Customer Reviews

Private School

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have fond memories of being a horny 13 year old and catching Private School on cable back in the mid-80's and it had always been a movie I longed to see have a DVD release. Well...that day has finally arrived and I'm here to tell you that I must have been dumb as a rock at 13 cuz Private School might be one of the worst pieces of drek to crawl out of the 80's teen sex comedy toilet you'll ever see...and it's wonderful. See, movies can sometimes be an entirely subjective thing if you have memories attatched to them. Viewing this film nearly 25 years later I was instantly transported back to my teenage years and I spent more time reminiscing about the 80's, my first crush, the kids I hung out with, etc. than paying attention to the flick. That's not a bad thing really. The script is atrocious, the actors are painfully unfunny (especially the guy who plays Bubba who I recall stinking up a lot of these teen movies) and the cheese-ometer gets cranked up a few notches when a song sung by Phoebe Cates plays over a montage that makes Baywatch look classy.
Which brings me to Phoebe Cates...the sole reason this film even exists. Has there ever been another actress whose good looks radiate charisma when she herself is'nt really doing much of anything? Don't get me wrong she turned out to be a fine actress and her previous film "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" is about a zillion times better than Private School but truth is Phoebe Cates might have the most beautiful face ever committed to film (which may explain why the Phoebe-Cult continued to this day).
And yet....it's Betsy Russelll who delivers the goods, who actually provides Private School with it's truly sexy moments. Just watch the scene where she tries to seduce Matthew Modine by flaunting her perfectly toned legs in his face and tell me that she might not be the queen seductress of all time.
So if you've never seen this movie (and you're under 30) you'll probably wonder what all the fuss was about but if you remember 1983 and you remember waiting on line to play Pac-Man at the arcade, chances are you love this film for reasons good taste can't explain.

If you're looking for gratuitous T&A, this is one of the best of all time. Betsy Russell in this movie might quite possibly be the most stunning performance by any actress ever. Her bareback horseriding scene, the seduction scene, and the stained clothes so I better take them off and let them soak scene are all nothing short of awe inspiring. Add that to a bunch or other bombshell schoolgirls walking around naked (the shower scene is just... wow), plus the fact you've got Phoebe Cates staring and I don't know what more you could ask for in this type of movie. Plotwise it's also pretty amusing with many laugh out load moments (although it's hard to stay focused on that with what you're looking at).

I'm giving this movie 3 stars, purely for Betsy Russel, not that Phoebe Cates doesn't deserve some hottie points too. But man, I remember watching this as a kid on USA, and even late at night on CBS, falling in love with Betsy Russel and dying to see this movie unedited. I finally rented it recently and the shower scene is to die for! Not enough Betsy Russel skin but everything else was sweet! Did she come out in anything else? Anyway, watch this movie if you just want to see a stupid, hot 80's movie! This is as legendary as Cheryl Smith's Cinderella, which I have yet to see again since I was a kid watching it on scrambled Cinemax.

...then you will love this movie. I saw this movie when I was a young boy of like 12 or 13 and I've loved it ever sine. I fell in love with Phoebe Cates from this movie and have followed her career from this to Fast Times to the TV Movie, Baby Sister, to Gremlins and to Lace I and Lace II. It's a shame she retired from the business. Thoug she did act in The Anniversary Party with her best friend, Jennifer Jason Leigh and her husband, Kevin Kline and her 2 children Owen and Greta.
So, Private School wasn't a great movie, but it was fun and funny and will always hold a special place in my heart. This along with Zapped and Screwballs (a bad Porky's rip-off) will always hold dear and true to my heart.
Plus, Phoebe Cates sings 2 songs in this movie that are on the Soundtrack, which is hard to find.
All in all, this is a fun movie with lots of gratuitous nudity of young women and Betsy Russell as Jordan almost steals the show, with her bare backing horse scene. Also, for a young Matthew Modine, looking really fine.

