Quick Look: Back to School (1986)

People in the Movie: Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman
Director: Alan Metter
Pigeonhole: Comedy

Basics: Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) is a millionaire businessman who owns the successful chain of clothing stores called "Tall and Fat".  His son, Jason (Gordon), is a freshman at Grand Lakes University, but is questioning his desire to continue at GLU after a mediocre first term.  Thornton decides to enroll - having never gotten a higher education himself - to motivate his son, and to party, but quickly learns that his challenges in the classroom are not like the challenges of being a successful entrepreneur.  Somehow, Thornton is able to balance his academic life and personal life by starting a romance with one of his professors, Dr. Diane Turner (Kellerman).

Recommendation: Back to School has some of the actors and elements of the best 80's comedies including: Dangerfield's irreverent "no respect" type humor; Robert Downey, Jr. in a supporting role; William Zabka as the bully/ antagonist to one of the main characters; Sam Kinison as a history professor and Burt Young as the sloppy, low-talking manservant.  While it is not the "best" movie for any one of the actors, it is a funny, well-paced movie, and you get exactly what you are expecting.

At the Dead Man's Party we Twist and Shout: **spoiler alert**
After divorcing his cheating, gold-digging wife at the beginning of the film, Thornton hops in his limo to visit his son at school.  Jason tells his dad he does not like it there; he did not make the diving team his first semester, his only friend is Derek (Downey), and he is not doing "that great" in class.  Thornton's answer to move in with Jason and Derek - by buying several rooms on Jason's floor and remodeling them into a giant party suite - and enrolling in classes.  Thornton falls for his literature professor, Dr. Turner, (on the first day of his class, no less) which has the typical ups and downs of a fling in a comedy.
While the plot unfolds in a very formulaic manner, there are enough laughs to keep it moving along.  Kinison is a professor of Contemporary American History who likes to unleash his crazy screaming on students.  Oingo Boingo headlines Thornton's dorm party "of the year" with a nice musical bit.  Zabka, known for his high school bullying in Karate Kid and Just One of the Guys, graduates to college, to bully Jason as the captain of the swim team.  At the end of the film Thornton shows off his ultimate trick dive called the "Triple Lindy" to win a swim meet, in a kind of Animal House/ Revenge of the Nerds 80's victory.

Extras:
- Dangerfield was actually a trick diver in his younger days
- The film was shot mostly at the University of Wisconsin- Madison