Class (1983) User Reviews

Being a young man can be very humiliating.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 6/10 · 27 February 2005]

Class is the story of a shy, clumsy, but very intelligent young man played by Andrew MaCarthy who transfers to an exclusive prep school for his senior year of high school. He comes from a working-class background and has more than a little trouble getting comfortable in his new surroundings. It doesn't help matters that he has to share a room with an obnoxious rich kid played by Rob Lowe. Throughout the film we see McCarthy learn lessons about love, academics, and friendship.

This is a very uneven film; often switching from comedy to heavy-handed mature themes almost on a dime. The comedy for the most part hits the mark. The dramatic elements are just not believable.

I have never seen a film go to so much trouble to humiliate its main character. Some of the things that happen to McCarthy are pretty funny, but others almost make you feel sorry for the poor kid. McCarthy is barely on campus for five minutes before Lowe convinces him to put on women's underwear and parade around in the commons area. McCarthy thinks it is some type of senior ritual that is done every year, but he soon finds out that only he is participating in it. Lowe then locks him out of their dorm and he is forced to climb in through a second story window with hundreds of other students taunting him. Now that is the type of thing that can scar for life! There are a few other scenes where McCarthy's humiliation continues. He journeys to a trendy bar in Chicago and is made a fool of twice in front of the whole place. In a show of sympathy, a rich older woman feels sorry for him and takes him to a motel and nails him. In what has to be one of the biggest contrivances in movie history, that woman turns out to be Lowe's unbalanced alcoholic mother! They screw around for a few weekends before she finds out he goes to her son's school and then promptly runs out on him. (That would be a hell of a thing to learn!) The film's biggest laugh comes from the scene directly after that one. In it, McCarthy is sitting in the rain at a bus stop waiting for Lowe to show up and give him a lift back to school. He couldn't be any more depressed until Lowe comes screeching up to the stop; sending a tidal wave of rain water cascading over the dejected McCarthy! McCarthy is depressed for quite a while after being dumped, but he is still unaware that the woman of his dreams was his best friend's mother. In a truly uncomfortable scene at their home during the Xmas holiday, they meet again. The film gets way too serious from that point on.

The only laughs in the last half hour stem from the investigation of stolen SAT tests on the campus by a nerdy bureaucrat from the state attorney general's office. In one hilarious scene, the students think the officer is there to bust them for drugs. We see about a hundred young men scurrying to the bathroom to flush all of their joints, pills, and whatnot. One guy even tries to flush an entire pot plant that's about six feet high! Towards the end, things get really serious. Lowe finally finds out his mother and McCarthy are screwing around. He knows McCarthy illegally bought an SAT test. Will he turn him in? Will the boys get into Harvard? What will become of Lowe's parents? What will become of McCarthy's dog? If you care enough to find out, give this film a chance. If nothing else, it has some very early performances by some people who went on to greater things. It was McCarthy's debut. Alan Ruck, John Cusak, Virginia Madsen (nice boob shot, by the way!), and several other recognizable faces are present.

6 of 10 stars.

So sayeth the Hound.

Teenage Sex-Farse with a serious side.

[CharlieBucket · 6/10 · 9 November 2001]

Though this movie was clearly designed to have mass-market teen appeal, it has a serious side that makes it stand out from other movies of the same type. The premise, a teenage boy's first sexual encounter turns out to be with his roommate's mother, is contrived to arouse curiosity among adolescents. Combine this with unsophisticated humor and flaunting of authority and you have the formula for a popular teen romp. But it seems that there is a movie with some sensitivity and drama trapped within this rather restrictive framework. The boy is torn between his friendship with his roommate and his relationship with his friend's mother. The woman is repressed and intimidated by her husband and finds a sense of freedom in this forbidden relationship which she can't seem to let go. The result is a movie that tries to be both a high school date movie of the week and an adult drama, landing somewhat awkwardly somewhere in the middle. It does have some laughs though and some before-they-were-famous appearances that might make it worth while.

