Customer Reviews

Three O'Clock High

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Virtually unnoticed by critics and the public, you've probably never heard of this one, but it's one of the best teenage coming of age movies. Not a big budget movie but nonetheless very well made. While the basic plot is fairly simple, the twists and turns that occur along the way are creative and hilarious. The cast put everything into this one-excellent performances all around. You could tell they believed in this movie. Clever and funny from start to finish, this is a delightful movie.

Unfortunately, this film was buried under a mountain of non-promotional advertising b/c of Director Philip Joanau's (sp?) refusal to change its name from THREE O'CLOCK HIGH to BELLS RING AT THREE. The film production company felt the drug connotation of "getting high after school" was not the right message to send and ignored the obvious comparisons in the title to another stellar film about facing your greatest confrontation alone, HIGH NOON. Consequently, this film didn't have a chance at the box office.

However, don't let such a little thing as a title fool you.

THREE O'CLOCK HIGH is a wild energetic ride. Casey Siemasko (sp) does a brilliant job as the young kinda/sorta nerd upstart who finds himself watching the clock all day until three p.m. ... when circumstances of fate are requiring him to face-off with the brutish new-kid-in-school twice his size. This film is as much fun as John Hughes 'high school' films, but it never found an audience as it was simply never promoted.

Accept it for what it's worth, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

There are times, I believe, when movie critics take life and themselves way too seriously. The movie "Three O'clock High", unfortunately, happens to be a victim of that mind set. The critics ripped this movie primarily because, they claim, it didn't attempt to make the bully (Buddy Revell) out to be a misunderstood, sensitive guy hiding under his rough exterior waiting to be discovered, as in "My Body Guard". They also didn't like the fact that Jerry, the nerdy hero, decided to fight.

I get the impression that these critics never attended high school, or that their high schools never had bullies. My school sure did. In the real world there are some mean people who just like being that way. Besides this movie wasn't meant to be a psychobabble special. It was meant to be a goofy, high school comedy, which it was, and a very funny one at that. Like the gentleman from Jonesboro, Ark., my teenage son and I really loved watching this movie and laughing out loud together.

As a teenager, I really got a kick out of watching Three O' Clock High and decided to purchase the DVD from Columbia House. Now, I've watched Three O' Clock High several times as an teenager and was really upset to find scenes that I'd remembered from the movie missing. In fact, there are a few scenes deleted from the movie's original version which is why I'm only giving the movie a three star rating. Had the movie been released on DVD without deleted scenes, I would have giving the movie five stars, which it truly deserves.

This movie portrays what many, many American males went through in high school. Being bullied. This movies not only puts to rest old demons that still sometimes haunt grown men when they think about high school (by seeing Jerry beat up the bully instead of the other way around), but it was so funny that I can't resist watching it whenever it is on cable! The crazy antics that occur in every high school in America (and abroad), are displayed by the nutty teachers, the rabid dogs that sometimes pass for school security guards, and the crazy girl that likes you for who you are so much that she wants to "bond" with you on a display table in the school store . It is excellent! I feel that a defining moment in the movie is when Jerry is in the bathroom, washing his face, deciding whether or not it was worth getting killed by standing up to the overgrown neanderthal, Buddy Rovell. Regardless of whether or not you like the movie, we are ALL overjoyed when Jerry decides to risk life and limb for personal honor!

It is a fun movie, and I would suggest it to anyone.

I think that the most important aspect of the film is that we shouldn't necessarily believe the ideas that are spoon fed to us all our lives but particuarly during those crucial yet termendously uncertain high school years. Not to mention the rest of our lives in general.

Jerry, throughout the film comes to realize much about himself, his classmates, teachers, bullies, and the objects of his affection and how positive it is to challenge one's own assumptions and begin to see people for what they truly are. There is tremendous power in courage and objectivity.

But forget about all that... The film is just plain funny and will really take you back to your high school years and all the uncertainty that came along with them. Casey Siemaszko was perfect for the role. The films director, Phil Janou, essentially shot the film as a series of still photographs that had dialogue thrown in. That was perfect because to me that's how much of high school seemed.

Highly recommended.

THis movie is way to simple nothing out of the ordinary but the movie is funny. It takes place all on one day when an ordinary class nerd cross paths with the new school bully. I love this movie because I remember the schools supply window in Junior High , one sheet of paper for .25 cents, puts a weird twisted smile on my face.

I really enjoyed this movie, All the action passes always checking the clock, shows as the desperation is taking a young person who always were correct and nice in an apparent ruffian and bad student. Very good music and photografy, a detail: the starring actor like his against figure (a young R Tyson) have 26 years old each one and they simulate to be 18.

Comment in spanish for people who speak Spanish:

Toda la acción transcurre checkeando siempre el reloj, muestra como la desesperación va llevando a un joven que siempre fue correcto y pulcro en un aparente rufián. Muy buena la música y la fotografia, un detalle : el actor protagonista al igual que su contra figura (un joven R Tyson) tienen 26 años cada uno y simulan ser de 18.

This is not your normal high school flick. When the somewhat geeky, but still cool star of the movie lights up a cigarette in class and almost takes the teacher down to the floor for some lovin, you know this one is going to be different.

So everything is just fine and dandy for Jerry Mitchell. He is doing good in school and has a nice girlfriend, but he accidentally gets scheduled to fight the new kid, Buddy. We have all heard those stories about the new kid beating up his teacher at his last school or even killing somebody, but Richard Tyson playing Buddy makes you actually helieve he could have done something that bad.

So Jerry is obviously not going to fight him and hires a jock to take him out. This library scene will stick in my memory forever along with many other parts in this movie. I can't tell you anything more from there, but you will find out how great of a movie it is. I give it a 4.5/5.

So will Jerry weasel his way out of this like he had been trying to do the whole day at school or will he have to fight him? I promise you will not be dissapointed.

When a 17 year old, High-School Student named Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko), is an average young man, who has the worst day of his life, when he accidently touched a Bully named Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson), who doesn`t liked to be touched, now he has to deal with Buddy, who wants to fight Jerry at Three Pm, Jerry will do anything to get himself out of the Situation.

Directed by Phil Joanou (U2:Rattle and Rum) made a energetic comedy, full of Camera Movements and Style. This was a Box Office Disappointment in Theaters but it gained a Cult Success on Video. One of the Exective Producers is Steven Spielberg but removed his name in the final cut of the film. Watch for Actors:Yeardley Smith as the Voice of Lisa Simpson in the Animated Fox Hit-The Simpsons and Mitch Pileggi is best known as Horace Pinker in Shocker and As Skinner in the Hit Show-The X-Files. Grade:B+.