Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1450. Back To School (1986)

    1450. Back To School (1986)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on August 13, 2016 1986, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Aug 16, Comedy, Movies Of 2016, Review, Romance, United States
    7.3 Dangerfield runs the show
    • Acting 7.7
    • Directing 7.2
    • Story 7.0
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey Jr.

    Director: Alan Metter

    Running Time: 96 mins


    Back To School is an American film about a wealthy business tycoon who decides to go back to university in order to help his son to get a good education.

    Nobody does the brilliant Rodney Dangerfield quite like the man himself. At the centre of the movie, he’s a hugely entertaining presence throughout, and gives a whole lot of life to an otherwise very cheesy movie. Back To School isn’t a work of cinematic genius, although it doesn’t go all-out to be a pure slapstick film as it so easily could have, and there are a whole lot of good laughs throughout.

    However, we start with the man at the centre of the film: Rodney Dangerfield. His legendary performances in films like Caddyshack before are truly memorable, and Back To School does him just as well. As ever, he’s a hugely lively presence, always the best and funniest man on screen at every moment, and his unique brand of slapstick and charisma put together make up for well over half of the best laughs in this movie.

    Dangerfield’s character isn’t necessarily as interesting as the story perhaps wants him to be, given the emphasis on his bizarre but still strong bond with his son, but even so, the film does a good enough job to keep giving you jokes and laughs to forget any issues with the story and have a hugely fun watch.

    Alongside the main man, there aren’t really any stand-out performances that added to my enjoyment of the movie. For sheer weirdness, there’s an odd performance by a young Robert Downey Jr., whilst Keith Gordon puts in another decent turn as the nerd who needs to grow in confidence.

    As I said, without Dangerfield, this would have come across as a very bog-standard and cheesy high school movie (even though it’s set at university). The best thing that the screenplay does is allow Dangerfield to go wild and be at his best, whilst still retaining a level of intelligence that prevents the film from descending into pure Animal House territory. but it never tells anything more than a generic high school story, with Dangerfield’s character too becoming just another student, rather than remaining the eccentric businessman character that gives the film its brilliant premise.

    Overall, I enjoyed Back To School a lot. The majority of the entertainment undoubtedly comes from Rodney Dangerfield’s hilarious performance, but there are a few good points elsewhere, including a couple of solid supporting performances, and a decently-crafted screenplay, so that’s why I’m giving Back To School a 7.3.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    December 20, 20220

    3987. Braveheart (1995)

    8.2
    Review
    August 6, 20210

    3435. The Perfect Secret (2019)

    8.1
    Review
    December 21, 20140

    790. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

    8.0
    Review
    January 8, 20160

    1210. The Hateful Eight (2015)

    8.0
    Review
    March 18, 20210

    3288. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.