I went to High School around this time but still did not get that good of a nostalgis buzz off of seeing this film in '05. Other than some of the obvious classic scenes, this film seems really dated and hard to watch now. For a film about high scghool that avoids the cinematic cliches of the time and retains its relevance, see 1976's "Massacre at Central High."
shareYou don't like the movie, just leave it at that.
Class is a good movie for its genre plus it has a lot of young actors who went on to do a lot more. So what if your great director did something different for a change. I like it just the way it is.
"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine." Patti Smith - Gloria.
I found class had a really good storyline, but it wasn't as well made as it could of been, But I found it a really funny and excellent film, it's on my list of Favourite Films ever, which to me was quite shocking considering i'm not a big fan of 80's teen movies!
shareI think Jacqueline Bisset was the only dated thing in this film, she looked OLD for the first time in her career. Mid 30's my arse!
"Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try."
The film takes place at classic and traditional places, so I don't see it as dated at all. Unless you are talking about the lack of the internet and cell phones which wouldn't have added anything important to the story.
shareThis did NOT take place at a normal high school. Right? It was at a BOARDING SCHOOL. Big difference, right?
Enrique Sanchez
there are some other films from 83 prob shot in 82 that look up todate then this but i still think its a good teen movie, and u say bout internet or cell fones therewas some kind of internet in late 80s, though and cell fones came out in mid 80s along with pagers
shareMust agree. I was a kid when it was first released. The main problem is that it's about rich kid blues and most did not identify with it, especially then, so it was never a big hit. But it's definitely better than any movie with similar themes made in the last ten years.
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I agree with the original poster. It does seem dated and wasn't a story of typical teen anguish, with a positive resolution at the end.
Even not being dated, it's an ambitious plot and tone to pull off: it wasn't soul-searching like a Breakfast Club, or goofy dork triumphing over the cool guy like Better Off Dead, but seems to be somewhere in between. It's a somewhat heavy plot with Bissett needing help/having a mental issue, but with frat pranks littered throughout. I think it didn't know what it wanted to be.
[slight spoiler ahead] I thought The Chocolate War did a great job of marrying the dark and the prep school class issue. It seems to me like "Class" sort of steps around the idea of wrong and right side of the tracks. I don't think of a fist fight until exhaustion too much of a resolution or answer.
What really strikes me as dated is the mean-spirited prank from the start of the movie. The revenge prank (not as mean-spirited), and the faux confession over golden grain by Lowe. I think that is how we rolled back in the day, as I remember similar tricks between friends that I think made us hate each other more than made us bond more.... But that in particular makes it feel like a bygone era. It really gives a rotten tone to Lowe off the bat, and McCarthy a bad one as well by happily conceding.
But my takeway from that is, if you get bullied by a rich kid named Skip, nail his mom!
(jesus, i can't believe i just wrote so much about an andrew mccarthy movie...)
Skip says the prank was a tradition and "someone falls for it every year". True or untrue, it is not uncommon for pranks to be played on the "new guy". The new guy is not judged or doomed to never-ending patronization because he fell for a prank. He is judged by the way he takes the prank. If he takes it personally, people will notice and not gain respect for him. If he is able to laugh about it then all is well. There is nothing dated about it. Jonathan was embarrassed but devised a clever retaliation and was able to laugh about the whole incident.
We see the soft side of Skip when Jonathan unleashes his fake tears and Skip tells everyone to quit the heckling. This prevents me from condemning Skip.
It IS dated!
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