CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

videorama-759-859391 This is a '87 comedy, I like much better, than I thought I would. The comedy chooses to take it's own path, on it's important subject, making for a much more entertaining one, where drama's thrown in too, with makes it one, with a few flavors, where a moment never dulls in this. It is a very unjustly criticized film, although as Tommy Howell, darkening his skin, he would be made out for an Indian, not a real black man, first off the bat. Howell's likable performance, is that of a rich kid, who's dream is to go to Harvard Law, only his parent's cut off his tuition, so he has to look for sources, elsewhere, where he finally resorts to going black and getting down. The film takes a few jabs at black people, and Tommy Howe'll's rendition of Prince and Stevie Wonder are priceless. This is a talented actor, a kid ahead of his talent. He falls for a black woman (Rae Dawn Chong in a really good mature performance) where the unexpected, lighter romantic moments, add more layers to it's originality,and work beautifully. He also beds a long haired hottie (Melora Hardin) her rich father played here, by would you believe Leslie Nielsen, who later punches Howell one later, in the gulliver. The movie takes digs too at basketballers, Howell quite popular on the team in one sense, you would say. Ayre Gross was fun as Howell's best friend, who accompanies him to the campus. The court defending scene, near the end, after Howell was busted was a very smart idea, as others in this smartly written script. Okay yes, it could of been taken as a more serious comedy, but it wouldn't be as entertaining, as this is a comedy that stands on it's own, and was a good opening to let in the near year that was '87. Still today, it'll be, as much fun as it was, back then. That title soundtrack rocks too, like many other things in this entertaining, smartly approached, set out film. Highly recommended.

JLRMovieReviews C. Thomas Howell comes from a rich family and has been accepted to Harvard, but, when his father expects him to pay for his own college education and won't finance it, Tom goes to drastic measures for a scholarship. It seems that Harvard has, in this movie anyway, a scholarship for the most qualified African-American that comes from a certain demographic. So, of course, he goes black face and gets some soul, brother. I said soul. What actually sounds like a pretty lame, almost offensive, and just plain stupid film turns out in fact to be one of the most thought-provoking 1980s comedies made. Granted, it might be biting off more than it can chew, but this film is genuinely funny and has characters that are three-dimensional due in part to good acting by Tom; Rae Dawn Chong, who plays a student he starts to care for; and teacher James Earl Jones. My two favorite moments in the film are when he tells his parents, "Mom, Dad, I'm black!" and when he tells teacher James Earl Jones, "No sir, I didn't quite learn how it feels to be black, because I could at any time go back to being white." That moment really made the film for me, as it defines the difference between putting yourself in someone's place and actually being them. I see this film, from all the ratings, has a low mean, but I think it deserves better, as it's a very entertaining and funny film, while having moments that speak to the viewer in its indirect and subtle way without being preachy. I would definitely watch this again and would recommend it for those who like comedies with a little soul and substance to it.

FlashCallahan Mark doesn't expect any problems in going to college, he and his friend have reserved places in Harvard and his parents have the money to pay for his education.But his father's psychiatrist advises him to go on vacation in Hawaii instead of spending more money on his son. Since Mark wants to keep his lifestyle, including a fancy car and a flat shared with his friend, he seeks financial support. The only foundation which still accepts applications is for blacks only. With lots of tanning pills he sets out to Harvard....It must have sounded good on paper. The high concept plot sounds okay, but the execution is handled so poorly, it cannot help but be offensive, even though it doesn't want to be.After the gimmick wears off, it's your regular fish out of water comedy, which has so many troupes, there should be a horn go off every time one is mentioned.Howells is good, but this film ruined his career. Remember him in The Amazing Spider- Man? Didn't think so.It has its moments, but it doesn't hold up like most eighties movies do.its a shame, because done in the right hands, it can be funny.....See Tropic Thunder.A waste, and I feel sorry for Howell.

Rorschach17 Before watching this film, I was never expecting a spectacular movie experience. I'll admit to being a fan of those silly fast paced feel good ending 80s comedies, those early Eddie Murphy or Michael J. Fox films being the best example of these. This is the style I was expecting, and I think is what the director was aiming for, but falling very very far from the mark!The premise could have worked: white kid from rich background decides to pass for a poor black boy to get a scholarship to a top American university. In doing so, he learns harsh lessons about racism and class divides, etc... Plenty of room for some fun jokes, taking the mike out of the real life stereotypes at those top American university establishments, and still come out of it without too much complications and a good morality tale. But what you end up with is a film in which you keep waiting for a really good punchline to arrive, no real surprise turn at any point whatsoever and a lot of pent up frustration by the end for having wasted an hour and half of your life.By the standards of those previously mentioned 80s comedies, this films' budget couldn't have been that bad, and although the scripts is basic at best, I'm sure at least a bit more could have extracted from it. The main culprits for this waste of film stock have to be the director who does not seem to have put any thought to the direction or elaboration of his script to put it onto screen, and the lead actor C. Thomas Howell. In the same year, he played the stalked young lead in The Hitcher, which has now become somewhat of an 80s cult reference to horror thrillers; this is to say that Mr Howell was not necessarily a bad actor, but definitely a bad comedian. He has no comic timing, a necessity in this form of entertainment, no real talent at expressional comedy, and has no clue when to keep a serious face and when to lighten-up. Although again a large part of this has to go down to bad directorship. Rae Dawn Chong, in the main female lead, does well with what she has, without ever pushing the film to any kind of redemptive level. Coming the closest to doing this is James Earl Jones, who is so hopelessly under-used you have to wonder if he didn't just walk out on the production when he saw how terrible it was. The same could be said of Julia Louis-Dreyfus(Elaine from Seinfeld) and Leslie Nielsen, who have so little screen time it's easy to forget they were actually in this poor excuse for a movie.When I first bought the DVD to this movie, even though I had no idea how good, or bad(as the case may be), it would be, I was really chuffed with myself, having found it in the sales for 2 pounds. And even more pleased at the till, where it seemed the guy forgot to swipe it properly with the rest of my items so I didn't even pay for it! Now I see the nice man at the till had obviously seen this film, felt sorry for me, and that watching this film was going to be punishment enough that he shouldn't make me pay for it as well.