Three O'Clock High (1987)

What a mess

After a minor misunderstanding, a geeky high school student finds that he must fight the school bully at three o'clock and spends the whole of the day trying to get out of it.

I don't often say this in reviews, but, wow, this film was bad. Given that it was made in 1987, I can accept the fact that the premise is far-fetched and that the script boarders on surreal, but what I can't accept is the total lack of character development and the gaping holes in the script. A lot of what happens in this film just does not make sense, even within the film's own reality and the characters are so thinly drawn that by the end I didn't know enough about any of them to care what happened to them. In fact, I actually found myself actively disliking the main character and his sister, and his best friend, and... well, you get the idea. The only character whom I found remotely interesting was the bully, and even then, very few of the questions raised about him are ever answered.

There were many really great teenage movies made in the 1980's ("Adventures in Babysitting", "Heathers", just about anything written by John Hughes). Do yourself a favour and watch one of them instead.
July 1, 2008

Three O'Clock High

Assume this is a comedy about high school kids that does NOT need to teach a valuable lesson. Assume this is a look at a somewhat exaggerated incident between a geek and a bully in the 1980s. Assume this is for entertainment and I need not remind you not only did John Hughes not make it, but it wasn't a huge hit when it released. Assume you will get 90 minutes of light high school fun in Hughes style and you will be happy. Although I was long out of high school during the 80s, I loved the movies from that period and have most of them.

This may not have gotten the recognition of some of them especially the John Hughes films, but it certainly is worth a look. I am kind of disappointed that I haven't seen that many fun to watch high school movies since. At the very least rent this one. Based on reviews here I bought it because I enjoy Eighties movies. I wasn't disappointed. This is very much like a John Hughes film. The cast doesn't stand out like in "Breakfast Club", but they are still quite capable and you won't be sorry you went to the effort to see it. Decent acting, directing, sets, and good music by Tangerine Dream make this well worth a look.

A young man is given an assignment by the school paper to interview a new young man at the high school. The only problem is all the rumors make him out to be a murderer. They aren't to far off. When our hero tries to avoid the fight he is challenged to at three o'clock, all avenues of escape are blocked. The writing may not be quite the caliber of John Hughes, but it is still alot of fun. I recommend this to any fan of those better known Eighties movies like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". If you enjoyed this be sure to catch "My Bodyguard" and "Hiding Out". Good quality DVD and very good replayability. May 8, 2008

FINALLY OUT ON DVD!

If I was ever going to be marooned on a deserted isle (with electical power, of course) there are three comedy movies I would want with me: The Odd Couple, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Three O'Clock High. For the longest time I was going to have to make due with just the first two since Three O'Clock High went out of print years ago. I almost forked over an insane amount of money when I saw a 5th generation copy of a rental store video selling on a popular auction site, but it just wasn't worth it to me. I am glad I waited, because someone with more than two brain cells to rub together took the initiative and released this hilarious and fast-paced comedy for both older fans and a whole new audience. Not as teen-sophisticated as "Sixteen Candles" or "Pretty in Pink", and not as gnarly and racy as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", this high school comedy film has a lot going for it in its own right. It even has an early appearance of Mitch Pileggi (X-Files' "Skinner") as "The Duke-ster" - playing a HILARIOUS truant officer. The only downfall is the very heavily soaked '80's musical soundtrack, but this is it. If you can still stomach the likes of Tangerine Dream with their 'keytars' drum machines, and synth samplers, then you are in for a really fun 90 minutes. The transfer to DVD is bright and clear, and the cover still has the original theatrical artwork. March 27, 2008

Glad to see this finally make it to DVD

I actually have an old VHS copy of this movie, because until now this one was never released on DVD. This is for sure a cool movie, along the lines of two more well known 80's High School comedies, "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" and "Better Off Dead". The humourous camera angles, the extreme close ups of the minute hand on the clock, the pep rally where cheerleaders attack a dummy of the opposing team and beat it with bats while the bully looks over at Jerry from the other side of the gym with a look like "This is what's gonna happen to you after school".....classic 80's comedy! January 24, 2008

A good movie...

Three o'clock High is an entertaining movie along the lines of "Fast Times". It is not as provocative, but still focuses on high school life and ups and downs of each day. It is a very good movie and will become a favorite of many when given the chance. December 17, 2007

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