This movie is no great contribution to the medium of acting, but Betsy Russell makes it worth seeing, mind you, in its uncut format. Especially provocative is the scene in which her character, Jordan, tries in her bedroom to seduce Jim, Matthew Modine's character. It's an eye-popping, tongue-swallowing display, and perhaps the sexiest thing I've ever seen.

This started out cheesy. Probably one of the lamest movies ive seen and not particularly in a 'good way'...though it had its moments. It seemed like one big excuse to see women naked and the acting was average at best. Its about some students at an all girls private school called Cherryvale Academy. Theres 2 girls that want the same guy whos also a student at a nearby Academy for Men. Also some kind of relationship between one of the girls and that guy. In between all this the guys start dressing up like women to get into the girls dorms to pull pranks on them. As the movie went on it got a little bit better and there were some genuinely funny scenes in it 'like the car scene' but nothing spectacular. I also liked some parts of it and was able to relate to some of the things that went on and laughed to myself. I guess you could call this a 'sex or romantic comedy'. I call it that but also just an excuse to see hot girls naked. 2.5- 3

I saw this on USA Up All Night first. It's a corny 80's high school movie. What USA Network edited out is on this tape and it is super! The shower scene in this movie is ten times better than the one in Porky's. A lot of pointless nudity.

It's an early 80's sex farce, what do you expect?

Private School isn't a Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but it's not a Rock & Roll High School either. I rank this film up there with summer camp cliché movies like The First Turn-On just because of the amount of T&A. Edited, this movie would fit in with the slew of movies that made USA, Up All Night such a popular late-night show.

Surprisingly, there is a story here, but it's not very developed. The central theme is on having sex for the first time. The characters get into this topic frequently thoughout the movie in the form of an ongoing sex-education class, locker room discussions, and late night chats. Private School is essentially about the awkwardness of having sex for the first time. The male leads really ham up their roles and get into stupid pubescent antics, and it's the women in the movie that provide some sensitivity.

Although Phoebe Cates is billed as the star of the movie, Cates is under-used, often coming across as a side-story. Most of the attention is spent on Betsy Russell and the two male leads. If you're looking for make-out scenes and nude scenes featuring Phoebe Cates, you will be disappointed as there aren't any - atleast not in the version of the film that runs on late-night premium cable TV. What Phoebe fans will get is a final cast ensemble scene where Phoebe and company moons their school's headmaster. For those particularly interested in this scene, the shot is taken from a side angle that gives you a look of Cates' thighs and waist, then pans out to catch her directly from behind. This might be enough to make Private School a good buy. If you're looking to recapture the fun of your 70s and 80s youth with some classic B-movies, this is definitely a worthwhile addition to your DVD collection.

The three-star rating I am giving is not for the film itself, but for the DVD release of this film. The movie is slated to be presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85 format with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio for Region 1. The disc will be contained in a snap case. With a running time of 89 minutes and an R (MPAA) rating, I'm anticipating that there won't be any added footage I am, however, expecting the full uncut film with clean video. It would be nice if there were other extras such as an original trailer or perhaps interviews, but I've found nothing to say this will happen.

Sure, Phoebe Cates got top billing but this movie belongs to Betsy Russell as she shines in every single scene (and I think Phoebe used body double in her naked shot from behind scene). Betsy's topless scenes are still consider legendary today, too bad her acting career is too short.

The picture transfer is good, clean and sharp while the 2 channel mono is OK, I would have given it a full 5 stars but this DVD has nothing else to offer. Not even theatrical trailer and even worse not even chapter selection just an English subtitle. A commentary by the stars would have put this dvd on a different level. But in the meantime, enjoy Betsy Russel, what a sight.

I received this DVD last night and ordered it because of Phoebe Cates, who I am still in love with! She is such a beautiful woman!

This movie is typical 80's fare, guys chasing women and trying to get some any way they can! That pretty much was a reflection of my own thinking at that time and loved these movies when they came out. Of course, throw in Phoebe Cates and potential skin shots, and I am there!

Realistically, its not that great of a movie, unless you love Phoebe! That's pretty much the only reason I bought this movie!

PS the sound is in MONO! I forgot that few movies were in stereo at that time!