Summer School (1987)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Carl Reiner

Writers:

Stuart Birnbaum (story) &
David Dashev (story) ...

Release Date:

22 July 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

At Ocean Front High, what do they call a guy who cuts classes, hates homework, and lives for summer vacations? Teacher.

Plot:

A high-school gym teacher has big plans for the summer, but is forced to cancel them to teach a "bonehead" English class for misfit goof-off students...

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Summer | Student | High School | Field Trip

Cast

Mark Harmon	...	Mr. Freddy Shoop
Kirstie Alley	...	Ms. Robin Elizabeth Bishop
Robin Thomas	...	Vice Principal Phil Gills
Patrick Labyorteaux	...	Kevin Winchester
Courtney Thorne-Smith	...	Pam House
Dean Cameron	...	Francis 'Chainsaw' Gremp
Gary Riley	...	Dave Frazier
Kelly Jo Minter	...	Denise Green (as Kelly Minter)
Ken Olandt	...	Larry Kazamias
Shawnee Smith	...	Rhonda Altobello
Richard Steven Horvitz	...	Alan Eakian
Fabiana Udenio	...	Anna-Maria Mazarelli
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Principal Kelban (as Frank McCarthy)
Tom Troupe	...	Judge
Lucy Lee Flippin	...	Substitute Teacher - Ms. Cura

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (cut) | West Germany:16 | Spain:13 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Charles Evans Hughes Jr. High School - 5607 Capistrano, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In the scene where Shoop teaches his students how to write a complaint letter, some of the lyrics to the James Brown song "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" are visible on the blackboard at the front of the classroom. This is left over from a deleted scene in which Shoop diagrams (and sings!) the song for the class.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the film, Chainsaw's dad says to the Principal that they stopped having kids after they had him. But we saw in the fantasy scene earlier where Chainsaw "didn't know anything," he had a little sister.

Quotes:

Shoop: Can anybody tell me why writing is important?
Pam: Because it's a form of communication.
Shoop: Very good, it can also get you free stuff.
Kids: Free?
Shoop: Free, I'm writing it down... here's how it works, we've all been ripped off, right? Pay phone steals your money... not enough cheese on your pizza...
Chainsaw: My shades keep falling apart!
Shoop: That's a perfect example. Now you're going to write that company a letter and you're going to see action, but only if the letter is well written and it threatens to hurt their business, and it's signed, excuse me Chainsaw, Francis Gremp, President: Consumer Against Faulty Eyewear.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Friday the 13th (1980)

Soundtrack:

Happy

Welcome to remedial English.

Summer School is not your typical Carl Reiner film because it doesn't contain much of the ridiculous stupid-comedy you'd find from say, The Cheap Detective or Fatal Instinct. But Reiner presents a nice film, and a fantastic 80s movie, even if he doesn't stick to his formula.

Summer is approaching at a California high school. Gym teacher, Freddie Shoop, a laid-back surfer type, has the misfortune of having to teach summer school remedial English. He has no choice, as he is up for tenure. Says Shoop, pleading to get out of the dreaded responsibility of having to spend summer in a classroom rather than in Hawaii, "I'm not a real teacher. I had out basketballs, check for jock straps. I'm like real challenged."

And Harmon's students don't help to add any enthusiasm. Many are underachievers who are just as interested in finding more interesting ways to spend their time. It starts out with nothing but good times as Shoop and his class ditch school for fieldtrips to the beach, the petting zoo, and the amusement park. But, Shoop, threatened to be fired after the Vince Principal Gillis (Robin Thomas) learns of this. Desperate to keep Gillis from telling the Principal when he returns from vacation, Shoop bargains with Gillis that he will get every student in his class to pass the English skills test at the end of the term. This isn't going to be easy with a class like Shoop's. It isn't that they're dumb. It's just that they're not interested. It's the summer and summer means good times. So, Shoop, already good with bargaining at this point, must also strike deals with each of his students, who promise to help Shoop fullfill his promise to Gillis, if Shoop grants each of them a favor in return. And this is where the fun begins as Shoop clearly gets in way over his head.

This movie is great because of the various characters. Harmon is perhaps the best I've ever seen him as the happy-go-lucky guy trying to get the attention of fellow teacher, Robin Bishop (Kirstey Alley) who is likewise a good match for Shoop. The students themselves are equally enjoyable, with the most hilarious being Chainsaw (Dean Cameron) and Dave (Gary Riley) two guys with a fondness for grossing people out with a handy supply of fake blood and latex. Surprisingly, the movie never seems to have achieved the recognition of other 80s teen movies, though it should have as it is a film that delivers a load of laughs.