Lost Between Comedy and Drama

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 26 April 2015]

The naive and clumsy Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) joins the prep school Vernon Academy expecting to go to Harvard. He befriends his wealthy roommate Skip (Rob Lowe) and soon he sends Jonathan to Chicago to lose his virginity. Jonathan meets the thirty and something years old Ellen (Jacqueline Bisset) and they have a love affair. Jonathan lies to her about where he studies and he falls in love with her. When they decide to travel to New York, Ellen accidentally discovers that Jonathan studies at the Vernon Academy and she vanishes. In the Christmas break, Skip invites Jonathan to spend the holiday with his family, and Jonathan has a huge surprise finding who Ellen is.

"Class" is a pleasant movie that begins very funny, with Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, John Cusack and Virginia Madsen very young. Jacqueline Bisset is extremely beautiful and fits perfectly to the role of Ellen. Unfortunately the story is lost between comedy and drama with a disappointing conclusion. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Questão de Classe" ("A Question of Class")

A class act

[mat_williams62 · 6 December 2002]

This movie - one of many early 1980's movies used as vehicles for the likes of Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson and Matt Dillon - conveys many distinct qualities, which countless teen films of late seemingly lack.

What is immediately evident, is the way in which the director skillfully juxtapses the moody atmosphere with the hilarious antics of the Ivy League school boys. Regarding this movie from the point of view of intertextuality, a number of other texts immediately spring to mind: 'The Graduate', 'Animal House' and J.D. Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye'. Lowe (The Outsiders, Youngblood, Oxford Blues), and McCarthy (St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Catholic Boys) turn out meritable performances: one being the typically egotistical teenager(Lowe), and the other(McCarthy)conveyed as the naive, withdrawn 'new boy'. Jacqueline Bisset is, as always, aptly cast as the sultry seductress who, with an overbearing husband (Cliff Robertson) and a subsequent case of neurosis, seeks contentment in the shape of a teenage boy. Other striking performances come from - at the time, unknown actors - John Cusack and Alan Ruck.

'Class' is dark and moody at times, and the direction and setting conveys this aspect of the film aptly: the fight between Skip(Lowe) and Jonathan(McCarthy) takes place in the woods outside the school on a cold, grey afternoon during the fall. In contrast to this, there is the bright lights and bustle of New York City, where Jonathan embarks on a mission to apparently gain his manhood and 'save face' with the other students(here, there is that connection with the students in 'Catcher in the Rye' taking weekend trips to New York and the character 'Ackley' who is always boastful of his conquests with women). The film further depicts the antics of the school boys; for example, the incident at the neighboring girls' school and Jonathan's initiation on his first day. 'Class', like 'Oxford Blues', 'Youngblood', 'The Breakfast Club', 'Catholic Boys' and 'St. Elmo's Fire', to name but a few, is the quintessential movie for teenagers; it has depth and feeling, as well as displaying good comical dialogue.

This film is simply 'Class'.

Classy Days

[sol- · 7/10 · 29 January 2017]

Hooking up with a much older woman has unforeseen consequences for a shy prep school student in this comedy featuring Jacqueline Bisset as the older woman in question. The film is well known nowadays for a twist regarding Bisset's identity, but curiously enough, this twist does not come about until nearly an hour into the movie. The film actually works better before the twist is revealed with the focus instead on the very real bond that develops between roommates Andrew McCarthy and Rob Lowe who connect over a mutual love for practical gags and dislike of authority figures. Their first two pranks are in fact arguably the film's biggest highlights (a meeting gone awry at a sister school aside). Getting back to the twist, the key disappointment is that it is not milked for very many laughs, an awkward dinner table conversation aside. The tone of the film in fact shifts in a jolting manner from comedy to drama. Also, Bisset's motives and in particular, her persistence to carry on with McCarthy, do not quite ring true. That said, it is otherwise a solid late career performance for the Golden Globe winning actress. McCarthy and especially a charismatic and charming young Lowe steal the show though, and even with the plot twist, the overall film is about them coming to accept their faults and differences on the pathway to getting an education in life, and while abrupt, the ending perfectly captures just how genuine their friendship is. It is also interesting to see John Cusack and Alan Ruck younger than ever before and Cliff Robertson is always good to have on hand.

