High School High (1996)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I think that if I approach a movie full of cynicism then I will probably enjoy it much more than if I do not. In the case of this movie, High School High, I expected it to be as stupid and as sucky as was Spy Hard, which is in a similar vein. I guess the difference here is that this movie is made by the same people who created Hot Shots and Flying High.Highschool High is a send up of movies about rough highschools where a dedicated teacher comes along and changes all of the students around. Such movies I have seen in vague memories, and one that comes to mind is The Principle. Basically the major character is the son of the principle of a prep-school, but the students hate him. He decides that he wants to go out on his own and takes a job at Berry High (the joke becomes apparent at the end of the movie) which is the roughest school in the States.I guess the theme of this movie is you can do anything if you put your mind to it, and just because society says that you are something, does not mean that you have to fall into that mould.The humour is simply taking the believability to the point of stupidity. I will not say absurdity, as that is a particular type of humour where one laughs at the pointlessness of life. It is a far more intelligent humour, and for an example of absurd humour, I would direct you to a French Movie called News from the Good Lord. In this movie, the humour is far less intelligent, and is aimed at the lowest common denominator. I am not saying that the humour is bad, just that it is not intelligent.This is an okay movie, and I would simply say that it is only worth watching to shut ones' mind off.

High School High is a comedy that seems to pull in several directions. On one hand, it wants to be a traditional Zucker-Abrams-Zucker movie, with surreal, non-sensical gags coming at every moment. These movies, like Airplane and Scary Movie are more like cartoons, because they never for a moment resemble real life. You don't end up caring what happens to the characters. On the other hand, it wants to be serious at times, like many romantic comedies, where you get emotionally invested with the people and the story. These two styles don't cohere.I guess the problem is that the movie does too good of a job getting you to like the characters and wanting them to succeed. Jon Lovitz as a dedicated teacher who turns his community around was halfway believable. As I stated earlier, however, parts of the movie seem to clash with each other. They are just too different in tone. The formulaic ending doesn't help much either. I enjoyed High School High, and there are PLENTY of genuinely funny moments. I just think they needed to decide what kind of movie they were making and stick to it.

A naive but dedicated educator (Jon Lovitz) decides to teach at the roughest high school in L.A. and once he arrived at this new job, he finds out the conditions at this school is tough, violent and students don't want to know anything about higher education. This educator befriends with an beautiful teacher (Tia Carrere) and an student (Mekhi Phifer), who wants an education. But this student has troubles with his previous gang members, especially with the leader (Guillermo Diaz). Who still wants him to sell drugs on the streets. This educator also has trouble with passionless principal (Oscar-Winner:Louise Fletcher) but he finds a way to teach his most unlikely students and giving them hope for education, which they never had before.Directed by Canadian actor:Hart Bochner (PCU) made an amusing comedy that spoofs films like "Dangerous Minds", "Stand and Deliver", "The Deer Hunter" and other memorable films. Lovitz is extremely likable and he has some very big laughs in this silly comedy. Although this comic spoof is unusually realistic at other moments also. The film has an good message for any students for those who wants an education and to have a bright future but it is also hard, what it's wants to be. Ambitious to be sure but always watchable. Written by David Zucker (Airplane!, Baseketball, Ruthless People), Robert LoCash (CB4:The Movie, Naked Gun 33 1/3:The Final Insult) and Pat Proof (Hot Shots 1 & 2, Bachelor Party, Police Academy). (*** ½/*****).

High School HighStarring: Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Malinda Williams and Mekhi PhiferRated PG-13 for Crude Sexual Humor, Partial Nudity and Some Drug ReferencesGenre: ComedyStar Rating: **** out of 5High School High I thought was a pretty good comedy especially since it had a good lesson to the story and that is to follow your dreams to reach your goal if you can work at it! High School High is a story of a teacher named Richard Clark (Jon Lovitz) who left a well-know school to a school where most of the students weren't working so well on their grades. Now Richard is trying to help these students out in getting even more good grades. Mekhi Phifer played a bright kid who wasn't doing well until Jon Lovitz' character helped him out. This movie was not only funny but it had some serious issues. But it was still funny. This is probably one of my favorite movies of 1996!BOTTOM LINE: A GREAT JON LOVITZ COMEDY!