Call Me Some Time When You Have No Class... "Back To School"

Back to School (1986)

PG-13 for language and brief nudity

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

Directed by Alan Metter

The Story:

Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) a successful businessman decides to head back to school to try and get some bonding time with his son, Keith (Gordon).  Hilarity ensues.

I mean really, it's Rodney Dangerfield's best starring role, so to explain it misses the whole point of seeing Rodney at the top of his game.

Naturally, in this film, several scenarios are going to unfold:

Thornton's relationship with his son.
Thornton's adversarial relationship with one professor (Paxton Whitehead).
Thornton's romantic interest in another professor (Kellerman).
Keith's feelings of inadequacy and wanting to quit college altogether.

This is how you balance all of those little stories into one larger overarching storyline.  A quick 5-minute bit, then move on.

String those bits together with a bit of connectivity, and 90 minutes later, you had a great viewing experience.

Add to that, the first real silver-screen time for Robert Downey Jr. in the best friend role.

Plus, the always menacing William Zabka picking right up where he left off in the Karate Kid.

Or, the best use of Kurt Vonnegut, ever.

Then there is the brief, yet hilarious, Sam Kinison moment.

Yeah, you can't go wrong with this one.

Final Grade: A ~ Showing some respect for Mr. Dangerfield!

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One of my favorites from the 80s, still holds up well today and is filled with laughs from beginning to end.