Assassination of a High School President (2008)

Director:

Brett Simon

Writers:

Tim Calpin (written by)
Kevin Jakubowski (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Politics, popularity, paranoia, pharmaceuticals. Are you in?

Plot:

At a Catholic high school, the popular girl teams up with a sophomore newspaper reporter to investigate a case of stolen SAT exams. Once the duo target their suspects, a larger conspiracy is unearthed.

Plot Keywords:

Newspaper Reporter | Teenage Boy | Paintball Gun | School Principal | Attempted Murder

Cast

Mischa Barton	...	Francesca Fachini
Nick Blaemire	...	Byron
Zachary Booth	...	Rocky
Gabrielle Brennan	...	Chrissy Moore
Emily Brownell	...	Ms. Smart
Josh Caras	...	Marty Mullen (as Josh Barclay Caras)
Tomas Deckaj	...	Ben Striedel (voice)
Melonie Diaz	...	Clara
Mohamed Dione	...	Ongatumamwe
John Farrer	...	Faculty priest
Tanya Fischer	...	Sam landis
Laura Ford	...	DMV Lady
Luke Grimes	...	Marlon Piazza
Aaron Himelstein	...	Tad Goltz
Marc John Jefferies	...	Elliott Duncan
Zoë Kravitz	...	Valerie
John Magaro	...	Cipriato
Emily Meade	...	Tiffany Ashwood
Kathryn Morris	...	Nurse Platt
Josh Pais	...	Senor Newell
Adam Pally	...	Freddy Bismark
Joseph Perrino	...	Dutch Middleton
Vincent Piazza	...	Ricky Delacruz
Maria Elena Ramirez	...	Nancy Margle
Michael Rapaport	...	Coach Z
Zach Roerig	...	Matt Mullen
Quinn Shephard	...	Eye Patch Girl
Ashley Springer	...	White kid with dreds
Patrick Taylor	...	Paul Moore
Robin Taylor	...	Alex Schneider
Reece Thompson	...	Bobby Funke
Bruce Willis	...	Principal Kirkpatrick
Michael Zegen	...	Stephen Lohman

Also Known As:

The Sophomore (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, some nudity, language, and drug and alcohol use - all involving teens.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bayonne High School - Avenue A & 28th Street, Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Vertigo Entertainment

Trivia:

The deleted scenes show multiple references to John Wilkes Booth, which frames the scene where the rooftop shooter jumps down from the roof and limps away on one leg.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Right after the first basketball game, Byron buys a Pepsi in a bottle out of the machine in the school hallway. He pops the bottle cap off using the opener on the machine, but when he brings the bottle up to drink, the level in the bottle is already down several inches, indicating this was a re-take of the shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bobby Funke: [narrating] You want to know the truth about high school? You've got to break it down into its elements. Unfortunately, at St. Donovan's, the periodic table is more crooked than a case of scoliosis. Just give me the chance and I'll set it all straight. Case in point...

Movie Connections:

References Chinatown (1974)

Soundtrack:

Speak for Me

a lesser 'brick'

A pretty fun movie, but I thought I'd take the time to point out something that apparently all the other reviewers have missed. this, to me, is pretty much a Brick rip-off. which is not to say it's a bad movie, as often if you pick a good movie to copy, you can end up with a good film yourself. But definitely, if you haven't seen Brick, do so. It's the same "hard-boiled" patter and convoluted connections that make up the high-school drama. Only Brick is way tougher, more intelligent, and a lot more heartbreaking.

Once again, I really like Assassination of a High School President. Although I would never recommend it to someone without making sure they've seen Brick first.