CS Weekly Archive > DVD > 06/08/07

Lower Education

by dennis sampson

Jeff Franklin

Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) is a high school teacher stuck with the thankless job of teaching a bunch of underachievers remedial English in summer school.  Only the class is so unruly, Shoop has to stoop to their level (read: bribery) in order to get the kids to cooperate.  Summer School’s greatest appeal is its breezy plot, and with its representation of each caste of high school students, the film tries to be something of a mirror to The Breakfast Club (but the John Hughes touch is sorely missed here).  What we’re left with is a series of mildly amusing adventures as Shoop bonds with a group of slothful, defiant hooligans.  The movie’s comedy is never quite as funny as it should be, nor is the love story between Shoop and Ms. Bishop (Kirstie Alley), the teacher who works down the hall, fully credible.  In fact, their romantic subplot is so rote, their conversations feel more like sample dialogue from a screenwriting textbook than they do discourse between characters.  Commentary by director Carl Reiner and Mark Harmon is more reminiscent than informative, but screenwriter Jeff Franklin and Reiner reveal a few scattered insights on the development of the screenplay during the “Inside the Teacher’s Lounge” featurette.

Summer School (Life's a Beach Edition)

Paramount Home Entertainment

Rated PG-13; 97 min.

$14.99

Buy it now

Dennis Sampson is a commercial production coordinator and unproduced screenwriter. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his better half, Susan, and their dog Tripp.

Summer School (Life's a Beach Edition) courtesy Paramount Home Entertainment

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