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43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you are Jewish and grew up in the 50's, you'll relate..., August 1, 1999
This film might have seemed "strained and obvious" to some of the other reviewers here, but if you are Jewish and grew up in the 1950's, you'll relate to it very well. Especially the part about having to violate the Jewish holidays in order to play on the team -- a conflict that still arises for Jewish students today. I've used this film very successfully in high school discussions and in classes on antisemitism. And yes, things like this really did happen to Jews -- and still do. The question of whether or not to stay "in the closet" and "pass" or be yourself and get rejected is an issue for other minorities, too. If you work in any area of multicultural studies and/or dialogue, you should add this film to your library.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Speaks of days past and a time almost forgotten, May 14, 2003
School Ties is a touching movie that is often compared to Dead Poets Society. While there are similarities (ie: teenage boys in a 1950s prep school setting), there are more differences. This is less of a movie about looking up to someone only to see them cut down before your eyes and the bonds and respect associated with that, and more of a story of the bonding and betrayal of friends. A young Brendan Fraser is stunning as David Green, a working class Jewish kid accepted to one of the most prestigious preparatory schools in the country. It would only be for one year, but what a year. With dreams of going to Harvard, this was his way in. He keeps his religion a secret from the new friends he makes, but when it all comes out in the end, slurs are thrown and the people he thought he could trust leave David high and dry. It speaks of an era when there were 100 different slurs for each religion and race, and the people who actually believed that somehow they were better. No character is portrayed in this negative light better than Charlie Dillon, brought to life by none other than Matt Damon. The seeds of his jealousy are planted within the first fifteen minutes and as the movie progresses you see Dillon become more desperate for his former status after David Green takes his position on the football team and in the life of a girl he thinks to be his. Other standouts include Chris O'Donnell, playing Fraser's fictional roommate, who is forced to deal with the situation a bit more close up than some of their classmates. Randall Batinkoff, though not well known, gives a fabulous performance as Damon's fictional roommate, having to decide which is more important: his best friend and roommate of 4 years, or his morals and conscience urging him to speak up in defense of David Green. Surprisingly, Cole Hauser, who generally is cast as a not-so-nice guy comes off completely different in this picture. His character, Jack Connors seems rude and hard-nosed throughout, but when it's all on the line, he really delivers, making it known that Connors is not the bigot he has been made out as. The movie was well scripted and brilliantly cast, from the guy who no one thought would come out on top (Fraser) to the guy who would be expected to rule the world (Damon). Set in a time when life was a little rougher and people were judged more harshly, School Ties really speaks of the fear and degradation one might face for being "different", and tells of the strength and courage that comes with being "different". Some might say that the movie is too harsh with its message of bigotry, but that was a time when it was very real and it must embraced in order to learn from it and not have it happen again.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Made, Well Acted, Sensitively Written - A Classic, December 7, 2006
This movie is definitely made "the way they used to make 'em," as some would say - and most reviewers do not mention that Dick Wolf, of "Law and Order" fame, is the creator of the story, which concerns a Jewish high school boy getting the golden opportunity to excel in sports and academics at an elite boarding school. It's superbly made - the music by Maurice Jarre, one of the great film composers - is just one of the stand outs of this terrific film. The acting is genuine, heart felt, and strong. I wish Brendan Fraser had made more films like this, playing a real man, not the action hero kinds of things he did later. He really excels here - and so does Matt Damon, in a terrific, complex turn, echoing his later role in "The Talented Mr. Ripley," as a self-described "mediocrity," riding the coattails of his much more talented father and brother. Amy Locane, radiant here, is another superb actress we have not seen enough of in roles like this one. Unlike so many contemporary movies, which never seem to end, and have no sense of pace or story, "School Ties" has no fat at all: it's beautiful directed and photographed, beautifully scored, wonderfully acted and written. And its message, though sometimes overstated, is still applicable today: prejudice, in whatever form it takes, destroys lives and damages and diminishes all of us. This theme, together with other themes in the picture of religious faith, loyalty to friends and family, the meaning of hard work, marks this as a very unusual picture for its time, right at the cusp of the greedy '90's, and there probably hasn't been as good a picture on this subject since. This is a minor classic, without a doubt. One of those films you return to time and again, like an old friend, for the reassurance of decency and trying to do good in an often cold and harsh world. The closing moments of this picture are among my favorites in any film I've ever seen. This deserves a re-release, with a 15th anniversary approaching, and some great extras and interviews. It's a very fine picture!
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