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IMDb > Higher Learning (1995)
Higher Learning
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Higher Learning (1995) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 5)
Higher Learning (1995) -- Education couldn’t get no higher. Ice cube, Tyra Banks, Jennifer Connelly and Laurence “Not Larry” Fishburne go to class in this John Singleton opus with a killer soundtrack.
Higher Learning (1995) -- People from all different walks of life, encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the meaning of an education on a university campus.
Higher Learning (1995) -- People from all different walks of life, encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the meaning of an education on a university campus.
Higher Learning (1995) -- hv Post
Higher Learning (1995) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   7,926 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
John Singleton (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Higher Learning on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 January 1995 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Question The Knowledge more
Plot:
People from all different walks of life, encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the meaning of an education on a university campus. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(14 articles)
Kristy Swanson joins the Trinity Of Terrors!
 (From Fangoria. 15 October 2009, 7:38 PM, PDT)

If money is power, these actresses are superheroes
 (From AfterEllen.com. 14 October 2009, 3:00 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Ice Cube's character masterminded all the hatred and violence!!! more (129 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Omar Epps ... Malik Williams

Kristy Swanson ... Kristen Connor

Michael Rapaport ... Remy

Jennifer Connelly ... Taryn

Ice Cube ... Fudge

Jason Wiles ... Wayne

Tyra Banks ... Deja

Cole Hauser ... Scott Moss

Laurence Fishburne ... Professor Maurice Phipps
Bradford English ... Officer Bradley

Regina King ... Monet

Busta Rhymes ... Dreads (as Busta Rhymez)

Jay R. Ferguson ... Billy (as Jay Ferguson)
Andrew Bryniarski ... Knocko

Trevor St. John ... James
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
127 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Vivica A. Fox was the considered for the role of Deja. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: Immediately after the red Volkswagen beetle is flipped and the three girls are walking along the sidewalk, it is raining in the background but not on the girls. more
Quotes:
[repeated line]
Professor Phipps: Peppermint?
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
SOUL SEARCHIN' (I WANNA KNOW IF IT'S MINE) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Ice Cube's character masterminded all the hatred and violence!!!, 29 May 2005
1/10
Author: russianbear54 from United States

This is one of the most putrid movies of the 90's. I would not recommend it if you have something better to do.

This picture presents African-Americans as savage, uncultured, violent, inarticulate, reefer-smoking sociopaths. Fudge(Ice Cube) and his posse of homies are continuously disrespectful toward others in the dorm, not just the white people, but Asians too, and are never disciplined for their actions. Despite all that tolerance they keep on whining and crying about the evil white oppressors who run their lives and stand in their way. In fact it is Fudge's influence that causes Remmy to bond with the skin heads, to drop out of college, and eventually to kill Malik's girlfriend.

The skinheads are presented as a covert group of underachievers who share a pad off campus and generally stay away from everyone else. They never blast their music to annoy people nor do they taunt the police. They do commit serious crime such as battery and rape, yet they're not as repulsive nor as threatening as Fudge and Dreads(Busta Rhymes) are.

There's a lot of material in this film which almost offended me or made me giggle. Some of it is as follows below.

Fudge and Dreads are stated as students at the Columbus University yet we never see them in class and it is completely unclear how they pay their tuition. One is only left to speculate that the weed they smoke has something to do with their finances. Though they are students at what looks like a private university, they cannot utter a single line of proper English. Their characters are developed only through their compulsive whining and xenophobia.

It appears that drunken Kristen(Kristy Swanson) knew exactly why drunken Billy was taking her to his house. She even asked him to get a rubber so that they could begin. The fact that he penetrated her without a condom became a rape whilst it would be great sex only if he had one handy. Later Kristen was assured by Taryn(Jennifer Connely) that she holds no accountability in that matter, and despite willfully jumping into a guy's bed she wasn't ready for sexual intercourse and was viciously taken advantage of by a sexual predator. Then a week or so later she met, and slept with, an ultra-sensitive do-gooder who knew how to avoid raping and brought a condom. The director stressed contraception thoroughly.

This movie is complete and utter garbage that makes black people look like pricks and women look stupid and frail. Cole Hauser's acting, and Laurence Fishburne's accent are the only reasons I can think of to watch it. The writer/director is obviously a man of limited intelligence. Go ahead and limit your own by watching this crap if you want, but keep in mind that neurons don't grow back. Just follow the advice at the end and UNLEARN.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Higher Learning (1995)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
are university campus REALLY like this? unclebob-7
So what college movie is better? nm151515
who was the other person that died? domaindomainrange
Bergenfield Barry In The Sequal???? mattiew23m
What is Higher Learning? tallthang36
american history x + school daze = wackwill00
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