Summer School (1987) 94m.
A surprise for anyone expecting just another dumb teen sex comedy, although Carl Reiner's involvement as director should indicate something more than the usual fluff. Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) is a gym teacher forced into teaching remedial English for the summer with a bunch of teenagers who are just as unmotivated as he is. While SUMMER SCHOOL is rooted in familiar genre conventions (a beach scene, a party, forgettable pop/rock music on the soundtrack) it noticeably steers clear of the expected plot conventions (e.g. the revenge-by-humiliation ritual that usually climaxes films of this type). After the first few minutes it looks like the 'dumb teen sex comedy' genre is about to give way to the even more repellent high-school cliché of 'unorthodox teacher inspires misfit kids to succeed'. Without giving away the film's ending, which is more realistic than you'd expect, SUMMER SCHOOL heads into that territory but does make a few compromises.
SUMMER SCHOOL's script is full of clever lines and snappy dialogue, particularly in the exchanges between Harmon and neighboring teacher Kirstie Alley. The kids are all 'character types' but they aren't the usual jerks we see in high school comedies, and even the standard authority-figure villain (Robin Thomas) isn't the stock type - for a moment you'll wonder if he's secretly amused at the outrageous prank the class pulls on their substitute teacher. Harmon and Alley spar well together - I don't know if this role helped her land the part of Rebecca Howe in CHEERS (it was in the same year) but there's obvious similarities. She's immensely likable, as is the easy-going Harmon. The class is also likable, despite their limited screen time as individual characters. Even Harmon's dog is likable! What's odd about this film is that although there's no nudity, sex or drugs, there is some coarse language (it's all compressed into one early scene!) and gore (we see 'highlights' from a 16mm print of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) that lifts it out of any family viewing category. There's also a pregnant teenager played by Shawnee Smith, a minor role which is treated in an unsensational manner and with a surprisingly practical resolution. Her fellow students include Dean Cameron and Courtney Thorne-Smith, who had already struggled with high school life in the TV series FAST TIMES. The happy final shot, which has a spontaneous feel to it, sums up the spirit of the whole movie.
sburridge@hotmail.com
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