Making the Grade

Making the Grade is not only an OK comedy, it gives a name to a person who once was a Sylvester Stallone look alike from Brooklyn. This man is Andrew Clay, who gets a role in this movie named Dice, who would later take Dice and make it his nick name. But enough about him, this film is also a good teen comedy (not the best by far) and I liked Judd Nelson as the lead (still a bad-ass). A-

A rich preppie hires a street wise loner to pose as him at an elite prep school. Judd Nielson is good in a hand tailored role and the film is better done than most 80's teen comedies. The score is good. It is overlong, however. Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

The end credits announced a sequel, but none has been made to date. Also the film is rated PG, according to its box, but should have been R-rated.

Andrew "Dice" Clay plays "Dice". I'm used to the movie box cover where the guy is sitting on the hood of a Porsche. This is a story of a "my parents are rich, and so am I" kid, who tires of attending Prep School, so he hires Judd Nelson's character to play him while he vacations/travels around. -He gets tired of travel, so he returns.., -I'm not at liberty to say anymore, so you'll have to watch the movie to see what happens! It is a decent movie; kind of "B-movieish", but well worth the watch if you get the chance. (Please, if you see this video in the rental store, rent it! You won't be sorry, I promise you.) Gordon Jump (WKRP's Arthur 'Big Guy' Carlson) plays the Dean. Not a big role in the film, but a part he played well. Good story; Funny movie, and I recommend it highly.

In the few scenes he's in, it's the Diceman who adds the only flavor to this amateurish attempt at a teenage sex comedy. Lifeless screenplay and dull cast drive this right into the ground.

You have to take this movie for what it is and when it was released. The characters are likable and the dialogue doesn't try too hard to be funny; it just is.

Granted, some of the appeal may be nostalgic at this point; it's hard to imagine how this looks to a first-time viewer today. OK, some parts are bound to be ridiculous; there is a break-dancing scene and accompanying music that are hopelessly dated... then again break-dancing does appear to be making a comeback.

I'm not a huge Andrew Dice Clay fan, but this movie is where the "Diceman" character originated.

The actor who plays Palmer Woodrow wrote the movie The Burbs, as it turns out.