Reform School Girl

This has got to be the most terrible film ever committed to celluloid, and I watch Mystery Science Theater 3000. I just couldn't see the point in any of it as it appears to be a series of unconnected scenes badly put together. Girl gets sent to reform school, but she's innocent, there we find the usual prison stereotypes, rough girl, quiet girl etc. She then finds she has a gift for running. So what?? Its a pitiful film in which you can honestly, and I mean honestly, spot what's coming. Leery guidance counselor?? Check. Unnecessary lesbian scene?? Check. Worst Ending EVER?? Check. I won't spoil it but its awful and completely negates the rest of the film. I spent three days telling everyone I saw just how bad it was, I now have no friends thanks to this film. The very worst part comes right at the end when, over the credits, it reads out what happens to the sad reprobates with each one, without fail, going on to something far better. And what the hell was Matt LeBlanc doing in this movie?????

This film, directed by New World Pictures alumnus Jonathan Kaplan and starring cult favorite Aimee Graham, is part of the "Rebel Highway" series of remakes of 1950s juvenile-delinquent films.

For what was basically a chance for the filmmakers to have fun, _Reform School Girl_ is quite watchable. There are the allusions to McCarthyism characteristic of the "Rebel Highway" series (and a well-done general 50s ambiance), and the usual array of interesting types we meet in women-in-prison films. This one is nowhere near as graphic as a typical entry in that genre, but there is one lesbian love scene that is strikingly filmed and acted, suprisingly graphic for such young-looking actresses, and really kind of a tonal shift from the rest of the film. Unfortunately, the film never really resolves the lesbian relationship.

The only time I really cringed was the scene where Donna (Aimee Graham) started dancing and singing with the mop, and the camera began moving around and getting in the faces of the onlookers. This was a totally ridiculous scene (but I guess it's hard to pad these things out to 80 minutes).

Graham is stellar in the title role, a girl who has had to deal with abuse and, while in reform school, awakens to more positive sexual experiences. I really wish Hollywood would take more notice of her.

this is a must see for Aimee graham fans. i think it's one of her better roles, as she does remarkably well with this made for Cinemax movie. good supporting cast including Matt Le blanc in a cameo role. i wondered when they would get around to putting this one on DVD. congrats to Buena Vista. as for her gift of running, she had a lot to run from, including an abusive father and a lame boyfriend. running can be very therapeutic and can also imply a sense of urgency as a medium to escape the predicaments of life one has been dealt.

Cinematography is well done, at least the TV version that i copied off Cinamax one night. i think i wore that one out. it was released in VHS in other countries including England and Germany, but i believe this future release(April 2005), will be the first time it will be readily available in the U.S..

A teenage girl is left without parents and with her younger sister is forced to while away the days in the neighborhood with not the most pleasant company in the person of her uncle. One evening with a group of random acquaintances, she goes to explore the night streets. On the way, everything goes awry - some of the acquaintances go home during the move, the car turns out to be stolen, and the driver hits a pedestrian, after which he disappears. The result - the young lady is sent to the colony, where other adversities await her. The only quick way out of it is to win a short-distance running competition, fortunately the offer comes not from just anyone, but from the head of the prison, who is also a former winner of the Olympics in Berlin.

Most of the story is devoted to teenage prison twists and turns, where the story of a narrow-minded novice criminal briefly passes in the background. The film does not pretend to be a full-fledged serious social drama, but with an adjustment for its genre specifics it looks acceptable.

The original film is "Reform School Girl" (1957).

You might expect a made-for-TV remake of a 1950's exploitation flick to be a camp spoof but instead it turns out to be a rather enjoyable, if simplistic, prison movie.

The tone is little uneven, with some of the older actors playing up the melodrama while the younger cast members take it all seriously, but the result is an enjoyable genre romp. Pre-Friends Matt LeBlanc plays the bad-boy teen Vince who leads innocent schoolgirl Donna (Aimee Graham) astray and gives an insight to how his career might have developed if he hadn't been forever entwined with the character of Joey. The most surprising aspect is the tender lesbian love scene between Donna and Carmen (Teresa DiSpina). Fairly explicit and very erotic it is the outstanding scene in the film and totally unexpected in a US TV drama.

It's is true to say to say that the story is fairly shallow and trite but this is pulp fiction not Shakespeare and the film is never less than entertaining. This review is based on the version aired on UK television with a running time of around 6 minutes less than the 85 minutes shown at IMDb.