Weird early 80s film dealing with the boundaries of friendship, and the expectations and awkwardness of youth!

[the amorphousmachine · 7/10 · 30 August 2005]

As many others have noted with the film, 'Class', is that it is quite uneven! It doesn't know if it's a comedy, romance, or even tense drama. It's a weird 80s teen film, but I don't even think I could call it that! And, even when it's all said and done and the credits start to roll, one is left wondering what this film was actually all about. I'm guessing crossing the lines of friendship, given the situation with Jonathan and Skip's Mom. And I'm guessing the film was about loyalty and friendship overall given the ending! Chuck in a few themes about "class" itself, and the film seems to make sense!

However, the film is still uneven overall, but the performances from a young Andrew McCarthy (Jonathan) and Rob Lowe (Skip) are worth watching- and there is some excellent scenes within the film! Like Skip's "F*** you!" moment after the inquisitor belittles his background and insinuates him of cheating! Some funny moments when Jonathan in the girl's campus causing chaos, and when he's trying to talk to a girl at the bar! I know I'll never roll a quarter for my aura on my face in a club or pub! Also, he transition of Skip being loud prank-loving fun to Jonathan's "morose" depressing personality being swapped over after Skip discovers Jonathan with his Mom was pretty interesting! Skip becomes colder and hard to approach by Jonathan, whereas Skip would overwhelm Jonathan and put him unwillingly in awkward situations! I didn't really like the closure between Jonathan and Ellen (Jacqueline Bisset), and I would have liked a scene with Skip addressing his mother in regard to Jonathan! Would a friendship between them really survive that? The film seems to suggest that it will survive due to Skip's alienation and contempt for his background and parents, and his affinity with Jonathan as they endeavor towards Harvard!

This is by no means a brilliant in the likes of other teen films of the same era. It's worth watching alone because it the feature debut of very young actors in Andrew McCarthy, John Cusack, Alan Ruck ('Ferris Bueller's Day Off'), Virginia Madsen ('Sideways'), Lolita Davidovich ('Intersection') and Casey Siemaszco ('Young Guns')! When you look at a 17 year old John Cusack in that film, you wouldn't think that he would become the most successful star out of the entire cast- though McCarthy did do very well in the 1980s too! Rob Lowe and Jacqueline Bisset and this debut cast all do very well in their performances. While 'Class' may leave you wondering a little, it is worth watching for an unusual representation of awkwardness, youth, romance and friendship!

***½ out of *****!

The boyhood fantasy. (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 6/10 · 13 February 2005]

This is a good comedy for nostalgia purposes that somewhat borrows on similar previous comedies, with the most notable being The Graduate.

Andrew McCarthy is Jonathan, the new student at a prep school, who is the new roommate of confident stud, Skip (Rob Lowe). As it is against the rule in the 1980s to be a teenage boy and still be a virgin (there was, after all a whole 80s genre of comedy based on it), Skip decides they must travel to Chicago so Jonathan can finally "become a man." Ironically, and unknown to Skip, Jonathan lives to the ultimate boyhood fantasy--he scores with Skip's mom (although, neither know who the two are at first). One attempt after another for Jonathan and Skip's mom (Jacqueline Bisset) to sort things out briskly and as quietly as possible without Skip finding out lead to a total disaster, of course. And yada...yada...yada...the friendship is tested, there's a few misunderstandings and so forth.

The movie offers nothing new by way of the story, which had been done plenty (and is still exhaustively being done) in the two decades prior to its release (even though in the early 60s, it may've still been taboo to be so explicit). But, while it may be predictable, it still makes a good nostalgia trip, though, seeing an extremely young Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, John Cusak (in brief appearances here and there), Casey Seizmasko, and others.

"You look like a pretty sensitive turd to me."

