so they compromise their admission standards by recruiting a brilliant student athlete from Pa. The problem isn't that David Greene doesn't measure up academically, it is that he is Jewish.

Soon after coming to school Greene realizes his classmates disdain and ridicule for Jews. They scorn them and make stereotype remarks that bother Greene but he is determined to fit in. Eventually his classmates and friends discover his secret and this is as far as I go. See the movie and see how David and his friends handle the situation.

Fine performances are put in by Brendan Fraser, as David Greene. You'll be astonished at the youthful talent in the movie as really good performances are put in by Matt Damon, his real life buddy Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donnell, and all the others. I really enjoyed the story, the time setting, and the substance of the message.