The Perfect Score (2004)

Six high school seniors decide to break into the Princeton Testing Center so they can steal the answers to their upcoming SAT tests and all get perfect scores.

Director:

Brian Robbins

Writers:

Marc Hyman (story), Jon Zack (story)

Stars:

Scarlett Johansson, Erika Christensen, Chris Evans

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Erika Christensen	...	Anna
Chris Evans	...	Kyle
Bryan Greenberg	...	Matty Matthews
Scarlett Johansson	...	Francesca
Darius Miles	...	Desmond
Leonardo Nam	...	Roy
Tyra Ferrell	...	Desmond's Mother
Matthew Lillard	...	Larry
Vanessa Angel	...	Anita Donlee
Bill Mackenzie	...	Lobby Guard
Dan Zukovic	...	Mr. G
Iris Quinn	...	Kyle's Mother
Lorena Gale	...	Proctor
Patricia Idlette	...	Receptionist
Lynda Boyd	...	Anna's Mother

Storyline

Six teenagers from diverse backgrounds - among them the school's star basketball player - conspire to break into a SAT testing center to steal the answers in hope of acing their exam. They ultimately realize that the answer to their problems and the key to their happiness may not lie in achieving a perfect score.

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | 2000s | heist | educational testing service | standardized test | 

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Taglines:

The S.A.T is hard to take. It's even harder to steal.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some drug references

Did You Know?

Trivia

Darius Miles was recruited out of High school by St. Johns University to play basketball and elected instead to go pro. His character in the movie wanted to go pro and instead elected to go to St. Johns University.

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Goofs

When Roy climbs into Desmond's SUV, he tosses his socks at Desmond, and they very obviously land in his lap. In the next shot, they are on his shoulder right before he picks them off.

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Quotes

Roy: I'm the ghost, man. I hear things, and I see things. But no one hears or sees me.

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Connections

Remake of How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate (1997)

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Soundtracks

Get Low
Written by Jonathan Smith, Sam Norris, Eric Jackson and D. Roc (as D'Angelo Holmes)
Performed by Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins
Courtesy of TVT Records

User Reviews

Mild, entertaining distraction

There's lots of clichés and stereotypes to endure when watching a high school movie. For the most of it, The Perfect Score manages to avoid most of these clichés though the characters are a bit stereotypical. There's the brainy kid, the rebel, the stoner, the loser, the jock and the good guy. Hardly a breathtaking assortment of originals eh?

But their plan to steal the SAT scores and their interaction together are what make this movie worthwhile. The unimaginative marketing for this movie claims it to be Ocean's 11 meets The Breakfast Club. But the actors are carrying the movie, doing the best they can with weak material, rather than the 'wild' premise.

I especially liked Roy, the stoner and narrator as he got the most back story and had more a character arc than the rest of them. And it was pleasant to have the lovely, oh-so-cute Erika Christensen though I'm not too fussed about Scarlett Johansen (she looks like a teenage version of my mother!). A non-Shaggy, but still manic, Matthew Lillard has a small role as a concerned big brother.

You'll not remember it 5 minutes after the credits role but for a non-threatening, easy-going movie The Perfect Score fits nicely. You could do a helluva lot worse. And what else do you expect from an MTV movie?

The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with lackluster Dolby 5.1, though to be fair it mostly a dialogue-driven movie. There are a bunch of fluff features for those who care.

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Perfect Score

Filming Locations:

Chemistry Building, University of British Columbia, Robson Square Campus - 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,873,819, 1 February 2004

Gross USA:

$10,391,003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,898,337

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Spyglass Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1