[PredragReviews · 7/10 · 22 May 2016]

A romantic teen comedy dealing with love and sexual experiences. Andrew Mcarthy plays Johnathan a shy introverted high school student who attends a posh all boys private school, his roommate Skip Played very well by Rob love is the sexually charged playboy who gets the both of them into a lot of trouble. When one night Johnathan is pressured By Skip and fellow peers to go out on the town and have a sexual encounter. After making a fool of himself at seedy bar Johnathan meets an older, vivacious woman by the name of Ellen and the two embark on a passionate night of lovemaking.

This film was, in many ways, one of the brat pack films, and starred many actors from that era who were just getting started in the industry. Not only are the... love scenes between Andrew and Jacqueline convincing, they are beautiful and moving. The rest of the film is also enjoyable to watch. If you enjoyed the era of the 1980's and older, beautiful, and sophisticated women characters, then you'll enjoy this hilarious, if not moving film.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Uneven Brat Pack comedy. Some moments are enjoyable, others make you want to squirm.

[barnabyrudge · 5/10 · 21 August 2005]

Class might be one of the most uneven films ever made. It begins like a broad teen-comedy; enters a mid-section about the sexual awkwardness (and awakening) of adolescence; and for its final twenty minutes or so is a deadly serious drama about broken trust and rebuilding friendships.

Nerdy prep-school newcomer Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) arrives at the Vernon Academy and is immediately the victim of a wild prank by his confident, fun-loving new room-mate Skip (Rob Lowe). Soon, Jonathan's gullibility and virginity are the joke of the campus. In a bid to get his room-mate comfortable and experienced around women, Skip sends him to Chicago on the strict understanding that Jonathan will not be allowed back into their room unless he returns with a woman's panties. After a few embarrassing set-backs, Jonathan finally reels in an older woman named Ellen (Jacqueline Bisset), who gives him his first taste of sex in a glass elevator. However, Jonathan lies about his age and occupation in order to "impress" Ellen. It is only later - when their passionate fling has blossomed into love - that Ellen discovers the truth about her young lover. And it is a truth which leaves her reeling... for by the foulest of luck she is, in fact, Skip's mother!

The contrived and coincidence-heavy plot is rather unpersuasive, but that hardly matters. For its opening twenty minutes, this is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy, with laugh-out-loud scenes showing Jonathan's awkward and humiliating introduction to prep-school life. The mid-section, in which Jonathan and Ellen hook up, is quite poignant though some of the sex scenes are squirm-inducing.... Bisset, in particular, gives a very brave performance considering what the script asks of her, and McCarthy does well to give his role the right amount of sweet goofiness. The film's later stages are a bit too serious and full of phony soul-searching. What really hurts Class is the lack of fluency between each section. It goes through massive changes in tone, theme and style.... one moment we're in Porky's territory, before we know it it's more like The Graduate, and by the end the film almost seems to be approaching something akin to a sub-Shakespearean love-dilemma. Class is an OK movie, but it needed more focus and a better sense of its own intended audience if it were to be anything more.

A Nice Guilty Pleasure From The Comedies of the 1980s

[mrturk182 · 7/10 · 20 May 2015]

Class is another one of those 80's sex comedies you've seen already during that era. For the most part, they have more focus on the sex than the comedy, and this movie's no different. What saves it, though, is that they're putting more time and effort into the comedy scenes with slapstick writing that plays out like a domino effect. The execution in those scenes also benefits from the fresh performances of upcoming actors that went on to become key heartthrobs in the biggest teen movies from the 80's, such as Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo's Fire), as well as Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and John Cusack (Say Anything). There are even some deep moments too, which touch on maturing into adulthood and building trust within male friendships, especially when McCarthy's character has a sexual relationship with Lowe's mom. Does Class have any class? Not a lot, but with a clever narrative and solid performances, it's worthy of consideration.

