Back to School

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Back to School
Back to School theatrical poster.
Directed by	Alan Metter
Produced by	Chuck Russell
Written by	Steven Kampmann William Porter Peter Torokvei Harold Ramis
Starring	Rodney Dangerfield Sally Kellerman Burt Young Keith Gordon Ned Beatty William Zabka Sam Kinison Robert Downey, Jr. Paxton Whitehead Adrienne Barbeau
Music by	Danny Elfman
Cinematography	Thomas E. Ackerman
Editing by	David Rawlins
Distributed by	Orion Pictures
Release date(s)	June 13, 1986
Running time	96 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

Back to School is a 1986 comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, William Zabka, Sam Kinison, and Robert Downey, Jr. The plot centers on a wealthy but uneducated father (Dangerfield) who goes to college to show solidarity with his troubled son (Gordon) and learns that he cannot buy his education.

Author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., has a cameo as himself, as does the band Oingo Boingo, whose frontman, Danny Elfman, composed the score for the film.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison was used as a backdrop for the movie, although it was called "Grand Lakes University." The diving scenes were filmed at the since-demolished Industry Hills Aquatic Center (see Industry Hills Aquatic Club) in the City of Industry, California.

[edit] Plot

Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) is a truly successful rags-to-riches story. The son of an Italian immigrant tailor, he is shown as a boy in his father's shop one day, bearing his report card, which has less than stellar grades. When he tells his father his ambition is to work in the shop with him, his father tells him that "if a man's got no education, he's got nothing", and that he can do whatever he sets his mind to.

After this scene, the movie picks up with a series of snapshots from that point on until present day, showing Thornton opening his first "Tall and Fat" clothing store, then his second, and then with his newborn son, and more stores, and finally becoming a corporate giant, complete with a TV commercial where he asks "When you go jogging, do you leave potholes?", telling potential customers to "eat all you want" because of his line of clothing for the amply-proportioned.

It is also revealed during a meeting at his corporate office that Thornton has changed his last name to "Melon" (from the original "Meloni") at some point in his life. After taking a call from his son Jason (Gordon) cancelling pre-arranged plans to come home for a visit, Thornton goes home for the evening to his second wife Vanessa (played by Adrienne Barbeau). It is later revealed that Thorton is a widower, and that he married the much younger Vanessa in a "Hollywood style" marriage. Vanessa ends up being a materialistic, money-hungry, aspiring socialite, unable to bear her crude husband. He threatens to expose her adulterous affairs after she threatens to sue him in a divorce settlement.

After Vanessa leaves, Thornton tells his chauffeur and bodyguard Lou (Young) to pack and drive him to Grand Lakes University, Jason's college. Jason works as a towel boy for the swim team, after not making the cut during tryouts, largely due to the efforts of rival Chas Osborn (Zabka). After Thornton arrives, he learns that Jason is unpopular and unhappy, with only his best friend Derek (Downey) to keep him from going crazy. When Jason tells his father he intends to drop out, Thornton repeats to Jason his father’s words. After Jason appears unmoved, he offers to go to college with his son if he'll stay.

However, with neither a high school diploma nor any transcripts or SAT scores, Thornton’s efforts seem to be stilled, according to David Martin, the university’s dean (a play on Dean Martin). When asked how he can possibly admit an unqualified student, the next scene cuts to a groundbreaking new Thornton Melon School of Business on the university grounds. It is obvious that Thornton bribed his way into an admission, which earns him the wrath of Dr. Philip Barbay (Whitehead), dean of the business school, a snob who loathes Thornton on sight.

Thornton also strikes up a romance with Dr. Diane Turner (Kellerman), an attractive professor who is also dating Dr. Barbay, who becomes further enraged when he learns of Thornton’s overtures. At the same time, Jason begins to attract the interest of Valerie, who Chas had been trying to impress by humiliating him. Jason's popularity begins to increase as his father’s generosity spreads to the students, and he earns a spot on the swim team as well.

Over the course of Thornton’s tenure as a student, he hires a team of professionals to complete his assignments for him, including author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., whose essay on one of his own books surprisingly gets him a failing grade with Dr. Turner. Eventually, Thornton’s fraud is revealed by Barbay, who challenges him before Dean Martin with an oral examination. If Thornton fails any part of it, he will be expelled. His hand forced, Martin yields to Barbay.

With limited time to prepare, Thornton crams for his exams, with help from Jason, Derek, Lou and Diane. On the day of the exam, Barbay begins begins by telling Thornton that he has only one question for him... but in 27 parts, making it virtually impossible for him to pass. Thornton passes the exam, however, after Dr. Turner inspires him with Dylan Thomas' poem "Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night".

At the championship swim meet, a little distraction from Derek fouls up the opposing team’s dives. Chas gives a lackluster dive, followed by a near-perfect performance from Jason. Chas fakes a cramp in an effort to make the team lose by forfeit anyway, but is replaced by Thornton, who performs a previously “impossible” dive, the legendary “Triple Lindy,” to win the meet. He later learns that he has passed all his classes with a D, except from Diane, who has given him an A. The movie closes with Thornton lecturing the graduating class that the real world is hard, and to stay with their parents as long as possible.

[edit] Cast

• Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton “Thorny” Melon
• Sally Kellerman as Dr. Diane Turner; teacher of English literature
• Burt Young as Lou, Thornton's chauffeur and bodyguard
• Keith Gordon as Jason Melon
• Robert Downey, Jr. as Derek Lutz
• Paxton Whitehead as Dr. Phillip Barbay; teacher of business
• Sam Kinison as Professor Terguson; teacher of contemporary American history
• Terry Farrell as Valerie Desmond
• M. Emmet Walsh as Coach Turnbull
• Adrienne Barbeau as Vanessa Melon, Thornton's second wife
• William Zabka as Chas Osborne
• Ned Beatty as "Dean" David Martin

[edit] Soundtrack

The soundtrack was only released in LP format, but the score was later released with selections from the score of Pee-wee's Big Adventure on CD.

[edit] Track listing (Soundtrack)

1. "Back to School" (Jude Cole) – 4:16
2. "Educated Girl" (Bobby Caldwell) – 4:07
3. "Learnin' and Livin'" (Tyson & Schwartz) – 3:25
4. "Everybody's Crazy" (Michael Bolton) – 4:37
5. "I'll Never Forget Your Face" (Philip Ingram) – 4:07
6. "Twist and Shout" (Rodney Dangerfield) – 2:51
7. "Dead Man's Party" (Oingo Boingo) – 6:17
8. "On My Way" (Tyson & Schwartz) – 3:30
9. "Respect" (Aretha Franklin) – 2:24

[edit] See also

• List of American films of 1986

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Back to School at the Internet Movie Database
• Back to School at Allmovie
• Back to School at Rotten Tomatoes