High School High (1996)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 2.0 Alternative Scale: * out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 10/25/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:25 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Sexual humor, partial nudity, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Louise Fletcher, Mekhi Phifer, Malinda Williams, Guillermo Diaz Director: Hart Bochner Producers: David Zucker, Robert Locash, and Gil Netter Screenplay: David Zucker & Robert Locash and Pat Proft Cinematography: Vernon Layton Music: Ira Newborn U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures
These days, whenever a new picture comes out with one of the old Zucker-Abrams-Zucker crew's name attached to it, it's easy to wax nostalgic for films like AIRPLANE! and THE NAKED GUN. Those mvoies may not have been comic masterpieces, but at least they were consistently funny, which is more than can be said for HIGH SCHOOL HIGH, the latest product to come off of David Zucker's script-by-numbers comedy assembly line. This film bears more of a resemblance to such duds as DON'T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD and LOADED WEAPON ONE than it does to any inventive parody. Put simply, HIGH SCHOOL HIGH isn't just bad, it's very bad. What else can I say about a movie that drags on for 85 minutes without delivering a single solid laugh?
The first problem is the casting of Jon Lovitz as Richard Clark, the so-called hero -- a high school teacher who views the world through rose-colored glasses. As part of a comedy ensemble, Lovitz can be quite funny, but it's apparent here that he is incapable of carrying a film on his own. His whiny antics quickly grow tiresome, and it doesn't take long before we start to dislike his character. He's not exactly supported by a strong comic cast, either. The best performers are typically those in small supporting roles (like Natasha Gregson Wagner, the daughter of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner, as a pregnant student), and even they're not that impressive. Tia Carrere (TRUE LIES), who plays Clark's love interest, is virtually invisible (or at least as invisible as she can be), and Louise Fletcher (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUKOO'S NEST), as an iron-fisted principal, acts like she's trying out for the headmistress' role in MATILDA. I won't attempt to explain the presence of distinguished Shakespearean actor John Neville (THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN), except to say that a paycheck is a paycheck.
HIGH SCHOOL HIGH attempts to lampoon movies like THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, LEAN ON ME, and DANGEROUS MINDS, but the only thing it succeeds in doing is illustrating the satirical bankruptcy of the production team. Without exception, the jokes are way too obvious. If you play the "guess the punch line" game, you'll rarely be wrong. Of course, predictability isn't the lone problem, because the spontaneous comedy doesn't work, either. The sight gags simply aren't funny, or even clever, and the verbal barbs are disappointingly tame. At least Glen Campbell fans have a reason to rejoice -- this is the first time I've heard "Rhinestone Cowboy" played since its heyday at the top of the charts.
Had the movie been amusing, it would have been easy to forgive the throwaway plot, but, since the humor is so feeble, the lack of a credible storyline becomes a huge disadvantage. (Ironically, in the production notes, the film makers state that they're proud of the film's depth. Regarding HIGH SCHOOL HIGH, that statement has to be the biggest joke of all.) Clark, an academic-minded individual who cares about educating his students, is the new teacher at Marion Barry High, a hellish school in the midst of an urban war zone. After a few rough days that find him getting chained to his desk and participating in a "Chickee Run" (see REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE), he gains the respect of the class tough guy (Mekhi Phifer), and everyone else soon falls in line. Once Clark has his students' attention, it's up to him to find innovative teaching methods to keep them interested. Along the way, he has time for a romance with the principal's secretary (oops, sorry... administrative assistant) while simultaneously foiling a big time drug deal.
Actually, all things considered, this year's THE SUBSTITUTE (one of the films supposedly spoofed here), which was mostly intended to be serious, contains more laugh-generating material than HIGH SCHOOL HIGH. This brand of mindless comedy has passed the point where it offers more than minimal entertainment. Even graded on a liberal curve, there's no way HIGH SCHOOL HIGH can score better than an "F".
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
"We go away from our parents in youth and then we gradually come back to them; and in that moment, we have grown up." -- Ingmar Bergman
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