Making the Grade

Back in the mid-eighties the movie industry churned out teen comedies trying to capture some of the spark and success of Caddyshack and Animal House. Mostly, they failed. Class, Private School, all of the Revenge of the Nerd flicks, and even the high brow attempts like the John Hughes films, all ended up formulaic, inane, poorly plotted, and silly. Perhaps the only exception is Risky Business which rises above the genre. "Making the Grade", however, is not an exception. It has all the same problems as "Breakfast Club" or "Better Off Dead" or "Sixteen Candles". But if you're in the mood for this kind of movie, I'd pick this one up rather than any of the others. It captures some of the attitudes and styles of the time quite nicely, like when the preppy nerd is trying to teach urban kid Judd Nelson how to dress for prep school. And Dana Olsen is absolutely hysterical, easily stealing the movie, as the obnoxious rich kid hiring Nelson to complete school for him. The movie has some genuinely funny scenes mixed in with the snobs versus slobs formula. Don't expect much, but low expectations are the key to a good time with a movie like this.

I am a fan of 80s teen movies, as there were so many that were so good. However, this is no "Breakfast Club" which I think can be called the best 80s teen movie ever made. Judd Nelson is hot, but the flick is poorly directed and the sound is pretty bad. The characters are foolish at times- how is it Eddie goes from being ok with who he is to being a snob in about three scenes? I don't know. Cheesy? Most definitely. However, 80s teen movies are 80s teen movies. If you like them, see this, but don't expect one of the caliber of TBC.

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.

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-