"The Graduate" meets "Porky's"

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 16 October 2007]

Failed cross-pollination of "The Graduate" with any number of frat-house romps does have one thing going for it: Rob Lowe (pre-"St. Elmo's Fire") gives a loose, frenetic performance as a prep-school student whose unstable mother has a secret affair with Lowe's roommate. As he got older, Lowe tended to lean heavily on his male-model good looks, resulting in some posturing performances. This vehicle for him and newcomer Andrew McCarthy is doomed, however. It wants to be a T&A comedy, a sensitive tale of friendship, and a slightly naughty love story between an older woman and a younger man. The romance is unpleasant from the outset, with Jacqueline Bisset TOO convincing as 40-ish trollop with mental problems. Bisset is definitely in the spirit of the thing, but it's a distressing role for the classy actress, who every once in a while stepped into the gutter. The kids are convincingly callow, but their slapstick antics go over-the-top. Director Lewis Carlino seems to think he's giving us something original. "Class" was lambasted at the time for an 11th-hour decision to edit out most of the seriousness in favor of the jokes, but heavy drama has no place in this story. What we're left with is the buddy-buddy stuff and the R-rated gags, but those don't work either. *1/2 out of ****

Worth a watch

[nadblaster · 8/10 · 4 December 2019]

It's not perfect but it's a lot better than it really has any right to be, considering the paper-thin plot. It's interesting to see now-famous actors who were just starting out, and there are some parts of this movie that are weirdly striking in just how damn funny they are - there's a scene about 3/4 of the way through the movie, where some unseen random nobody in a crowd does this shrill, mocking laugh and I burst out laughing every single time I think about it (yes, including just now).

It's a dumb 1980s sex-comedy but it might honestly and no exaggerating be close to the pinnacle of the genre. This movie isn't going to change your life or anything but it's really fun to watch.

Uneven, but worth a look...

[Bayjohn · 6/10 · 13 October 2003]

Uneven film at best, but does offer a nostalgic look at some of the pre-famous actors of the 1980's. Not a great plot, but one that will hold your interest due to the likeable characters involved. The ending is rather abrupt and makes one wonder if the director ran out of time, money, or both. Anyway, Ms Bisset is stunning in this role and very appealing. Enjoy!

Flunked out....

[Mister-6 · 2/10 · 8 October 1999]

How can you make a movie that tries to be half-comedy, half-romance, half-moral issues and half-teen exploitation?

That's four halves, I know. But none of them add up to a whole picture.

In "Class", the movie forgets what it's doing in some parts then just ventures off into another venue where it spends a few minutes before tiring and trying something else: it's fidgety.

The cast is good (take note - Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy actually turn in performances!) and there are a few effective moments (mostly comedy, weighed in at the beginning of the film), but once the business of the affair with Bissett begins, it gropes and falters its way to a pretty flimsy wrap-up-all-the-loose-ends conclusion.

I don't get it: if you're gonna make a comedy, fine. This is the kind of plot that cries out for someone like maybe Russ Meyer (imagine the possibilities!) or even the ZAZ (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) boys to tackle. But no: such points as cheating on college exams and infidelity and mental illness are shoe-horned into a movie that is supposed to be a comedy...and played straight, to boot!

Guys, you wimped out. Next time, do a movie like this with, say, Bluto Blutarsky in the McCarthy part...THEN you'll have a movie!

Two stars, mostly for the gags. The rest is likely to make you gag.

Predictable story redeemed by excellent young cast

[Uthman · 7 September 1999]

Believe it or not, CLASS is the first feature film for the likes of Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, John Cusack, and Alan Ruck, all of whom have gone on to do a lot of good (and in my opinion, largely underrated) acting in numerous films. The beautiful and similarly prolific Virginia Madsen even has a bit part here in her second film. I can't think of any picture that was such a breeding ground for so many stars. As a bonus, Jaqueline Bisset has a leading role at the peak of her sultriness (although the sex scenes are relatively chaste and unrevealing).

While the plot is nothing to write home about, the dialog is well done, and the direction is pretty good. View this film if you are a fan of any or all of these brat-packers.

"Jonathan, until you get laid none of us are safe!"

