Renaissance Man (1994)
An advertising man is slowly sliding downhill. When he is fired from his job in Detroit, he signs up for unemployment. One day they find him a job: teaching thinking skills to Army recruits. He arrives on base to find that there is no structure set up for the class.
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Strictly average movie
Good concept, poorly executed.
Excellent, a Must See
Best movie ever!
A movie that's better than you might think from some descriptions. There are a lot of good people in this film, Penny Marshall directed, and it deserves a second look. In addition to the funny stuff, there is a strong theme of socio-economic class, opportunity, and the value of communication skills. Refreshingly for a comedy, the army is not treated like idiots and automatons, though the Hines part is more stereotyped than it needed to be. Still, there are lots of good things and seeing the "educator" (DeVito) learn a few things is engaging and more. A perfect movie for a day when you're home sick and want to watch something you've seen before.
Halt thyself, thou knave. I shall tell thee of a film in which a great thespian of our time plays a man who teacheth a group of milit'ry people about one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Never have these men and wenches known such masterful work, but eager they are to learn.OK, I'll cut the Shakespearean talk. But the point is that "Renaissance Man" is a really cool movie, with Danny DeVito as a literature teacher who joins the army and teaches some of the recruits about Shakespeare. This was certainly one of the under-appreciated comedies of the 1990s (specifically, one showing that you don't need scatological humor to make a good comedy). At the very least, it should be interesting to see Mark Wahlberg in his film debut. But even beyond that, I would say that there's lots to admire here. I definitely recommend it.Also starring Kadeem Hardison and Cliff Robertson.
Let me start off by saying that this movie is miss-marketed as a comedy. As a comedy, this movie is, at best, mediocre. Sure, there are some funny moments, but it isn't nearly as hilarious as it claims to be. However, what this movie lacks in comedy, it makes up for with it's other qualities. This is a warm, fuzzy, feel-good movie with a lot of wisdom in it. The character development is excellent and we really get to like the characters. The bond between DeVito and his students is strong. This movie is very touching, with a few funny moments in-between. Sure, there are some corny scenes (the rap scene) but hey, every teacher has their own way of making their students understand their material, right? I would recommend this movie, although not as a comedy.
RENAISSANCE MAN, in my opinion, is an excellent comedy that will make you laugh hard, smile, and feel good. If you ask me, Montgomery (Kadeem Hardison) was the funniest recruit of everyone in the gang. Despite the fact that he was a tough guy, I also thought that Cass (Gregory Hines) was funny, too. To me, Bill (Danny DeVito) was a very good teacher who knew how to make things fun. Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent comedy that will make you laugh and feel good to any Danny DeVito fan who hasn't seen it. You're in for lots of laughter and a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.