SummaryRichard C. Clark (Lovitz) is an idealistic young teacher who leaves a position at a prestigious school headed by his own father to teach at Marion Barry High - a notorious inner city school so tough that it has its own cemetery. (Sony)
Directed By:Hart Bochner
Written By:David Zucker, Robert LoCash, Pat Proft
High School High
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
33
User score
Generally Favorable
6.6
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
33
10% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
60% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
67
The Naked Gun writing team and actor-turned-director Hart Bochner do unto the stereotype of inner-city high schools what needs to be done to stereotyped inner-city high schools -- parody them silly -- in this high-flying, low-comedy production.
50
Stupid yet cogent, High School High is a rapid-fire gag machine that's dopey enough to get belly laughs and smart enough to earn a C-plus as engaging entertainment.
40
There's not much sense to the plot. But the film makers' blunderbuss approach to humor, with visual and verbal jokes coming in profusion and scattering high and low, guarantees that just about every funnybone is bound to be hit, some more than once.
30
The laugh lines are mostly crude and the prevalent slapstick is weak and uneventful.
30
Lovitz is occasionally amusing, especially in his creative attempts to get through to his pupils, although his style of slow-take humor is a grave mismatch for this kind of frenzied comedy.
25
Isn't just bad, it's very bad.
20
Louise Fletcher is a walking sight gag as the evil principal, but just about every other gag falls flat and lies there, wheezing.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.6
44% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
44% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Nov 19, 2023
10
From the writer of Airplane and the Naked Gun Trilogy, David Zucker comes frankly his last good film; if you go in expecting more of the same, you will enjoy yourself. Most negative reviews are from professional complainers; they can't enjoy basic things. Monty Python used to make fun of these kinds of people, and the irony is they think they're the ones mocking the people being mocked in these skits. It's a ridiculous slapstick comedy that is making fun of a string of films from the 90s about white folk going to underprivileged schools in American Ghettos by reading some poetry or beating up a kid lol. Go in looking for something funny and just enjoy yourself, you just might find it worth your time.
Jan 15, 2020
5
Great potential and good ideas but not implemented well enough to become a masterpiece. Also not bad enough to be a total failure. The most crucial part is the humour. While there are some laughs many jokes are not that funny or an underperformance. I think that they were too tame or should go for full parody or even spoof movie. I think a Naked Gun style could work here well. Then there is another problem. The style of the movie is to divided between comedy and seriousness with no clear decision. If they want to be serious then something like Dangerous Minds would be a good idea (I don't think a spoof of it would work) and if they want a comedy I would go for Naked Gun or a Parker Lewis kind (Scrubs made the surrealism popular). For the actors. I enjoyed Jon Lovitz performance and think he does a good job. Tia Carrere was also good but should got more out of her role / the script (I think she deserved better). All other actors did a solid performance. The story has the same problems I already mentioned above. They could have used the stereotypes and tropes for more or better gags. Overall this is a movie I could tolerate but will always feel like a missed opportunity.
