High School High (1996)

Director:

Hart Bochner

Writers (WGA):

David Zucker (written by) &
Robert LoCash (written by) ...

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

Tagline:

A Dangerous Mind is a terrible thing to waste

Plot:

Richard Clark has just left the well-known Wellington Academy to teach at Marion Barry High School. Now...

Plot Keywords:

School | High School | Attempted Rape | Criminal | Buxom

Cast

Jon Lovitz	...	Richard Clark
Tia Carrere	...	Victoria Chapell
Louise Fletcher	...	Principal Evelyn Doyle
Mekhi Phifer	...	Griff McReynolds
Malinda Williams	...	Natalie Thompson
Guillermo Díaz	...	Paco Rodriguez
Lexie Bigham	...	Two-Bags
Gil Espinoza	...	Alonzo
John Neville	...	Thaddeus Clark
Brian Hooks	...	Anferny Jefferson
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Julie Rubels
Marco Rodríguez	...	Mr. DeMarco
Nicholas Worth	...	Rhino
Eric Allan Kramer	...	Hulk
Lu Elrod	...	Miss Bernie Wells

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, partial nudity and some drug references.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:MG6 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34337) | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Norway:11 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

In some countries, the title became a direct pun at the translated title of the film Dangerous Minds. In Portugal, the film was translated as Mentes Pirosas ("Tacky Minds"), as Dangerous Minds was titled Mentes Perigosas (lit. "Dangerous minds")

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the security guard checks students for weapons in the beginning.

Quotes:

Richard Clark: Why are you late?
Natalie: Because the bell rang before I got here.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Deer Hunter (1978)

Soundtrack:

Wu Wear: The Garment Renaissance

Not Great, But Still Worth Seeing

Yes, I'll grant you this movie is less than perfect. The storyline doesn't always make sense. Not every joke works, but the movie's batting average is high enough to justify seeing it. And it's funnier to me than every Adam Sandler/David Spade/Chris Farley movie I've ever seen, in part because the three of them are nothing but annoying. Jon Lovitz, on the other, is a likable everyman you can root for. He carries the movie. Lovitz is an underrated comedian who always makes the material seem better than it is. His delivery and timing help make this movie enjoyable. And of course, Tia Carrere is absolutely gorgeous.

I'm not saying "High School High" is a classic. But I was amused by it. Like any Zucker production, the gags come fast and furious. They don't all work, but enough hit the target to make it worth seeing.