Taglines: There’s a new teacha in the hood!
High School High movie storyline. Richard Clark (Jon Lovitz) is an unsatisfied prep school teacher at the fictional Wellington Academy, who accepts a job at inner city Marion Barry High School, much to the chagrin of his boss and father, Wellington headmaster Thaddeus Clark (John Neville). Richard arrives to find the school in a state of disarray and disorder, while meeting several students and faculty members, including jaded, sour principal Evelyn Doyle (Louise Fletcher), her cheerful assistant Victoria Chappell (Tia Carrere) and student Griff McReynolds (Mekhi Phifer).
Despite initial opposition to his teaching style and harassment from the school gang leader Paco (Guillermo Díaz), Richard begins connecting with his students and teaches them effectively, while developing a romantic relationship with Victoria. Barry High eventually is transformed into a fine educational establishment. Frustrated, Paco and his gang tamper with the school’s final exam scores, causing everyone to fail. Griff, who grew to see Richard as a mentor, loses faith in him, as does the rest of the school and Richard is fired. Griff subsequently joins Paco’s gang to make extra money.
Victoria learns through word of mouth that Paco was behind the failing test scores and rushes to inform Richard, who decides to confront Paco and rescue Griff with the help of several of his students, including Anferny Jefferson (Brian Hooks), Natalie Thompson (Malinda Williams) and Julie Rubels (Natasha Gregson Wagner). By deceiving Mr. DeMarco (Marco Rodríguez), a local gangster, Richard and Victoria reach Paco and the local crime boss, “Mr. A”, whom they find has been Principal Doyle the entire time. Griff is told the truth about the test scores and after a brief fight, Paco, Doyle and DeMarco are arrested.
High School High is a 1996 comedy film about an inner city high school in the Los Angeles, California area, starring Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Mekhi Phifer, Louise Fletcher, Malinda Williams, and Brian Hooks. It is a spoof of movies concerning idealistic teachers being confronted with a class of cynical teenagers, disengaged by conventional schooling, and loosely parodies The Principal, Dangerous Minds, Lean on Me, The Substitute, and Stand and Deliver. It also notably parodies the LA River drag race from Grease.
High School High (1996)
Directed by: Hart Bochner
Starring: Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Louise Fletcher, Mekhi Phifer, Malinda Williams, Guillermo Díaz, Lexie Bigham, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Eric Allan Kramer
Screenplay by: David Zucker, Robert LoCash, Pat Proft
Production Design by: J. Dennis Washington
Cinematography by: Vernon Layton
Film Editing by: James R. Symons
Costume Design by: Mona May
Set Decoration by: Kathryn Peters
Art Direction by: Thomas T. Taylor
Music by: Ira Newborn
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude sexual humor, partial nudity and some drug references.
Distributed by: TriStar Pictures
Release Date: October 25, 1996
Hits: 142
