Really Surprised!

Lack of good storyline.

Fantastic!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This was definitely one of my numerous childhood memory movies from the 1980s along with "Back to the future", "The breakfast club", "Ferris bueler", "Caddyshack", The "Karate kid" films, and the "National Lampoon vacation" films. And many others."Back to School" and Rodney Dangerfield went together like cake and icing. The movie would obviously not been the same without him, it would've then been another quirky raunchy college comedy.I liked Rodney's (Thorton Melon's) tough friend Lou (Burt Young, who also played a tough "you better not mess with me" character in "Rocky"). Lou didn't hesitate to take care of a bully picking fights in a bar. Even Thornton's son's friend Robert Downey Jr. cries to Lou during the fight "where you been Lou? I've been getting my a** kicked all over this bar!" Downey did toughen up some in later years, but not always in good ways.Thornton's son Jason was played by Keith Gordon, another one-hit wonder actor that I never remembered from any other movies. Jason complains how he only got onto the diving team and the fraternity because Pops bought his way onto it all, which was true. Before that, he was no one special to anyone really and shared a little dorm room with his only friend Downy. Jason didn't make the team due to the coach (Emett Walsh) saying he wasn't that good. Rodney has Jason dive doing the "two and a half", which does flawlessly, causing the coach to reconsider his opinion. Thorton also reminds him about his legendary dive "the triple lindy", which the coach once saw not knowing it was Thorton. Thornton was a man with money from owning his "Tall and fat" stores ("well, you're short and ugly" Thornton tells a wise** kid who points out that he's "Tall and fat"). Thornton really did buy a lot of Jason's newfound success, including hiring a work team to do his and Jason's homework, much to Jason's dispair and his dad then retorting "kids, they always wanta do it the hard way". Also a funny joke is that Thorton hires 'the' Kurt Vahnaghan himself to write his term paper on Kurt Vahnaghan, leading to another funny joke when Thornton's told by sultry teacher Sally Kellerman that "whoever wrote that paper doesn't know the first thing on Kurt Vahnaghan". Thorton takes a "drinks for everybody" approach at the university, according to Roger Ebert. That he does. He buys everybody's schoolbooks who's present at the college store, he hires staff to do his and Jason's homework, he hires Oinga Boinga themselves to perform live at his frat house party (and pays the police to bring the beer, much to stuffy teacher Paxton Whithead's dismay), and he dedicates a wing at the college to himself while getting dirt thrown on Paxton with the ceremonial shovel.Thorton paying Jason's way also gets attention of the obnoxious William Zabka character, he tells Jason at the swim meet "your father already bought your way onto the swim team, I'm sure he bought off the judges too". Zabka does not play the same kind of menacing bully in this movie that he played in "Karate kid" and "Just one of the guys". Here he plays more of a yuppie snob, and Jason is actually the one that punches him, and Zabka never even hits him back or comes back onto him later about it. It was kinda like the tables had turned here on Zabka. I also like the classroom scenes and still find them funny. The late Sam Kinneson going "Ahhhhhhh!!!! Aaaaaahhhh!!!!". The sultry Kellerman (who Thorton very keenly starts dating) who reads a romantic poem with Thorton almost unknowingly standing up in class saying aloud " yes!! yes!!!" Then the stuffy Paxton Whithead's business class teaching how to build a business from the ground up and Thorton, who has a lot of hands on experience in the business world and is rich "Tall and fat" business owner himself, corrects Paxton making him look bad at every turn. Also is the "what's a widget?" line. Answer being "a fictional product, it doesn't matter". They should've waited another 20-30 years to mention that one in the world of the internet. No longer a fictional product and widgets do matter.

Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) disobeyed his father about school but still became a big rich success as the owner of Big and Tall stores. He can't stand his high maintenance cheating wive. When he visits his son Jason (Keith Gordon), he finds that Jason isn't the big man on campus like he assumed. Jason wants to quit college. Now Thornton must enroll in school to keep Jason from quitting.It's great to see Robert Downey Jr as Jason's wacky manic best friend. Sally Kellerman is Thornton's love interest. Burt Young is Thornton's body man. Terry Farrell is Jason's object of desire. Keith Gordon is great as the lead. Rodney Dangerfield is his lovable self. This movie is driven by his immense charm. There's a lot of it around and that's what saves this movie.

Rodney Dangerfield is one of the greatest stand up comedians ever. His timing and delivery are simply perfect. This films shows that he also had some great acting talent. Nothing that pushes him too far, but certainly enough to propel the story along. Dangerfield decides to attend his son's college to help his son through the hard times. Obviously they each learn a little about each other along the way. There are many sequences and characters you will be familiar with, but Dangerfield is particularly lovable. He's supported by a strong supporting cast. The best moments are when Dangerfield proves himself as more than just a one-liner comedian.

Blithely loud and vulgar self-made millionaire Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield in terrific lovably crass form) goes back to college to complete his education and help out his son Jason (a fine and likable turn by Keith Gordon). Thornton discovers that college is harder than it looks and must learn to be more responsible for his academic studies or he'll get expelled. Director Alan Metter, working from a bright and witty script co-written by Harold Ramis, keeps the pace hurtling along at a constant zippy rate, maintains a winningly wacky tone throughout, and, most of all, gives Dangerfield free reign to really strut his hilariously hearty and obnoxious stuff. The supporting cast are likewise on the money excellent and effective: Sally Kellerman as sexy and passionate English professor Dr. Diane Turner, Burt Young as Thornton's grubby, loyal chauffeur/bodyguard Lou, Robert Downey, Jr. as Jason's sarcastic misfit roommate buddy Derek, Paxton Whitehead as stuffy, pompous economics professor Dr. Phillip Barbay, Ned Beatty as the jolly, unprincipled Dean David Martin, Terry Farrell as the sweet, fetching Valerie Desmond, Sam Kinison as crazed, irate history Professor Terguson, William Zabka as mean, cocky frat jerk Chas, M. Emmet Walsh as nice guy diving Coach Turnbull, Severn Darden as the flaky Dr. Borozini, and Adrienne Barbeau as Thornton's shrewish adulterous second wife Vanessa. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. has an amusing cameo as himself. Comic highlights include a wild barroom brawl, a rowdy frat bash (Oingo Boingo appear as themselves singing the great "Dead Man's Party"), and Thornton doing his famously dangerous Triple Lindy dive. Danny Elfman's jaunty score, Thomas E. Ackerman's slick cinematography, and the cool rock soundtrack are all up to speed. But it's Dangerfield who makes this picture such an always enjoyable and often sidesplitting treat to watch: The Rodman's obviously having a ball in a tailer-made lead role and brings a positively infectious sense of incredibly lively and zany fun to the whole film that's impossible to either resist or dislike. An absolute hoot.