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That's a sentence that every student in Weaver High School dreads, but as fate had it, it would fall on meek student and school journalist Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemazko). Three O'Clock High follows Jerry's day after he receives this threat from new student/juvenile delinquent Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson) when he awkwardly approached him in the school restroom for a school newspaper interview; something that Buddy's not happy about.
This is a film I knew about, but for some weird reason, I hadn't seen. Weird, because growing up in the 1980s, this seems pretty much like my kind of film at the moment. So I was happy when my friend Josh recommended it to me as a "birthday gift", and I was happier when it turned out to be a pleasant and enjoyable surprise.
Three O'Clock High inhabits that same space as other teen films of the era that walk within that "suburban magical realism" realm; kinda like Better Off Dead or License to Drive. The events are grounded in reality, but are presented in ways that make them feel they're not. This is done to help heighten the dread, the tension, and the feeling of being trapped by the main character, usually in hilarious ways.
In this regard, the direction of Phil Joanou, helped by the cinematography of Barry Sonnenfeld, was really fantastic. The way they move the camera, the angles they choose, how they block certain scenes, it was definitely above the average teen movie standards. In addition, the two leads are pretty solid, which makes you wonder why both of them didn't have better careers. I do think the character of Buddy could've been more developed, but it was still a pretty good performance from Tyson.
Three O'Clock High is also interesting in how it subverts some of the typical tropes of the genre. There are a couple of times where you think it's going to zig, but then it zags, which felt refreshing. However, what happens in the last act, although surprising, felt less interesting than what could've been. Also, the way they handle the main two female characters, both Jerry's romantic interests, felt as if the script didn't necessarily knew what to do or where to go.
Despite those flaws, Three O'Clock High was overall a refreshing take on the teen school sub-genre. Well acted, neatly directed and shot, and maybe giving more credit to its audience than most films of the genre do. Certainly a must-watch for 1980s kids, and maybe to anybody that enjoys a good teen comedy.
Grade:
THREE O'CLOCK HIGH
(1987, Joanou)
A film from the 1980s
-- recommended by Josh (from Your Next Favorite Movie Podcast) --
(1987, Joanou)
A film from the 1980s
-- recommended by Josh (from Your Next Favorite Movie Podcast) --
"You and me, we're gonna have a fight today, after school. 3:00 in the parking lot. You try and run, I'm gonna track you down; you go to a teacher, it's only gonna get worse; you sneak home, I'm gonna be under your bed. You and me. 3:00"
That's a sentence that every student in Weaver High School dreads, but as fate had it, it would fall on meek student and school journalist Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemazko). Three O'Clock High follows Jerry's day after he receives this threat from new student/juvenile delinquent Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson) when he awkwardly approached him in the school restroom for a school newspaper interview; something that Buddy's not happy about.
This is a film I knew about, but for some weird reason, I hadn't seen. Weird, because growing up in the 1980s, this seems pretty much like my kind of film at the moment. So I was happy when my friend Josh recommended it to me as a "birthday gift", and I was happier when it turned out to be a pleasant and enjoyable surprise.
Three O'Clock High inhabits that same space as other teen films of the era that walk within that "suburban magical realism" realm; kinda like Better Off Dead or License to Drive. The events are grounded in reality, but are presented in ways that make them feel they're not. This is done to help heighten the dread, the tension, and the feeling of being trapped by the main character, usually in hilarious ways.
In this regard, the direction of Phil Joanou, helped by the cinematography of Barry Sonnenfeld, was really fantastic. The way they move the camera, the angles they choose, how they block certain scenes, it was definitely above the average teen movie standards. In addition, the two leads are pretty solid, which makes you wonder why both of them didn't have better careers. I do think the character of Buddy could've been more developed, but it was still a pretty good performance from Tyson.
Three O'Clock High is also interesting in how it subverts some of the typical tropes of the genre. There are a couple of times where you think it's going to zig, but then it zags, which felt refreshing. However, what happens in the last act, although surprising, felt less interesting than what could've been. Also, the way they handle the main two female characters, both Jerry's romantic interests, felt as if the script didn't necessarily knew what to do or where to go.
Despite those flaws, Three O'Clock High was overall a refreshing take on the teen school sub-genre. Well acted, neatly directed and shot, and maybe giving more credit to its audience than most films of the genre do. Certainly a must-watch for 1980s kids, and maybe to anybody that enjoys a good teen comedy.
Grade: