ThiefHott
Too much of everything
Steinesongo
Too many fans seem to be blown away
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Predrag
This movie portrays what many, many American males went through in high school. Being bullied. This movie's 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 just excellent! 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 film's 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.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
utgard14
High school loser Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko) touches Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson), a tough new student who's a "touch freak," meaning he goes nuts when people touch him. Now he has to fight Buddy at three o'clock in the parking lot. Fun, vibrant comedy that's totally underrated. It's criminal that this isn't more well-known. I think any guy who went to public school should be able to relate to it. The cast is great and the script is smart. But it's the excellent direction from Phil Joanou and cinematography from Barry Sonnenfeld that sets it apart from most of the other high school comedies of the '80s. It's a really good movie that deserves wider recognition.
anssir66
Having seen this movie hyped in lists of top ten 80s teen movies, I decided to give this movie a chance. The verdict: it is maybe not on par with the top of 80s teen movies like Breakfast Club, Ferris, Last American Virgin, etc. There's something clumsy in the overall production that is hard to nail, but nevertheless on the whole it is enjoyable. I also like the way it doesn't give all the answers straight away to the viewer. E.g. the character of the bully, Buddy Revell, is given depth and mystery through subtle hints - he spends his breaks reading in the library, he is good at math, he returns the money Jerry gave him. Also, it is never explained why he doesn't like being touched, even in a friendly way such as what Jerry did, which adds to the mystery of his character. Another example of the movie not giving answers straight away is the ending where Jerry is hailed as the hero and several ladies - plus the book club teacher! -approach him/invite him to go with them. Jerry's decision of who will be his choice is not shown to the viewer. Not only subtleties in the plot but also neat tricks with the camera work make this movie enjoyable enough to watch.
Diego_rjc
There are a lot of movies from the 1980's that we grew up watching it. At the movies, at the afternoon screenings on TV, movies like 'Back to the Future' or 'The Goonies'. We all remember those movies with great enthusiasm and nostalgia. Who doesn't like 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' or 'License to Drive'? But there is one particular movie from this period that is easily overlooked because of all those classics. Well, it shouldn't, because 'Three O'clock High' is probably one of the best teen comedy of all time and one of the most beloved movies from the 80's.'Three O'clock High' is set on your regular high school. Rumor has it that the new student, Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson) is a very dangerous guy that doesn't like to be touched. And the rumors are proved to be true when one of the the school's nerds, Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko), touches Buddy. Now, Buddy challenges Jerry to a fight at the school's parking lot when the classes are over - at three o'clock high. Then Jerry gets evolved in all kinds of strange situations to try to avoid the confrontation. The movie's script seems to have a rather silly and cliché argument like any other teen comedy. It may have, but the way the story develops is great. Near the end, the movie even gets to raise a few moral questions. The dialogs are surprisingly well- written, and you get lots of funny jokes that haven't lost its touch. And that's another great aspect from 'Three O'clock High'. Except for a few clothes and haircuts, the movie doesn't seem to have aged at all. This is mostly for the already-mentioned great dialog, but partly for the characters. Jerry Mitchell's growing during the movie is incredible, and Buddy Revell must be one of the best villains of all time. And that's mostly because of Richard Tyson's wonderful acting as Buddy. He is quiet, yet quite frightening. But Buddy is a character that even when you fear him, you don't dislike him. You're always there, trying to dislike him, but you can't. And aside from Tyson's performance, which was the best of the movie, the rest of the acting is also nice. All the supporting cast do their jobs very well, with Annie Ryan standing out as a girl who wants to be jerry Mitchell's girlfriend. You even get a cameo from Mitch Pillegi here (the Assistant Director Walter Skinner of the famous TV series 'The X-Files') Casey Siemaszko, just like Tyson, delivers a top-notch performance as Jerry Mitchell. He changes perfectly with the pace of his character, with really great body and facial expressions While watching 'Three O'clock High', the movie surprised me in many ways. But what mostly surprised me here was Phil Joanou's work as the director of the picture. Joanou is commonly known to get this directing job because he was Steven Spielberg's protégé at the time. and since Spielberg is one of the Executive Producers for the movie (even though, god-knows-why, Spielberg had his name removed from the credits)... -- Joanou directing started to surprise me right into the starting credits, with nice camera angles as Jerry was getting ready for school, and a great 80's-like song playing in the back. but Joanou caught me with my pants down in the end of the starting credits, with a really beautiful tracking shot as kids were getting into school and each group was talking different rumors about Buddy Revell. The passage of time is also perfectly portrayed here. The lots of shots showing a clock with the hours only served to increase the audience's anxiety and Jerry Mitchell's fear for the fight. In my opinion, Phil Joanou portrayed the passage of time as good as Fred Zinnemann did in the classic western 'High Noon'. It's also real pleasant to see that Joanou was able to apply every directing technique into a teen comedy (!).The movie's budget wasn't exactly big, and we can see this with lots of technical mistakes- in both sound and image. But this doesn't spoil the overall experience- it's incredibly fun to watch this movie. 'Three O'clock High' has an excellent script, that created unforgettable characters and haven't aged at all; the movie's acting is superb, specially because of the work of the two leads (Casey Siemaszko and Richard Tyson); and Phil Joanou's directing was a pleasant surprise, 'cause he was able to apply lots of directing techniques into a teen comedy. This proves why 'Three O'clock High' is one of the best of the 80's comedy classics. It's not a masterpiece, but it's really fun and it shouldn't be overlooked (but it is, unfortunately).9/10
