Three O'Clock HighThe only way to really deal with a bully is to bully their younger sibling.Unfortunately, the bully in this comedy is an only child.High school geek Jerry (Casey Siemaszko) is tasked with writing a welcome article on his school's newest transfer: bad-boy Buddy (Richard Tyson). The assignment goes from bad to worse when Buddy challenges Jerry to an after-school fight.Terrified of fighting, Jerry employs every trick in the textbook in order to avoid the pending violence. Stashing contraband, getting detention, even trying to buy Buddy off doesn't dissuade the imminent beat down that has the student body placing bets.An out-there dark comedy, this 1987 high school sub-genre flop stands the test of time thanks to the enduring power of bullying. Awkwardly funny and brutally honest, this neglected after-school fistfight movie needs to be revisited. Incidentally, there'd be no after-school fights if child labour laws were abolished. Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Like Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) in classic western High Noon, meek high school student Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko) finds himself nervously watching time tick by after he angers psychotic school 'touch-freak' Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson) by innocently patting him on the arm. Challenged to a fight in the school parking lot at three o'clock, Jerry tries desperately to find a way out of his predicament, but everything he does only seems to make matters worse.Three O'Clock High is one of those films that, more often than not, elicits a blank stare when I mention it to casual film fans, but which, in my humble opinion, deserves to share the same kind of popularity and recognition as much-loved '80s hits Risky Business and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.I suspect that its current anonymity is largely due to the lack of a future A-list star, Casey Siemaszko never achieving the fame of Cruise or Broderick, a crying shame because the film is every bit as worthy of admiration as the aforementioned better known teen classics. The smart script, while not laugh-out-loud funny, is consistently amusing throughout, director Phil Joanou's direction is stylish and suspenseful, the performances are excellent, and although the outcome is predictable (and highly improbable), the film's finale delivers that all important feel-good factor.

There's something about teenage films in the 80'sthat really keep my attention and this film is one of the aces. Maybe it's the fact Tangerine Dream did the soundtrack or maybe it's the spectacular cinematography, but the sole reason that makes this film resonate is the heart that exudes. It captures the essence of the high school kid that gets involved in an unintentional situation-anyone can relate. All the elements come together in this movie- references to Lincoln (Fast Times ?), Tangerine Dream (Risky Business), and not to mention the stellar performances to provide a very unique look into a subject NeVeR displayed on film the way this one does, the high school fight.

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.