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 27 September 2008]

A film that seems too unsure how to set things in motion, as one minute we have a bratty, low brow teen comedy (like something out of 'Porky's') with surprisingly amusing gags and fooling about, but then it heads into something serious and in-depth (well it tries) mature handling on the material of forbidden love (similar to that of 'The Graduate') and the value of friendship. The two never quite balances out, which leaves it like your watching two different movies unsuccessfully spliced together. It's hard to pin point what it really wants to be, as by the end it finishes pretty much the same way it began.

Jonathan the new senior student to a prep high school finds himself the butt-of-jokes with his dorm and room-mate Skip, but he gets his own back where respect is built. After being banned from a dance and the nearest girl's school, Skip gets Jonathan that night to go to a Chicago bar to hopefully pick-up and get laid. He meets the older Ellen and a steamy affair between them begins, but he keeps it secret about his true age. But she soon finds out about it, but the main twist of fate occurs when he realises who she really is.

What goes on to be the film's main curiosity drive however would be that of the sensational cast involved (minor parts too), as there's some fresh faces who make their debuts and good performances by all. Andrew McCarthy (in his first role) is sensitively engaging, and truly one performance that you feel every embarrassing and awkward encounter along with him. Rob Lowe constantly chimes with suave personality and charm as the rich-kid room-mate. An enticing Jacqueline Bisset courageously pulls off her role as the Ellen and Cliff Robertson is solid as Skip's father Mr. Burroughs. Along for the ride are the agreeable John Cusack (debut performance), Alan Ruck and Virginia Madsen in a short, but downright memorable turn. The outstanding rapport between everyone clicks.

Writers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt do sketch out some effective moments (mainly the humour with some worthy pieces), among the not so. When it does go serious some situations are hard to grasp and take seriously even if it's done in the right temperament. What goes from quick-witted lines and crass visual gags then opens up to the awkward embarrassments' of sexuality for a novice. As what seems like a boy's wet dream (getting in on with an experienced lady to only brag about it) eventuates to more and feelings start to grow. However everything comes crashing down, after a disastrous chain of events that could see him lose a friend, destroy a dysfunctional family already on the rocks and be kicked out of school. But at the end we come to realise that these depressing occurrences have made those fragile people in the spotlight go onto examine their own lives. As the two boys come to blows, they go onto see the funny side to it all. Lewis John Carlino (his third and last directed film to date) has been comfortable penning the material over his career, does quite a resourceful job in the director's chair. He adequately keeps things moving and never gets to forceful in the execution of the material.

'Class' is a fair achievement that's brought together by a committed cast.

good start but ending fizzled out

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 November 2013]

Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) comes from a working class family. He gets a scholarship to a prep school rooming with the rich Skip (Rob Lowe). Skip immediately plays a prank on Jonathan which he returns in spectacular fashion. They become fast friends. Coincentantal events would conspire for Jonathan to have an affair with Skip's mother Ellen (Jacqueline Bisset). They would realize their connection when Jonathan joins Skip back home for Christmas break.

The movie starts off as a pretty funny sex romp with some memorable pranks. The meeting between Jonathan and Skip's mother is beyond low probability, but it's not a big deal. I think the problem is that Jacqueline Bisset never fully committed or the writing never allowed her to. She's a rich housewife who has an affair. She could have been funnier as a raunchy cougar. When the affair was found out, the drama gets drained out of the movie. It's as if the writers couldn't figure out how to ramp up the drama. It fizzled out rather than exploded.

Watch out for John Cusack, and Alan Ruck as two of the school friends. Also Virginia Madsen appears in her first movie and promptly shows her boob. It was a bit of misdirection because this isn't really a sex romp as much as advertised.

Uneven blend of comedy and drama

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 20 November 2007]

Naive, shy Jonathan Ogner (Andrew McCarthy in his film debut) goes to prep school and rooms with "Skip" (Rob Lowe) a fun-loving guy. Skip encourages Jon to go out and have sex. Jon ends up accidentally picking up Skip's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) and starting an affair with her! This is one strange movie. It starts off with very crude humor--poor McCarthy is humiliated again and again. Then it switches to sex with McCarthy and Bisset (nothing is shown in the bedroom scenes) and THEN to drama when Jon discovers who she is and vice versa. Some of the humor is funny but it mixes uneasily with the drama and the movie is constantly switching gears. It's not a terrible movie--just wildly uneven.

