Three O’Clock High (1987) Universal/Comedy RT: 90 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence, sexual references, bullying) Director: Phil Joanou Screenplay: Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi Music: Tangerine Dream Cinematography: Barry Sonnenfeld Release date: October 9, 1987 (US) Cast: Casey Siemaszko, Anne Ryan, Richard Tyson, Stacey Glick, Jonathan Wise, Jeffrey Tambor, Philip Baker Hall, John P. Ryan, Mitch Pileggi, Charles Macaulay, Liza Morrow, Mike Jolly, Caitlin O’Heaney, Alice Nunn, Theron Read. Box Office: $3.6M (US)
Rating: ****
I first remember seeing a trailer for Three O’Clock High when I visited my cousin in Texas in summer ’87 when we went to see Adventures in Babysitting. It looked good, but it only opened in a few theaters in my neck of the woods and none of them were that close to me. I rented it from West Coast Video (there’s a name from the past!) the following summer and LOVED IT! It premiered on cable TV a couple of months later and I must have watched it like 25 times. This movie is GREAT! It’s a teen comedy about a meek high school student forced to fight a hulking bully after accidentally offending him. As you might have surmised from the tile, it’s a comedic take on High Noon (1952) with the hero looking for a way to avoid the fight as the clock makes its way to the designated time (3 o’clock, duh!).
Three O’Clock High flopped at the box office and the reviews weren’t too kind, but it achieved cult status once it hit home video and cable TV. I am a proud member of that cult! I can’t tell you how many times somebody has asked me what I thought about Three O’Clock High. I was asked to review it at the request of a friend and thought “Why not?” The good news is that I still think it’s a great flick! It’s fast-paced, funny and has a unique visual sense courtesy of cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family, Men in Black). So without any further ado, here’s my review of Three O’Clock High.
The action takes place over a single school day starting with Jerry Mitchell (Siemaszko, Young Guns) oversleeping and nearly getting into a car wreck as he races to get to school on time with his little sister Brie (Glick, Brighton Beach Memoirs) and close friend Franny (Ryan, Lucas). He already senses it’s going to be one of those days, but little does he know how very wrong the day will go.
There’s a new kid at Weaver High, a violent delinquent named Buddy Revell (Tyson, Kindergarten Cop), a transfer from a school for at-risk students. His reputation precedes him as the other kids trade rumors and wild stories about his past actions. One thing’s for certain, he doesn’t like to be touched ….. EVER! Somebody should have told Jerry that. He’s a reporter for the school newspaper and has just been assigned to interview Buddy as a way of welcoming him to his new school. Jerry doesn’t want to do it, but he’s pretty much stuck with the job. He encounters Buddy in the men’s room and makes a damn fool of himself explaining what he wants. That’s when it happens. Jerry pats Buddy on the arm and the guy loses it. He throws Jerry against the wall and calmly informs him that they will settle matter with a fight in the parking lot at 3:00 sharp. Basically, Jerry is screwed.
Over the course of the next six hours, he makes several clumsy attempts to get out of fighting Buddy and none of them go exactly as hoped. The other students are looking forward to the big afterschool fight and offer Jerry words of encouragement. His dilemma also has a few interesting side effects, such as the pretty girl (Morrow, Dynasty) suddenly taking an interest in him. As the hour of doom nears, it’s a question of whether Jerry will stand up and fight or chicken out. I think we already know the answer.
Okay, so Three O’Clock High is predictable. It has all the familiar elements of a high school comedy like Jerry not noticing that Franny wants to be more than friends. She LIKES him. The authority figures are exaggerated buffoons like the overzealous school security guard (Pileggi, Shocker) known to all as “the Duker” and the scary Dean of Discipline (Macaulay, Blacula) who promises to keep a close eye on him in light of his suspicious behavior. Then there’s the uptight English teacher (O’Heaney, He Knows You’re Alone) whose reaction to Jerry’s book report on “Honey Goes to Hollywood” does NOT involve a detention. Big surprise, she’s a closet slut.
What makes Three O’Clock High stand out amongst the countless other 80s teen comedies is its unique visual style. Sonnenfeld has a way with camera angles, zoom-ins and close-ups that lends a bizarre quality to the proceedings. The cast is great. Siemaszko is perfect as mild-mannered Jerry and Tyson is dead-on perfect as the psychotic bully. Ms. Ryan is a stand-out as the slightly off-center Franny who never acts without first consulting a spirit named Ethan. He’s the one that tells her that it’s time to “bond” with Jerry.
As directed by Phil Joanou (U2: Rattle and Hum, State of Grace), Three O’Clock High is a silly movie with a fair amount of intelligence. It’s simple without being simple-minded. The makers take a rusty premise and make it seem fresh and new by infusing it with a high level of creativity. The always reliable Tangerine Dream contributes a cool score. Plus, it’s funny! Isn’t that the most important thing when it comes to comedy? I have no problem with awarding Three O’Clock High the highest rating possible. It’s really that good. It has a high repeat watchability quotient as well. It’s undoubtedly one of the coolest movies of the 80s. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s one of the coolest movies EVER.
