I Praise You: Summer School
School let out for us this week, which means right now is the perfect time to revisit Summer School, the likably unambitious Harmon-starrer about a goofball gym teacher tapped to tutor teenage
screwups at Ocean Front High.
We open with a Danny Elfman montage of the last day of school, and from there it's 97 minutes of summertime in 1987: hot vintage Mustang, Fabiana Udenio in a bikini, Magic Mountain, minor explosions, a song by E.G. Daily, and a really awesome beach dog. My life is actually still a lot like that, except the dog is a cat, and he has riddled the house, which is not near the beach, with fleas.
I make no secret of my feelings about Mark Harmon, who is pure American awesome and handy to have nearby in case you get trapped in some wreckage. But I have praise for the whole movie, not in spite of its sunny languor and good-natured half-assedness but because of them. And because it actually holds up pretty well after 21 years, which may or may not be a good thing.
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"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
(pause)
"Tension Breaker. Had to be done."
Posted by: B | June 06, 2008 at 12:15 PM
DAMN IT! B beat me to it! LOL :)
Posted by: Maxine Dangerous | June 06, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Oh man, I loved this movie back in the day! When I was a carefree teenager with a whole summer stretched out before me. Thanks for the reminder!
Posted by: mtngray | June 06, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Absolutely one of my "have to watch it when it's on cable, every time, no matter where in the "plot" it is" movies. Love, love, love. And yes, I had a serious crush on the dude who played Chainsaw. Stop judging me. (Interesting fact: He was ALSO in a movie called "Ski School." And now you know!)
Posted by: missbanshee | June 06, 2008 at 03:37 PM
also one of my all time favorites. Sad how many people have never heard of it! Every time birthing class instructor mentioned the "afterbirth" I kept thinking of the "save the afterbirth - if it's convenient," then I'd start laughing to myself and look like a moron.
Posted by: Sara | June 06, 2008 at 07:36 PM
also one of my all time favorites. Sad how many people have never heard of it! Every time birthing class instructor mentioned the "afterbirth" I kept thinking of the "save the afterbirth - if it's convenient," then I'd start laughing to myself and look like a moron.
Posted by: Sara | June 06, 2008 at 07:37 PM