Higher Learning

For other uses, see Higher Learning (disambiguation).

Higher Learning
Directed by	John Singleton
Written by	John Singleton
Produced by	John Singleton Paul Hall
Starring	Omar Epps Kristy Swanson Ice Cube Jennifer Connelly Laurence Fishburne
Music by	Stanley Clarke
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	January 11, 1995
Running time	127 min.
Language	English
Box office	$38 million

Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film. Laurence Fishburne won an Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" for his performance; Ice Cube was also nominated for the award.

The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Omar Epps), a black track star who struggles with academics; Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson), a shy and naive girl; and Remy (Michael Rapaport), a lonely and confused man seemingly out of place in his new environment.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) filled in for the college, Columbus University. The exterior shots and outdoor scenes were shot on the campus. Interiors were shot at Sony Pictures Studios.

Synopsis

Young people from different countries, races and social backgrounds are forced to integrate when they enroll in Columbus University, where West Indian Professor Maurice Phipps (Laurence Fishburne) teaches political science. The students have to deal with problems such as financial difficulties, harassment, personal safety, self doubt, sexuality and racism. Already under pressure to perform in the classroom, in athletics, or in social settings, the students are strained to the breaking point by prejudice, inexperience, misunderstanding and their need to fit in.

The three main characters are Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a white girl from Orange County who struggles with her sexuality; Malik Williams (Omar Epps), a black student who has to rely on a sports scholarship to pay his fees; and Remy (Michael Rapaport), a white student from Idaho who is unable to make friends at college and gravitates towards a group of neo-Nazi skinheads.

Cast

• Omar Epps – Malik Williams
• Kristy Swanson – Kristen Connor
• Michael Rapaport – Remy
• Ice Cube – Fudge
• Jennifer Connelly – Taryn
• Tyra Banks – Deja
• Regina King – Monet
• Jason Wiles – Wayne
• Cole Hauser – Scott Moss
• Busta Rhymes – Dreads
• Laurence Fishburne – Professor Maurice Phipps
• Bradford English – Officer Bradley
• Jay R. Ferguson – Billy
• Andrew Bryniarski – Nocko
• Trevor St. John – James
• Talbert Morton – Erik
• Adam Goldberg – David Isaacs
• J. Trevor Edmond – Eddie
• Bridgette Wilson – Nicole
• Kari Wührer – Claudi
• Dan Pollard – Football Coach

Reception

According to Box Office Mojo, Higher Learning grossed $38,290,723 in the United States, with $20,200,000 in rentals. It ranked #17 amongst highest grossing R-rated movies in 1995. Laurence Fishburne won an Image Award, and Ice Cube was nominated for Image Award in 1996.

Film Reviews

The film received positive to mixed reviews.

• Roger Ebert commented about John Singleton's direction of the film: "He sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by fashionable ideologies. His movies are thought-provoking because he uses familiar kinds of characters and then asks hard questions about them." He awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars.

• TimeOut Magazine: "A stylish, intelligent film-maker, Singleton interweaves the threads of his demographic tapestry with assurance, passion and a welcome awareness of the complexities of the college community's contradictory impulses towards integration and separatism."

• Reel Film Reviews: "...Higher Learning is consistently entertaining and well-acted all around. While it's not a perfect movie – Cube's character disappears for a 30-minute stretch and Singleton's approach often veers into heavy-handedness – it is nevertheless an intriguing look at the differences between races and how such differences can clash." (3.5 stars out of 4)

• Its overall grade from Box Office Mojo was "B".

Soundtrack

The soundtrack, containing hip hop, R&B, rock and jazz music was released on January 3, 1995 by Interscope Records. It peaked at #39 on the Billboard 200 and #9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In addition to "Higher", performed by Ice Cube, the soundtrack includes music by OutKast, Liz Phair, Tori Amos and Rage Against the Machine.

Track Listing

• Higher – Ice Cube
• Soul Searchin' (I Wanna Know If It's Mine) – NdegeOcello, Me'She
• Situation: Grimm – Mista Grimm
• Ask of You – Saadiq, Raphael
• Losing My Religion – Amos, Tori (R.E.M. cover)
• Phobia – OutKast
• Year of the Boomerang – Rage Against the Machine
• Don't Have Time – Phair, Liz
• Butterfly – Amos, Tori
• By Your Side – Zhane
• Eye – Eve's Plum
• The Learning Curve – Clarke, Stanley

External links

• Higher Learning at IMDb
• Higher Learning at AllMovie