NERD NOSTALGIA: A review of "Summer School"

NERD NOSTALGIA: A Review of “Summer School”

By: Brian Cotnoir

    

Yay, Mark Harmon :)

What is it about 80’s movies that make them so entertaining and enjoyable to watch?  I think a large part—if not the biggest part—of why 80’s movies were so successful has to do a lot with filmmaker John Hughes.  John Hughes was easily the most successful and influential filmmaker of the 1980’s.  Practically, any film project that had his name linked to it was a success, and many of his films, such as “The Breakfast Club”, “Pretty in Pink”, “Sixteen Candles”, and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, helped define a generation of people and film making.  And as we’ve seen throughout history that once a film is successful that there are going to be dozens of copycats.  Sometimes it even seems like some of these studios aren’t even trying (ex/ “Paranormal Activity” & “Paranormal Entity” and “Repo: The Genetic Opera” & “Repo Men”).  The film I’m reviewing this week is one of those films that appears to have tried to copy the John Hughes filmmaking formula, but instead of totally sucking and not being remotely funny this one is actually enjoyable to watch.

Your Mom Wishes your dad
was Mark Harmon

    “Summer School” is the story of a high school gym teacher named Freddy Shoop—played by the likeable Mark Harmon—who is roped into teaching Remedial English in Summer School to a group of delinquent students.  Shoop, already has plans to spend his summer in Hawaii with his girlfriend, but is convinced to stay by being promised full tenure by the schools Vice Principal.  So Mr. Shoop’s girlfriend takes off for Hawaii, while he is stuck teaching a group of delinquent students; and there’s all there, the Jock, the unwed Pregnant student, the day dreamer, the tough one, the Classroom sleeper, the Geek, the foreign exchange student, and the two stoner buddies.  The film focuses on Mr. Shoop and the student’s time (or lack of time I should say) in Summer School, and all the bonding they have over the Summer. 

  

The Gang's All here!   

   

This man grew up to be the
The voice of Invader Zim! 

I would rate this film somewhere between harmless teen movie and Summer camp classic.  It is hilariously corny and a stereotypical 80’s film, but at the same time it’s not very vulgar or too insulting to human intelligence.  It does have a lot of funny scenes and a lot of great characters.  Next to Mark Harmon the biggest star in the film is Kirstie Alley, who plays the new love interest of Mark Harmon’s character, but her part is really downplayed in this movie.  In fact she’s almost totally gone for the whole middle of the film.  The other biggest star in the film—making his big screen debut—is a young Richard Horvitz who most of you will probably recognize for his voice work on popular shows such as “Invader Zim”, “The Angry Beavers”, “The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy”, and “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”.    

Best Scene of the Whole Film XD

                               

     I would recommend the film “Summer School” to anyone.  It’s funny, and is ideal Saturday night movie for anyone over the age of fourteen.  It’s a harmless movie, and I just liked it.