In 1980, director Claude Zidi was strapped for cash; his previous film had been a complete failure, and now he needed money to pay his creditors. That's why he made "Les sous doués", a comedy about some lazy high school students who have a good time pranking their teachers until they need to pass their end-of-the-year exams because of a prank gone wrong. The movie was a runaway success, coming 4th in the box office (behind such cult classics as "La Boum" and "The empire strikes back").
In 1982, Zidi got his cast together again to create the equally successful "Les sous doués en vacances". It was so that Christian Dion, a director not exactly famous for his high-quality comedies, made "Les diplômés du dernier rang", a shameless rip-off that manages to come off as funny enough to barely stand by itself.
The story is completely similar to the one of "Les sous doués". A group of students have opened a nightclub under the school and keep partying, until the headmaster (Michel Galabru, who also played in Zidi's movie) decides to make the school a serious institution. Of course, his plans go wrong until the students pass their exams and leave him in peace.
There are no special qualities in the film, but the characters cause some laughs. Especially the school psychologist, interpreted by then-popular singer Marie Laforêt, is hilarious in her uncomfortableness when meeting the rebellious students. The others were simply average, and Galabru's performance didn't have the vibrancy of his one in "Les sous doués".
The music was also just there to imitate the former film. Using synthesizers for the most part, it lacked the amazing theme song present in Zidi's film, which was sung by star Daniel Auteuil. Here, instead, we have no theme song, just a string of synthesiser-driven melodies that accompany the movie and live no lasting impression on the listener.
Same was the situation with the director. He clearly knew what he wanted to make - a school comedy aimed at teenagers- but he didn't seem to give any direction to his actors so as for them to make his vision come true.
The actors themselves, except for Laforêt and Galabru as mentioned above, are mostly forgettable and don't give the movie anything. To be fair to them, though, all the jokes are ripped off "Les sous doués", and one who has watched both movies will be able to see this by themselves. It's not entirely the fault of the cast that the film is indifferent. Indeed, it's a joint effort.
In conclusion, for the one interested in watching a good school comedy from the French 80's, "Les sous doués" or "P. R. O. F. S." are by far superior to this film here, one created only for the benefit of receiving box-office revenue. Still, it received little of it, and is thus regarded as a film that deserved to be forgotten.
