It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Nerdy Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko) has a bad day. His parents are away. His little sister Brei Mitchell (Stacey Glick) is more put together. His best friend Franny Perrins (Annie Ryan) has a spirit guide Ethan. Infamous Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson) is new to their school who supposedly hates to be touched. His friend Vincent Costello (Jonathan Wise) wants a story done about Buddy in the school paper and Jerry is assigned the story. While at the urinals, Jerry tries to talk to Buddy but it goes horribly wrong and Jerry touches Buddy. Buddy orders him to fight at 3:00 in the parking lot. Mr. Rice (Jeffrey Tambor) runs the school store. Karen Clarke is the school hottie. Duke Herman is the overly aggressive security guard. No matter how hard he tries, he can't stop or escape the fight. He steals money from school store to pay for Buddy to be beaten up and detective Mulvahill (Philip Baker Hall) is called in to investigate.I love the fun comedic manic style. The editing style from director Phil Joanou reminds me of Edgar Wright. It's got that fast snappy cuts. I fell in love with Annie Ryan and her wacky character. The main problem is that Casey Siemaszko is too old and not necessarily that funny. Although he's very good at being a pathetic guy. I actually like the fact that he's not the nicest or a simple good guy. Richard Tyson is great as the strong threatening bully. He really sells the character with very few words. Sure it makes no sense that the library could be trashed and nothing happens. It's best not to get stuck with the logic of it all.

"Three O'Clock High" used to be a very famous movie in Brazil, due to the elevated number of times that the main channel displayed it. I remember seeing this when I was a kid, and last night I gave it another chance. The get go and the main plot are really promising: a young boy threatened by the school's biggest bad boy. From that perspective, anyone who wants to see it, has to have in mind that the film won't be any serious. In fact, the story is never serious; characters are very caricatured, gathering the most famous clichés of the high school genre. However, this movie proves to be interesting when it entertained me in a good way, making me root for the good guy to get away with murder, even if he did all those bad things to escape from his unwanted destiny. Directing isn't anything marvelous, and so isn't the acting, but the story is well written, delivering some laughs and some identifications with the characters. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that it has a cool soundtrack, which may satisfy the whole audience. It is, surely, a nice piece of entertainment made in the crazy decade of the eighties. It's recommended, especially for the young audience.

Never saw this 1987 comedy, but when it showed up on cable recently, we decided to take a look. Expecting the worse, but laughing while viewing it, we were sorry of not having seen it before. Director Phil Joanou's tale about a high school bully that is dead set into tormenting a frightened teen, had a lot to like and the right length to keep us interested in what the creators prepared from us.Basically Jimmy Mitchell, the teenager at the center of the story, is a good kid. He's neither a nerd, nor is he a jock, he falls into an in between category. His encounter with the brutish Buddy Revell gets him in such a state that he spends the whole day trying to get out of a fight he didn't provoke, or wanted, to begin with. At the end, Jimmy realizes his fears, although founded, disappear, as he takes Buddy and becomes a figure of admiration by his high school peers, something that most of us would rather try to face.The film works because of the nervous energy Casey Siemanszko brings to the role of Jimmy Mitchell. In the process of evading his adversary his Jimmy gets into all kinds of mischief. Richard Tyson, the stone-faced bully, does good work, while veterans Phillip Baker Hall and Jeffrey Tambor are seen in adult roles.

This movie had all of what makes a movie entertaining and I highly recommend it, for its entertainment value. If you enjoy some comedy mixed in with a the story of someone with no chance of winning (like Rocky), you'll love this one.The surprise twists and turns bring the main character to the inevitable ending, which may be a bit of a surprise. After rewatching, My Bodyguard, I recognized a similarity. This one is a tad less realistic than My Bodyguard, but still hits a very good note with the viewer. It is a great story of an underdog. Be prepared for surprises throughout the story and take the ending for what it is worth.