one of my absolute favorites!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Just a really fun movie with a simple premise, but high energy directing and fun characters. Great 80s memories. The style could easily be Scorsese. Surprised it never got more praise and recognition.

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.

So I watched 1987's three o'clock high starring, well no one whose name you will probably know. So is it good, I say it is was rad dude. I love this movie, I have seen it a few times since its original release, and I think it has the makings for status as a cult classic, if it hasn't achieved that moniker already. So it holds up 20 some odd years later, well why? Well I guess its the clever story, the humor, the use of the western theme where two men draw guns at high noon (well at three after class here), and the subtle homage to the biblical story of David versus Goliath. You take all that, you add a young Barry Sonnenfeld working on cinematography (men in black, Addams family, etc), a young Lisa Simpson playing a cheerleader, a practically unseen Paul Feig (freaks and geeks, the office, etc), and a bulked up Skinner from the x-files, you have a movie worth watching for a variety of reasons. I like how the characters day slowly goes from bad to worse just because he touched the wrong guy, how everything goes haywire after that, and how not only does he redeem himself in the end, but becomes both a living legend and a stud in the process before the fight even begins. This movie is just great, it is made in the mold of a John Hughes flick in some ways as well, these types of movies were green lighted a lot during that period, but this one stands on its own . So if you like 80's flicks that don't suck (well the music tangerine dream did does), if you like a good teen high school flick, or if you like clever and unique movies you can't go wrong. So put on your wayfarers and vans, pop some jiffy pop, maybe find a new coke somewhere, and enjoy.

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.