It is worth catching for quite a few now well-known people in their film debuts (McCarthy, Virginia Madesen and John Cusack are a few) and some good moments here and there. The acting is actually pretty good too. Bisset gives a much better performance than this material deserves; McCarthy is a bit too somber (but this WAS his first movie) and Lowe is actually lots of fun and he's so young! Cliff Robertson pops up in a few scenes and also isn't bad.

So not a great movie by any means but worth catching just for the cast.

A Riot

[willrams · 6/10 · 5 May 2003]

Jonathan played by Andrew McCarthy, a simple country boy, wins a scholarship to a classy pre-school where he shares a dorm room with Skip, played by Rob Lowe. Skip decides it is his duty to see that Jonathan loses his virginity by introduing him to Ellen, in Chiago. But the affair is ended. Poor Skip can't get rid of her, and she seduces him. What a riot when Jonathan finds out that Ellen is Skip's mother. It's really a riot, and the two boys have a terrific fight and end up reconciled to eachother. 6/10

The Edsel, New Coke, and Andrew McCarthy

[Putzberger · 1/10 · 6 January 2007]

Three contrived "products" foisted on an unsuspected and ultimately unwilling American public. Some Hollywood exec in the 80s snorted so much cocaine he actually believed that McCarthy, a sniveling, rodent-faced nonentity, had star potential so they stuck the cipher in a series of unfunny sex comedies throughout the decade. In "Class," no-talent pretty boy Rob Lowe teams up with no-talent ugly boy McCarthy to embarrass poor Jacqueline Bisset. Ms Bisset, as Lowe's mother and the only interesting character in the entire film, looks as ravishing as ever, even as she strains under the effort of pretending Andrew McCarthy is sexy.

The plot, such as it is, reflects the 80s fascination with inherited wealth: middle-class McCarthy winds up at a prep school full of studdly preppies like Lowe, who are actually poor little rich boys (see? There's no point in envying the wealthy because money isn't everything!). A series of plot machinations throw McCarthy into a glass elevator with Bisset, where they have sex. (Warning: there are multiple shots of an unclothed McCarthy in this film. Not recommended for the faint of heart.) The movie's real dead point is the leaden sequence when Lowe brings little Andrew home with him, where our hero discovers that he's been . . . big fat shocker . . . bonking his roommate's mother! The bigger shock is that Bisset is a drunken (and apparently nearsighted) nymphomaniac who deserves more sympathetic treatment and better co-stars than she gets from this movie. The one semi-saving grace of this movie is that it's blessedly free from drawn-out confrontations. Perhaps they filmmakers realized their young stars had absolutely no capacity for dialogue (or they couldn't hire enough cue-card holders) so they kept the major plot changes brief: during a morning horseback ride, McCarthy asks Bisset: "how are you?" "Get out of my house," she sneers. Lowe is unhappy at home, so instead of spouting some monologue about his pain and alienation that would exhaust his meager abilities, he just sort of takes McCarthy onto a lake in a rowboat and puts on his poutiest face. "Class" managed to destroy Jacqueline Bisset's career, but unfortunately we were stuck with five more years of McCarthy until "Less Than Zero" finally killed him off. (Like a cockroach, Lowe survives.)

Andrew McCarthy Goes to the Head of the Class

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 30 December 2011]

On his first day in a new school, gullible young Andrew McCarthy (as Jonathan) is talked into changing into a black bra and panties by preppy roommate Rob Lowe (as Skip), who disrobes to reveal a similar taste in underwear. It's a funny, wildly implausible scene that sets a tone not kept throughout the story. Things will get decidedly more serious. Shortly before the half-hour mark, we receive confirmation that these guys are supposed to be high school-aged prep students; in the opening, Mr. McCarthy appears to be an arriving college underclassman. Naturally, the teen "boys" are interested in pranks and sex...

