Back To School (1986)

classic comedy

Great Movie to watch anytime of day. Classic Rodney at his best. Manages to workin a lot of his stage material throughout the movie. Also features a young Robert Downey Jr. June 14, 2008

Rodney's finest moment.

One of the better 80's comedies.
Juvenile, yes.
Funny, yes.
Not life changing or movie changing.
If your in the mood for a blast from the past chuckle.
Rent it, when the just released section is sold out. June 13, 2008

Rodney Dangerfield's best film, with special thanks to Ned Beatty and Kurt Vonnegut

There's wide agreement that the three greatest American film comedies are It Happened One Night from 1934, The Lady Eve from 1941 and 1986's Back to School. Some might quibble that It Happened One Night is no match for Miss Congeniality when it comes to female snorting or that The Lady Eve doesn't have the consistent belly laughs of Turner & Hooch, nor does it have a lovable, slobbering dog unless one counts Henry Fonda. Back to School, however, remains one of a kind.

But seriously, folks...I like this movie a lot. It's not just that the film pokes hard at complacent academia, or that there are a string of great comedy moments given to us by several first-rate actors. Mainly, there's Rodney Dangerfield, himself an idiosyncratic comedian who at times can be easy to get tired of. As Thornton Melon, an up-from-his-boot-straps wealthy clothier -- he owns the Tall & Fat stores -- who signs up as a college student determined to help his wimpish son become popular, Dangerfield is something else. He's not just the loud, wisecracking, eye-popping comedian. Dangerfield gives Melon a layer of good-natured intentions, likeability and even a little lost pathos that is eventually quite endearing.

Some parts of the movie don't work too well for me, mainly the parts of the storyline that involve Melon's son, played by Keith Gordon, his son's pal, played by Robert Downey, Jr., and his love interest, played by Sally Kellerman. Gordon is wimpish enough but, in my view, not very interesting. Downey is little more than an over-the-top exaggeration, and Kellerman puts me off with her above-the-salt manner and accent. But to compensate there is a great comedy turn by Ned Beatty as the obsequious university dean, Dean Martin, a man who knows endowments are worth more than an unseemly attention to student entry requirements. He'd be right at home in the Ivy League. Sam Kinison is terrific as a crackpot right-wing professor of history. Adrienne Barbeau is amusing and unlikable as Melon's high-spending wife who likes to show off her Klimt. And Paxton Whitehead as an over-civilized, professor of marketing with an aquiline nose can give us all useful lessons in condescension. The set up and follow-through with the Kurt Vonnegut joke is a classic. Part of the joy of the movie is watching how Melon deals with these people.

Still, what makes Back to School work is Rodney Dangerfield, his way with comedy, his delivery and his timing. I'll leave the movie where it started, with Thornton Melon's new television ad for Tall & Fat stores. I hope you can hear Dangerfield in your mind..."Hi there. Are you a large person? Pleasantly plump? A little on the hefty side, perhaps? Well, let's face it: Are you FAT? When you go jogging, do you leave potholes? When you make love, do you have to give directions? At the zoo, do the elephants throw YOU peanuts? Do you look at a menu and say 'OK'? Well, now you can eat all you want, because at Thornton Melon's "Tall & Fat" stores, we've got you covered. That's right. Fine woolen, and woolen-blend suits and sport coats, in all the larger sizes -- husky, stout, extra-stout, and the new Hindenburg line. And for you ladies we have caftans, muumuus, and our own exclusive A-frame in all colors and patterns. Yes, we have miles and miles of fabric. So take it from me, Thornton Melon, if you want to look thin, you hang out with fat people."

The DVD disc I have has wide screen on one side, pan-and-scan on the other, with no extras. It looks just fine.

(And for the record, I'm also fond of Miss Congeniality and Turner & Hooch.) March 5, 2008

One of Rodney Dangerfield's finest films - but be sure you're getting the Extra-Curricular Edition!

Back To School is directed by Alan Metter. The film stars Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey Jr., Paxton Whitehead, Sam Kinison, Terry Farrell, M. Emmet Walsh, Adrienne Barbeau, William Zabka, and Ned Beatty. Danny Elfman contributes the film's musical score.

