How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate
| How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate | |
|---|---|
 Garret Baker in How To Cheat in the Leaving Certificate |
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| Directed by | Graham Jones |
| Produced by | Ciara Flanagan Graham Jones |
| Written by | Graham Jones Tadhg O'Higgins Aislinn O'Loughlin |
| Starring | Garret Baker Aileen O'Connor Philip Bredin Alison Coffey John Wright Tara Ford Eamon Morrissey Lee Dunne Mary McEvoy Margaret Jones Feargal Quinn Mick Lally Sarah Jones Joe McKinney Maureen Potter Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill Eamonn Lawlor Corban Walker Paolo Tullio Paddy Dracula Shay Healy Chris De Burgh Bosco Hogan Noel Jones Joe Duffy Alan Amsby Johnny Murphy Timothy Hanan Niall O'Driscoll |
| Release date(s) | April 17, 1998 (Ireland) October 4, 1997 (USA) |
| Running time | 80 Minutes |
How To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate (1998) is an independent film directed by Graham Jones, in which six teens devise a plan to cheat on their Leaving Certificate. The film was shot in black and white on Super 16mm. After being hailed by critics it was blown up to 35mm for theatrical distribution. Many well known Irish faces made cameo appearances and some commentators regard the 2004 American movie The Perfect Score as a remake.[1]
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[edit] Plot
Upon being caught cheating in his Leaving Certificate and therefore banned from taking the exam for another three years, a young boy commits suicide. A close friend of his subsequently plots to cheat in his own Leaving Certificate in order to get revenge against the system. With the help of a rag-tag group of friends this young man organizes a complex scheme to steal copies of the test papers from the Department of Education and, upon winning, show the world he has beat the system.
[edit] Controversy
A few weeks before it went on general release in Ireland the Junior Minister for Education Willie O'Dea publicly and explicitly condemned the film, leading to a number of front page tabloid stories and subsequent coverage in broadsheets, on television and radio.[2] In part, anxiety was due to the timing of the film's release, which occurred a few months before the annual exams. Other projects by Graham Jones such as Fudge 44 and Traveller Wedding have also caused controversy.
[edit] Music
I Hear You Breathing In from Eleanor McEvoy's debut album, Eleanor McEvoy and Parachute by Something Happens are some of the tracks featured in the film.
