Self-made millionaire Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) enrolls in college to help his son (Keith Gordon),who's having trouble fitting in. Doesn't take long before Thornton is the big man on campus, which doesn't sit well with everybody. Very funny comedy that never gets old. The cast is wonderful. Rodney Dangerfield is hilarious and his one-liners come one after the other. His best starring role, for sure. Sam Kinison is a riot. Loved every scene he was in. A young Robert Downey, Jr. is also lots of fun. Not for those who overthink their movies. This is for people who like to have fun and laugh. They got Kurt Vonnegut to appear in this! How cool is that? An '80s classic you have to see.
Back to School
1986
Action / Comedy / Romance / Sport
Back to School
1986
Action / Comedy / Romance / Sport
Keywords: collegetutorbribeback to schoolwhirlpool
Plot summary
Millionaire businessman Thornton Melon is upset when his son Jason announces that he is not sure about going to college. Thornton insists that college is the best thing he never had for himself, and to prove his point, he agrees to enroll in school along with his son. Thornton is a big hit on campus: always throwing the biggest parties, knowing all the right people, but is this the way to pass college?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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"Why don't you call me sometime when you have no class?"
school is cool
In what might be the apex of Rodney Dangerfield's career, he plays boorish millionaire Thornton Melon, finally attending college. The movie is really an excuse for Dangerfield to be a complete goof-off, containing every silly thing imaginable. Possibly the best line is Thornton's comment about Longfellow.
As for the other characters, Keith Gordon does OK as Thornton's son Jason, but Robert Downey Jr. is even neater as Jason's ultra-left-wing friend Derek, who even has a theory about the fascism of football. Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, M. Emmet Walsh, Adrienne Barbeau, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison and Robert Picardo are all pretty good in their roles (there's even an appearance by Kurt Vonnegut). It's just that this is Rodney Dangerfield's movie all the way. I think that it's quite safe to assert that the Man Who Got No Respect will truly be missed.
A hilarious movie.
turn off your brain and laugh
Okay, this isn't a super well-written film, as it has a few lags here and there (such as the ridiculous way Rodney is able to pass the test towards the end of the film). And, at times the acting is totally cheesy and downright poor (Keith Gordon and Paxton Whitehead are standouts for their poor performances). But, despite all this, someone was really thinking as this movie allowed Rodney Dnagerfield to let loose and be funny--giving him enough plot but not too much plot for his brand of humor. Plus, some of the supporting cast, such as Robert Downey and Sam Kineson, are really funny and don't get in the way of the fun.
Rodney is a rich guy with not an ounce of class. On a lark, he enrolls in the same college as his son and creates mayhem where ever he goes. Some great laughs plus you get to hear Rodney sing TWIST AND SHOUT.