Three O'Clock High

The ever increasing collection of films I missed out on as a younger self. This would be in Grosse Pointe Blank range if I had seen it twenty years ago. As is, I'm happy to have found it and excited to share it. It's a little bit like herpes in that regard. I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything funny.

A nerd tries frantically to avoid an after-school fight with the psychotic new kid. Fun and superficial (but not in a bad way), Joanou's debut effort has some winning sight gags, decent dialogue and plenty of fast-paced editing that keeps things moving at a satisfying tempo. It also boasts one of the 1980s' quintessential high school bullies in Tyson's occasionally hilarious Buddy Revell.

Possibly the least star-packed of any 80s high school movie, this film has a fun, solid concept - think Rocky Bueller's Day Off - but very uneven execution. A few scenes are golden (opening montage, book report, the fight) but large portions are dull as dishwater and drag on. All in all it fails to reach the standard of other teen films - the lack of comedic talent and paucity of funny bits is fatal. Worth a look for genre fans, as it does add a couple of new insights on a high-schooler's life.

Nice change of pace from the usual '80s high school films. The fight was a bit unrealistic but you could feel the impacts. I didn't care for the teacher fantasy part either. Some typical actors from the period make appearances here. Richard Tyson looks like a buff John Travolta. Fav scene: knocking down the stacks in the library revealing Jerry and his friend who had been watching from a corner.

Has more visual panache than most teen 'comedies', and there are moments that are almost intimate, but the style can't really disguise the fact that the characters are mostly bland and the dialogue is neither clever or engaging. Despite its fast pace, it seems strangely lethargic, which is a problem that isn't remotely helped by Siemaszko's lack of charisma, and the ending is typical of this 'genre' in that it muddies the message to deliver a predictable crowd pleasing finale.

This movie is so simple, and yet so fascinating in it's way of giving us a a very close feel of time and the tension of the plot. For something so unpretentious, it's amazing how well filmed, written, and acted(in it's own way) it really is.

Twenty years ago, I'd have pegged Joanou as a major directorial talent to watch. Wonder what happened there. Anyway, this is as exuberant and snappily-directed a comedy as you could find in the 80's, and only misses out on cult classic status because it big-time runs outta steam (and ideas) in the final stretch. Worth a look if you're curious, bored, or an 80's high school comedy completist.

The "It's Alive" dad is now a school principal!

Buddy Revell is the definitive high school bully

Due to a lack of star power, a highly underrated and undermentioned 80's film. It deserves far more credit and acknowledgement than the world has given it thus far.

rvw

Boy gets all the girls? Breezy but standard 80s affair that didn't do much for me.

It really wasn't a bad movie.

THREE O'CLOCK HIGH is a thoroughly ordinary catalogue of high school stereotypes and hoary plot tropes that gets by on a snappy day-in-the-life structure. Though funny at first, the movie's perverse fascination with forcing its awkwardly charming protagonist into increasingly compromising and distasteful actions leaves a bitter taste in the mouth by the end.

Kinda cute... better than I expected. Although not much in the way of resolution.

A bad movie, but probably essential to any historiography of eighties trends in U.S. cinema.

Okay-ish high school comedy that suffers from a lot of character actors lacking any sort of interesting character. A couple of good shots, too, but the film is a dated, dull time capsule.

Overall Enjoyment: 35/40, Plot/Themes: 15/20, Cinematography/Direction: 14/20, Acting/Writing: 15/20

The original "Fist Fight" movie.

Surprisingly decent. How is this a fantasy film, though?

Good movie, creative, funny, without appealing like the adolescent movies of today. Is a classic!

Not so great. Pretty bad in fact.

While most of it was 80s-teen-movie predictable, some wasn't, and the whole movie somehow had a 1950s feel that helped greatly. Not bad.