Film: Back to School

Directed by: Alan Metter

Year: 1986

Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey, Jr.

Reviewed by: J.J. & The Zombieslayer

Rodney Dangerfield stars as Thorton Melon, a self-man man whose father told him that he'll be nobody without an education, so he decides to go back to college with his son.

His son, Jason Melon, is the opposite of his highly charismatic father. Jason has one friend, the school's commie geek, and failed to make the diving team.

Burt Young plays Lou, Thorton's limo driver and closest friend. And Sally Kellerman plays the sexy English Professor that Thorton pursues throughout the movie.

J.J. - Fine piece of work, don't you think? Not a great movie by any means, but I had fun.

The Zombieslayer - Yes, leave your brain at the door and enjoy. Dangerfield was hilarious.

J.J. - I miss that guy. Made me laugh many times.

The Zombieslayer - Me too. But the other guy I really liked in the movie was Sam Kinison as Professor Turgison. I loved Kinison, and it's a shame he died too young.

J.J. - I've had Professors like that.

The Zombieslayer - Really? Mine were usually the opposite of Turgison. Well, I had one, some Yugoslavian Professor who was in love with Marshall Tito.

J.J. - Nice. What do you think made the movie?

The Zombieslayer - Its light-heartedness. Also had good family values, like when Thorton tells his son "you don't lie to me. I'm your father. Lie to women."

J.J. - I just like the fact that Dangerfield's character was so good with women. Dangerfield always played the goofball and was usually horrible with women. A nice switch.

The Zombieslayer - Yeah. I also liked the campiness of the movie, the 80s cheese factor. That's something that the 90s lost. The 90s was so cynical and politically correct. The 90s couldn't make a movie like this.

J.J. - Or Airplane. That movie would have been so censored.

The Zombieslayer - Speaking of censored, Back to School gave us a nice tits shot. Bonus. In a PG-13 movie too. Nowadays nudity is more offensive than violence.

J.J. - Yeah, they got their priorities wrong there. Your rating?

The Zombieslayer - 8 dead zombies. I've seen it several times and still laugh, especially the scenes where Thorton Mellon exploits the stuck-up Economics Professor from England. The English are so stiff they should be made fun of. 8 dead zombies

J.J. - I liked it, but not that high. The humor was campy and shallow. However, Robert Downey Jr.'s character Derek was clever. Plus, Ned Beatty did a good job playing the university's Dean who was in love with Mellon's wallet. But like I said, most of the gags were too campy and shallow for me. 6 J's out of 10.

Comments on this movie.