Sheesh! Why does everyone hate this film so much? It seems to be mostly because of Nick Cannon, granted I can sorta see how he'd grate on the nerves, but I found him to be an absolute riot with lines like "back in my old neighborhood, getting crabs was something totally different, and "I think I swallowed Nemo! Cannon looks like he's really enjoying himself here and comes across as really likable, the rest of the actors are decent enough, there's no real "bad" acting here. The plot, while pretty thin, is well done enough that it dosen't matter much, and yeah I did notice the Point Break similarities but I don't consider it a bad thing when a film has very similar scenes to another film. Speaking of which, the climatic fight in this film is virtually identical to the one at the end of Patriot Games but that didn't bother me too much. This is a highly underrated, lighthearted and hilarious action-comedy that's nowhere near as bad as everyone else has led you to believe.

The movie starts when a rookie young detective (Nick Cannon) is assigned by his chief (Cheech Marin) for a dangerous mission . With help of local officers (Kelli Hu , Ian Gomez) begins the assignment , as he goes undercover at an elite high school where a murder erupts and a student is mysteriously found dead ; besides , cars smuggling and a drug ring are also happening at private college . He investigates suspects , especially another student is considered prime suspect . Meanwhile , he meets a beautiful teacher (Roselyn Sanchez).It's an OK entertainment juvenile with noisy action , thriller , humor , tongue-in-check and results to be quite amusing .It's predictable but with lots of fun and the production values is nice , being produced by famed producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein . Originally set for a US theatrical release in 2004 , then two massive waves of layoffs were sustained at Miramax and Dimension , and the infamous Disney and Miramax split reached it's height . This film thus remained in the Miramax vaults unreleased during this time of uncertainty ; when the divorce was finally completed, numerous films under the Miramax and Dimension label were finally released theatrically . The foul-mouthed Nick Cannon (also producer) imitates to detective Axel Foley , formerly played by Eddie Murphy . Similar plot about undercover cop at high school was previously adapted in films such as ¨Undercover¨(1987 , John Stockwell) and ¨Plain clothes¨ (with Arliss Howard and Seymour Cassel) and taking parts from ¨Beverly Hills cop¨ and other pictures . It's a Nick Cannon (Drumline , Love don't cost a thing) humorous recital , he runs , hits , jumps and plays as an action hero . In addition , a gorgeous Roselyn Sánchez (Basic, Rush hour 2) , an explosive Latin beauty , and known secondaries as veteran Cheech Marin (Grindhouse ,Spy kids) , Kelli Hu (X2 , The Scorpion king) and Ian Gomez (Lost and Chasing Papi) , among others . The motion picture was regularly directed but at least you'll get some laughs . The picture isn't great , but for some , there may be reason to watch it but contains giggles and amusement . Rating : Mediocre but entertaining.

This movie was downright awful. Let me stress the fact that Nick Cannon is nowhere near the word comedy. Heck, not even kids will laugh at his jokes. And I think Cannon tries too hard at imitating the Wayans brothers, he might look like them, but does not even come close to their definition of funny.Another thing that was disturbing was apparently Nick Cannon was the only person who had to be black who could play basketball, while the rest, who were "surprisingly" all white, couldn't even dribble, pass or shoot, and he amazingly single handedly crushed the other team. Awesome!!! I did not see that coming. Furthermore, this movie was so predictable it could be classified as a documentary. The only thing that was both shocking and stunning, was when Cannon missed a dunk while practicing with character Al. Other than that, it was no surprise that Cannon did not commit a single turnover or a single miss during his basketball games. Never in the history of my movie watching career have I seen a cop take a dump during a stakeout... let alone in the bushes. It may be comic to some, but it's the dumbest excuse and the most idiotic idea in letting the robbers get away. Needless to say I was not at all surprised that just as Kelly Hu and her partner were dropping the deuce, the robbers got away.I get the feeling that Siega did not even try to make this film entertaining. This movie is so terrible that I think Siega meant for this movie to suck! Oh.. and don't get me started on the acting... and what kind of private schools let teachers wear tight shirts and belly shirts??? All in all a greatly planned out disaster.

Whenever the conversation turns to "CSI" or whatever prime time offering is currently in vogue, I quickly flag the waitress for a check. The last network television show I watched with any regularity was a Saturday morning hangover cure called "Save by the Bell." As Fran Liebowitz said, "if you're gonna' watch TV, watch TV." Not that the worst film is better than anything on television, it's just that after watching three movies in one day, the last thing I need in my home is more visual stimulation. The line between commercial film-making and think-free storytelling with commercial interruptions is less conspicuous than ever as studios bait their hooks with product inspired by, derived from and/or best suited for the small screen.Tracy Stokes (Nick Cannon) is a third generation beat cop assigned bike duty. Only after a stolen goods deal goes bad and a bicyclist-dispersing, empty cardboard box tossing (no fruit cart?) chase ensues does newbie Tracy produce a gun. Youthful enough to pass for a high school student, under-qualified Tracy goes undercover to infiltrate an auto theft ring at a ritzy private academy. Rest assured that no new wrinkles or surprises will brighten this ancient premise. There are well-groomed punks to deal with (Shawn Ashmore & Angelo Spizzirri), a soft-hearted father substitute (Cheech Marin), a gorgeous Spanish teacher to romance (Roselyn Sanchez), and a stock authoritarian figure (Hugh Bonneville) to battle.Being one of the few visible African-Americans at a predominantly white school, Tracy predictably demonstrates his ability to shoot hoop, and later paintballs and bullets. Brace yourself: "Underclassman's" running time is action-padded with a basketball game, Ski-Doo water chase, paintball contest, even a rugby match! Everyone on board actually bought into this vanity piece. The success of "Drumline" made the 24-year-old Nick Cannon a Miramax Star of Tomorrow. He currently has six films (including the hotly anticipated "Untitled Nick Cannon Project") in various stages of production, all slated for a 2005-6 release. With a name like Nick Cannon you'd half expect a Mickey Spillane dick or a jarhead fighting alongside Sgt. Fury. Instead we have a spindly, baby-faced pup whose first-time story outline is as clownish as his on-screen persona.Although structurally as lumpy, Siega's first film, "Pretty Persuasion," a dark comedy about a student accusing her drama teacher of sexual harassment. showcases a better cast acting out a darker fantasy. Kudos to the freshman director. At a time when it's difficult for a newcomer to get one movie financed, Siega currently has two films in wide release. Unfortunately, when combined they don't add up to one feature.