With Honors tells a tale about a homeless man who meets a group of Harvard students and this leads to an awkward relationship wherein he becomes their new professor about the real world and life in general. The homeless man is portrayed by Joe Pesci while Brendan Fraser,Moira Kelly,Patrick Dempsey and Josh Hamilton were cast as the students. This film feature was directed by Alek Keshishian,who happens to have a degree from Harvard.This could have been a great film considering that it has a talented cast like Pesci who happens to be an Academy Award winner,it was just too bad that it has a somewhat a simplistic screenplay. It was contrived and clichéd as the viewer could have seen how the relationship with the homeless man and the students would turn out,how the conflicts will be resolved and the conclusion that came to happens to be no surprise at all.Added to that,the cast wasn't able to elevate it due to average performances despite having being talented and the direction was far from being wonderful.

I saw this movie when it first came out. If not for the comedic scenes early on, I might have fallen asleep. I'm glad I didn't. We don't often see movies that have dialog as real as this one. This ensemble cast just...plain...works. The heart-breaking reunion and the final graduation scene are forever stamped into my memory. And the real meaning of "With Honors" will remain with me for all time. Years later, I still have several pebbles in a bag representing MY fondest memories. This is a movie for everyone. I have acquired many movies over the years, but this is still one of my all-time favorites. Only Brendan and Joe have gone on to "stardom", but the rest of the cast makes their roles possible and memorable

With Honors is one of those films that I remember enjoying back in the day, but never could recall what actually happened in it, let alone what it was about. Sure I knew that Joe Pesci played a bum attempting to show Brendan Fraser what life is all about, but that was pretty much it. Watching it again, probably more than ten years later, I can safely agree with myself from back then on how good of a movie it is. The acting is great and the story, while maybe a tad too sentimental and emotionally manipulating, is enthralling enough to stick with the characters and feel for them and their plight in getting through college with an education, along with their souls intact.A film like this makes you think about how good Joe Pesci used to be and regret that he has been out of the business for a while now. The guy never had the looks, the height, or even a voice that won't start grating on your ears before he even opens his mouth, but the guy is fantastic. He plays Simon Wilder with heart and realism, a homeless man who has regrets, but also piece of mind, knowing what went wrong and living life for meaning not materialistic necessity. In exchange for warm meals from Fraser's Harvard co-ed, he agrees to return the government thesis paper he is holding hostage. The paper is one that Fraser's professor fully endorses, but in the end is just a pile of nonsense that he himself doesn't believe in. Pesci must then try and make his young "student" learn how to see inside himself and realize that catering to those in power will never cause change or evolution in thinking.Besides Pesci, the main principles all do wonderful as well. It is a shame that Fraser has since rode his career down the toilet by doing children's fare and stupid comedies. Back in his heyday with this and School Ties, the guy showed he had some promise. Even the funny roles like Airheads worked, but unfortunately after that, he started to cash in the paychecks. Fraser shows that despite his jock physique, he has the ability to show inner intellect as well as a capacity to emit emotion. Some of the things that go on between he and Pesci strike tough cords and bring repressed feelings to the surface, but it is all a catharsis for both characters as they find out what it really is they need out of their own existences. As for the others, Moira Kelly makes you wonder what ever happened to her as far as film goes, Patrick Dempsey gives a performance with meaning while still keeping with his image of the day, and Josh Hamilton is entertaining enough to have made me see what else he's done since, surprising me to find he was one of my favorite roles in last year's comedy gem Diggers.Throughout the film, you know that tragedy will soon hit and the tears will flow, however, that knowledge never detracts from what is happening on screen. The writer doesn't copout when he could have, and the emotionally resonant moments are so because he allowed them to be hurtful and real. Infused consistently with the drama, though, are many moments of nice humor. No matter how serious Pesci might play, he is still a goofball through and through. A brilliant example of this is when he sits in on a government lecture at the school. His quips are funny, but when the professor finally calls him out, he holds his own and proves that looks are most definitely deceiving. That scene is worth seeing the film all by itself and it encompasses everything that the story is trying to convey.

This is a fantastic movie and I loved it! Basically, Monty is a Harvard student who thinks he knows it all and is writing his senior thesis but while running to make a copy of it (cliche, his computer crashed and he only has one copy) he slips and his work falls into the hands of Harvard bum Simon. What ensues can only be described as "masterful" as Monty and Simon develop as the story continues with different little twists and an ending that leaves you in tears. You can really FEEL the portrayal of the characters from Pesci and Fraser, but adding Patrick Dempsey, Moira Kelly, and Josh Hamilton completes the group. It is truly a beautiful film.