How I Got Into College
How I Got Into College
PG-13 | 19 May 1989 (USA)
How I Got Into College Trailers

The simple story of two young Michigan high school students, Jessica, Class President, Local Smart Girl, and object of Marlon's affections attempt to get into a small Pennsylvania college. Jessica fights off her parent's expectation of going to their alma mater of the University of Michigan, while Marlon fights his grades and SAT scores.

Reviews
Listonixio

Fresh and Exciting

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PiraBit

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

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Kien Navarro

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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Fatma Suarez

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

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lost-in-limbo

Director / writer Savage Steve Holland had churned out some influential 80s teen classics such as the John Cusack starring "Better off Dead" and "One Crazy Sumer". Getting into college or simply choosing what to do after high school is the stepping stone in to the big world. It's a life decision that points you in the direction. Stress… confusion… indecision. Holland beautifully captures this in his third entry (which I never even heard of until now) of this type of teen fodder; "How I got Into College". It might not hold up to his previous efforts, however it's an enjoyably breezy and light-headed finding your feet fable namely sold by its welcomely fresh and sound performances by leads Corey Parker, (a delightfully freckle-faced) Lara Flynn Boyle and Anthony Edwards. Also the support; Finn Carter, Bill Raymond, Philip Baker Hall, Charles Rocket, Tichina Arnold and Christopher Rydell are notably good too.We follow that of Marlon who has his eyes set on the highly respected, top of the class Jessica, but he has never been game enough to confront her. However he sees college the chance to do so. He decides to aim for the same campus she's applying too, but it's not going to be any easy walk through the park.Maybe I didn't find the characters and interactions as memorable and comical as in Holland's earlier films, but there's no doubts that hanging off it is an amusingly witty and creatively inspired script that seems to have that oddball sense despite probably keeping it a tad more in check and favouring the romance sub-plot. It's quite forward and slight but never lets the stereotypical inclusions take over; in doing so it gave it a more random air and warm feeling within its grounded framework. Also there are some amusingly bright cameo roles by Phil Hartman, Nora Dunn, Diane Franklin, Taylor Negron, (playboy model) Rebecca Ferratti and Curtis Armstrong.

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mpstyles54

sure this movie may have had its funny moments with the sat question people and i know the movie is not supposed to be totally believable the movie made it too outrageous for example a girl like that would never in a million years go out wit ha guy like that also people in movie had lackluster performances there acting was so bad. Also the plot bad they could have don e a better job on the scripting at least and focused more on the comedy the comedy was also a little dry and got really boring after the first few jokes, it was like 10mins was laughter then the old when is this gonna end started to kick in The bottom line if u want a a lackluster of acting mixed in with a stupid plot and a romance go ahead and watch this movie.

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Boyo-2

Corey Parker, who has a lot of screen charisma by the way, plays Marlon and he's in love with Jessica, played by Lara Flynn Boyle, when you could still see her if she stood sideways. Marlon is so in love that he's decided to go to the college of Jessica's choice, Ramsey College. Anthony Edwards is Kip, who recruits for Ramsey and admits to Marlon that he's heard of worse reasons for wanting to go to a specific college, so Marlon and his friend Oliver (played by Christopher Rydell, son of director Mark Rydell, and if he looks familiar, it may be because you remember him making the wisecrack 'I didn't know they had gas back then' to Henry Fonda in "On Golden Pond") go to Ramsey to check it out. Various other students attend, the most interesting of which is Vera, a feisty girl working at Mickey D's who has college aspirations but whose mother is wary of her daughter ending up disappointed.Comedy is hit and miss. Sometimes brilliant, sometimes flat. Tons of cameos (Curtis Armstrong, Taylor Negron, Bob Eubanks (!) and Brian-Doyle Murray) are enjoyable. Coming in at a svelte 88 minutes, you've done a lot worse. 7/10.

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Pro Jury

A pet peeve here. This is another movie about high school kids void of high school aged kids. Everyone looks to be about 26 1/2 years old including the two lead actors. Anthony Edwards and Corey Parker in real life are exactly three years apart in age, but the characters they play are not meant to be close in age. One is a high school aged kid applying for college. The other has graduated from the university, perhaps graduate school as well, and has now worked his way up one step above an entry-level position to be an assistant dean of admissions at the same institute of higher learning. The problem remains, they both look to be 26 1/2 years old.

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