Back To School is the story of Thornton Melon (Dangerfield), a man who got rich when he opened a chain of clothing stores that catered to larger people - appropriately called "Tall And Fat" stores. His son Jason (Gordon) is attending school, but doesn't fit in, and plans to drop out. It doesn't help things any that Jason's best friend (Downey) is the weirdest kid on campus. Following Thornton's divorcing his second wife, he and his long-time friend and chauffeur (Young) decide to pay the school a visit. To discourage his son from dropping out, he enrolls with him - but it quickly becomes clear Thornton is more interested in the part aspect of campus life than the classes.

Easily one of the best film's of Rodney Dangerfield's career. With a combination of great actors and characters, humor that never wears out its welcome, and a fun storyline that works better than you'd think, it's a great film from start to finish.

I shouldn't have to tell you that Rodney Dangerfield is great in the film. His character here is certainly one of his most memorable, serving up his traditional one-liners. His character here is a man who has incredible wealth, but quickly discovers having a lot of money and partying endlessly won't get him through school, like he intended to show his son to begin with. Easily one of the best characters Dangerfield has ever portrayed.

While it's Dangerfield that steals the show, his co-stars are also impressive. Amongst the supporting cast are Burt Young (Rocky series) as the strong, mostly-silent chauffer, Keith Gordon (Jaws 2, Christine) as the son struggling to fit in and complete school, Sally Kellerman as the teacher turned love interest, Ned Beatty (Superman, The Toy) as the school's dean, Robert Downey Jr. as the eccentric friend, and even Sam Kinison in an all-too-brief role as a loudmouthed history teacher. Every member of the cast is well selected for their respective part.

There are a number of classic scenes in the film, all of which contribute to its greatness. A lavish party with Melon's soon-to-be ex-wife, a comical stunt to kill the registration lines in the college, a bar room brawl, a party with Oingo Boingo playing.... The list goes on!

Music for the film was composed by Danny Elfman, probably best known for being the composer on a number of Tim Burton's films. He's also a member of Oingo Boingo, and has a cameo in his band in the film, during the party scene. The score isn't your typical over-the-top Elfman music, but it works just fine for the film.

The film was released on DVD twice. The first release was a horrid one, lacking extras of any kind. But the Extra-Curricular Edition fixes all these issues. In addition to improved sound and picture quality, there are a ton of new featurettes. Among them are "remembering" featurettes for Rodney Dangerfield and Kurt Vonnegut (who as a cameo in the film), as well as a making-of look at the film, and photos and TV spots. Most of these features aren't too lengthy, but they make for a massive improvement over the old DVD. Again, make sure you're getting the Extra-Curricular Edition!

Great movie, enough said. Rodney Dangerfield at his best.

Thumbs up January 25, 2008

5 stars for Rodney, my favorite standup comic and one of the few comics to make good films...

In the course of cinematic history, many standup comics have crossed over into films, and most of the films have been truly abysmal. Even a comic like Richard Pryor, who is considered the best standup of all time, made some of the worst films I've ever seen (like The Toy). Some will argue about Robin Williams and Bill Murray, but Williams's work is uneven (he's been great in some dramatic films like Good Will Hunting and has done some true crap like RV), and Murray is in another league together, as he is doing much more dramatic work, much more introspective than most comedians would ever dare. Some of John Belushi's work is very good (notably The Blues Brothers), and Eddie Murphy made a few great films (48 Hours is probably the best), but the most notable exceptions to this rule is Rodney Dangerfield. Rodney didn't make any cinematic masterpieces like Satantango or Berlin Alexanderplatz, but a good number of his films were hilarious, true to life, and they are still good today. This is his best work, a consistently hilarious film where he plays a successful, street smart businessman who decides to go back to college to help out his son. It works so well because Rodney himself is so damn engaging and so likeable one forgets the rather predictable (but still funny) plot. Dangerfield is my favorite standup comic (a part of the entertainment field that I have to admit I don't really like). His comedy never became dated (like many comedians), it was never topical, it was always universal, it was never cruel, never crass, never smug (a quality I hate about most modern comics), and his films had these qualities too. He was just a real guy who never got any respect. He plays a character like that here. Despite his character's success, the faculty at the school still looks down on him (except for Sally Kellerman, who kind of loves/likes him). Dangerfield one liners abound, and the rest of the cast is very engaging as well. It's a very good picture, Rodney's best and one of the few examples out there of a standup making a pretty damn good film.

December 14, 2007

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