Class (1983)

Sadly Over-hyped

Excellent, smart action film.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

On his first day in a new school, gullible young Andrew McCarthy (as Jonathan) is talked into changing into a black bra and panties by preppy roommate Rob Lowe (as Skip), who disrobes to reveal a similar taste in underwear. It's a funny, wildly implausible scene that sets a tone not kept throughout the story. Things will get decidedly more serious. Shortly before the half-hour mark, we receive confirmation that these guys are supposed to be high school-aged prep students; in the opening, Mr. McCarthy appears to be an arriving college underclassman. Naturally, the teen "boys" are interested in pranks and sex...Sensing McCarthy is a virgin, Mr. Lowe urges him to go to town and find a sex partner (it's an all-boys school). McCarthy finds sexy older Jacqueline Bisset (as Ellen). Lucky guy, but there are complications. She's a trifle unstable, married to hard-nosed Cliff Robertson (as Mr. Burroughs), and has a secret that threatens the friendship between McCarthy and Lowe. They are really smart and want to go to Harvard, but another secret will unfold... In the lead role, film-debuting McCarthy manages to both connect with and keep from being upstaged by Lowe (who makes a classy Jesus). All handle the assignment well.****** Class (7/6/83) Lewis John Carlino ~ Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Jacqueline Bisset, Cliff Robertson

I give this movie two ratings: The serious sex scenes between the mother and Jonathon, a 2 The hilarious school scenes with Jonathon and Skip, a 10I love all the school scenes: When Jon comites "suicide", when Skip tells the story of how he killed a person, the first scene when Jonothan wears a bikini and the scene when the kids are trying to shove pot down the sink and toilet(one guy actually tries to put a pot plant down the sink) All the sex scenes are retarded. REALLY boring. I literally fast forwarded those partsI really love this movie even though some of it is real stupid, plus Rob Lowe is beautiful, so it makes it worth while

Class made a ton of money back in the day with Brat Pack king Rob Lowe starring in another teen film about some oversexed adults and undersexed young men. In this case the undersexed one is Andrew McCarthy who gets some love lessons from Jacqueline Bisset who is also Lowe's mother. Which makes it all nice and cozy.McCarthy is a young country kid who wins a scholarship to an exclusive boy's prep school which is mostly inhabited by to the manor born types like Lowe. In fact Lowe has the ultimate prep school name of Skip.Around women McCarthy makes Inspector Clousseau look like Errol Flynn and Lowe gives him some fateful advice about trying to hook up at a certain bar on Rush Street in Chicago where there are lots of women who are as longing as he is. Unfortunately one of them happens to be his mother and that's who McCarthy does it with. Right in one of those glass elevators.Class veers uncomfortably back and forth from comedy to drama without any warning. The values of the Reagan era are upheld here, especially by Cliff Robertson as solid a venture capitalist as you'll ever find and Lowe's father. He's treating his wife like another of his possessions like his mansion or his yacht and no wonder she's looking for love in all the wrong places.As we see noted, a whole lot of people like Andrew McCarthy, John Cusack, Casey Siemaszko, Lolita Davidovitch, and Virginia Madsen all made their screen debuts. That is probably what Class will go down in movie annals for.

A film that seems too unsure how to set things in motion, as one minute we have a bratty, low brow teen comedy (like something out of 'Porky's') with surprisingly amusing gags and fooling about, but then it heads into something serious and in-depth (well it tries) mature handling on the material of forbidden love (similar to that of 'The Graduate') and the value of friendship. The two never quite balances out, which leaves it like your watching two different movies unsuccessfully spliced together. It's hard to pin point what it really wants to be, as by the end it finishes pretty much the same way it began.Jonathan the new senior student to a prep high school finds himself the butt-of-jokes with his dorm and room-mate Skip, but he gets his own back where respect is built. After being banned from a dance and the nearest girl's school, Skip gets Jonathan that night to go to a Chicago bar to hopefully pick-up and get laid. He meets the older Ellen and a steamy affair between them begins, but he keeps it secret about his true age. But she soon finds out about it, but the main twist of fate occurs when he realises who she really is.What goes on to be the film's main curiosity drive however would be that of the sensational cast involved (minor parts too), as there's some fresh faces who make their debuts and good performances by all. Andrew McCarthy (in his first role) is sensitively engaging, and truly one performance that you feel every embarrassing and awkward encounter along with him. Rob Lowe constantly chimes with suave personality and charm as the rich-kid room-mate. An enticing Jacqueline Bisset courageously pulls off her role as the Ellen and Cliff Robertson is solid as Skip's father Mr. Burroughs. Along for the ride are the agreeable John Cusack (debut performance), Alan Ruck and Virginia Madsen in a short, but downright memorable turn. The outstanding rapport between everyone clicks.Writers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt do sketch out some effective moments (mainly the humour with some worthy pieces), among the not so. When it does go serious some situations are hard to grasp and take seriously even if it's done in the right temperament. What goes from quick-witted lines and crass visual gags then opens up to the awkward embarrassments' of sexuality for a novice. As what seems like a boy's wet dream (getting in on with an experienced lady to only brag about it) eventuates to more and feelings start to grow. However everything comes crashing down, after a disastrous chain of events that could see him lose a friend, destroy a dysfunctional family already on the rocks and be kicked out of school. But at the end we come to realise that these depressing occurrences have made those fragile people in the spotlight go onto examine their own lives. As the two boys come to blows, they go onto see the funny side to it all. Lewis John Carlino (his third and last directed film to date) has been comfortable penning the material over his career, does quite a resourceful job in the director's chair. He adequately keeps things moving and never gets to forceful in the execution of the material.'Class' is a fair achievement that's brought together by a committed cast.