Sensing McCarthy is a virgin, Mr. Lowe urges him to go to town and find a sex partner (it's an all-boys school). McCarthy finds sexy older Jacqueline Bisset (as Ellen). Lucky guy, but there are complications. She's a trifle unstable, married to hard-nosed Cliff Robertson (as Mr. Burroughs), and has a secret that threatens the friendship between McCarthy and Lowe. They are really smart and want to go to Harvard, but another secret will unfold... In the lead role, film-debuting McCarthy manages to both connect with and keep from being upstaged by Lowe (who makes a classy Jesus). All handle the assignment well.

****** Class (7/6/83) Lewis John Carlino ~ Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Jacqueline Bisset, Cliff Robertson

Lowe's Mommie And McCarthy's Dearest

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 3 June 2009]

Class made a ton of money back in the day with Brat Pack king Rob Lowe starring in another teen film about some oversexed adults and undersexed young men. In this case the undersexed one is Andrew McCarthy who gets some love lessons from Jacqueline Bisset who is also Lowe's mother. Which makes it all nice and cozy.

McCarthy is a young country kid who wins a scholarship to an exclusive boy's prep school which is mostly inhabited by to the manor born types like Lowe. In fact Lowe has the ultimate prep school name of Skip.

Around women McCarthy makes Inspector Clousseau look like Errol Flynn and Lowe gives him some fateful advice about trying to hook up at a certain bar on Rush Street in Chicago where there are lots of women who are as longing as he is. Unfortunately one of them happens to be his mother and that's who McCarthy does it with. Right in one of those glass elevators.

Class veers uncomfortably back and forth from comedy to drama without any warning. The values of the Reagan era are upheld here, especially by Cliff Robertson as solid a venture capitalist as you'll ever find and Lowe's father. He's treating his wife like another of his possessions like his mansion or his yacht and no wonder she's looking for love in all the wrong places.

As we see noted, a whole lot of people like Andrew McCarthy, John Cusack, Casey Siemaszko, Lolita Davidovitch, and Virginia Madsen all made their screen debuts. That is probably what Class will go down in movie annals for.

nice star

[ondahorizon · 9/10 · 5 December 2006]

this movie is worth to see Andrew McCarthy and Rob Lowe. i mean the movie is of course fun ,but yeah pretty uneven . well anyway i love Andrew and Rob in this movie looks pretty hot . and there also john Cusack and other which is cool enough . and Andrew did th scene with Jacqueline on elevator pretty fine , Jacqueline looks very nice in this movie too . and those star are doing very well in those dramatic scenes , funny scenes. the costume is okay not that old and perfectly for the movie . well this is worth for whom that loves brat pack star movie ( such as i am ) . especially the fans of Rob or Andrew shouldn't' t missed this 1 i recommend it !

Enviable Older Woman Scenario

[ebiros2 · 6/10 · 26 December 2012]

One of the better teen movies from the '80s. "Class" along with half a dozen movies are now the classic of teen movies from that era.

The movie looks very innocent by today's standards. There's no worries about getting into violent situations at school, and kids could focus on - women. This movie probably made Andrew McCarthy and Rob Lowe a star. Surprise to me was that John Cusak was also in this movie.

Today, the movie would have to star someone who's 5-6 years younger to have any kind of realism to it. Jaquiline Bisset is kind of an ideal "hot" mom for the situation.

The movie is on bit darker side for a movie made in the '80s, but the story is good, and you get the feel of the culture.

This is definitely one of the best teen movies from the '80s, and you wouldn't want to miss it if you're an '80s movie fan.

This movie is absolutely STUPID

[cruppel · 1/10 · 18 January 2004]

The story was so slow and pointless I found myself hunting around the room for small spores that might possibly sprout and grow into mushrooms by the time each actor managed to solidify his thoughts long enough to mumble a poorly worded and retarded sentence.

The story could have ended up with a point but it stopped dead in the middle of nothing. Do not watch this movie. I repeat: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.