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Assassination of a High School President (2008) More at IMDbPro »

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16 reviews in total

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49 out of 66 people found the following review useful:
Completely awesome, 1 October 2008

Author: cremins03 from United States

I saw this film at Sundance at the Salt Lake screening. I have to say I was really surprised by how much I liked it. This is NOT your typical high school movie. It's the antidote to say movies like High School Musical. I'd call it Rushmore meets the Usual Suspects or John Hughes on acid or something. The characters were great, Bruce Willis was excellent and most of all it was absolutely, laugh out loud hilarious. I can't believe this film hasn't come out yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing it again. I get the feeling it could go on to become one of those Lebowski type comedies. There was so much stuff packed in there that it should get better every time you see it.

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12 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Great adaptation of Chinatown set in High School, 11 October 2009

Author: cadillac20 from Culver City, California

While some may compare this to Brick, the 2005 similarly-set High School film noir, Assassination is much more comparable to Chinatown, which is clearly it's biggest influence. In fact, you'll see lines lifted right out of the film. But is it good? Yes, actually, it's quite good. Clearly, the filmmakers here were not taking this quite as seriously as either Brick or Chinatown, and it pays off with a fun, funny, sometime campy, film noir with a good mystery and some well acted roles.

The writing presents a stylish script with dialogue that is often funny and over the top. Bruce Willis is especially mentionable as a veteran-turned-principle who pines over his time spent in the military taking out bad guys and his hate for chewing gum. He's perfectly over the top. Reece Thompson also does a great job as the lead character, playing up the gumshoe role with relish. It's fun to see him be him and follow him on his journey.

One line in the film goes something like "high school is simple...yet it's not." The film does a particularly good job of showing this throughout in scenes that inspire laughs. We have a suspension hall that acts like a prison, and is presented in such a way as to inspire this comparison. We have an assassination attempt that...well, I won't spoil it. But suffice to say, this scene in particular demonstrates exactly what I am talking about. It's a good revelation of how high school can be: in the end it seems simple, but while in, high school can be anything but.

The film is very entertaining and should be fun for anyone looking for a good noir. It's not serious like it's inspirations, but it does contain a good mystery, some good acting stints, and some fun dialogue. I recommend it for anyone looking for something slightly different to watch on a Saturday night.

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16 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
A slamdunked cult classic with smarts to spare..., 4 October 2009

Author: guringo

It's the coming-of-age of a gum-chewing gumshoe, from geek to sleek, in the 'meanhalls' of the school that never sleeps. And as such, it's one hilarious genre-spoof that actually works on all levels, the kind that when you're not laughing out right you're grinning from ear to ear. I'd even say it drives a stake thru Twi'blight, especially in regards to the hyper-true-love-of-the-super-mature-movie-teens.

I loved the 'school as prison' backdrop- Shawshank meets Hamlet 2 sort of thing, but neither over-the-top nor under-fed. The bad guys are neither psychotic nor one-dimensional while the good guys (and gal), well, they're not angels and this, again, is pitch-perfect and so refreshing compared to the usual Hollywood polarization.. and kudos on the editing, the dialogue, the pace - everything really.

One questionable casting choice however is Mischa Barton. I can't seem to come up with a better alternative and she is OK but nothing more -as opposed to the rest of the cast. She seems to have some kind of acting-facial-paralysis, very noticeable in her last scene, and for her sake, I hope she learns to transcend this botox-haze she shares with Kirsten Dunst among others. But this is truly a minor (possible) blemish in an otherwise awesome little movie where the whodunnit is somewhat gratuitous but then, you wouldn't want it any other way.

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15 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
The name's Bobby Funke...I write for the paper, 5 October 2009

Author: kal07

"The name's Bobby Funke...I write for the paper" as soon as this dialogue came up in the opening few minutes, I thought hmm...maybe this film would be interesting. As it turned out, after about 90 minutes from that time, I think it was an interesting film but not entirely. As ambiguous as this sounds, the film almost entirely was carried off by the good performance from its lead Reece Thompson. He was just about perfect for the role of Funke.

The pace of the film is very nice and the story{mystery} unveils nicely. Though predictable at times, the screenplay never gave up all its cards before the climax. The music was well suited and the side characters did their job well except for a few.

Now the biggest culprit is Mischa Barton. For some reason she was never convincing enough and always appeared very phony. Least to say she didn't immerse herself into the character. Though we all know she is not famous for her acting skills, she didn't put her 100% behind the role. For all her fans there is some good news...she shows off her boobs in this film.

Now, this film is no Oscar winner or a GEM or one of the best ever and I'm positive the film-maker never intended it to be BUT its quite enjoyable if you can look beyond Mischa Barton and to a small extent the predictability of the plot. I must add, it has quite a few funny moments. The dialogue is good at some instants and horrible at others.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
You Bleed, Funke. We All Bleed!, 3 October 2009

Author: boby-anev from Sofia, Bulgaria

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Well... I Loved it! Not exactly a masterpiece, but some hell of a job. Good beginning - 5 minutes gone, and you cant wait to know what happens! Fast movie! The last few movies I watched were full of crap, maybe that's why I really liked the movie, but there were some flaws in the script... Still very nice movie.

The acting was the real deal! The well known Bruce did an awesome job, again. Reece Thompson did a very good job in the leading role. Before I watched the movie I tough he will be awful, he proved me wrong. I never liked Mischa Barton, and I still don't like her :) But she made good enough role. It's the full-length debut of Brett Simon, and I am watching forward seeing his next projects.

I was impressed by 2 scenes - the first DMV test, and the awesome hallway talk between Bruce Willis and Reece Thompson. The main focus on Willis, while in the back John Magaro made my day!

*Spoilers* Principal Kirkpatrick: You know what scares me? Injustice. You know why? Because it's everywhere. You think l don't see Cipriato behind me jerking off right now? He's a dead man. l'll deal with him.

With few words - Not the typical high school movie. ;)

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9 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
a lesser 'brick', 7 October 2009

Author: timothy from Canada

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.

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Hilariously serious high school noir, 17 November 2009

Author: Andrew DiMonte (ThatIsNoArrow) from My House, Canada

"Assassination of a High School President" is a pleasant surprise: a high school noir comedy where the joke is how seriously it takes itself. It never leaves the classroom - nothing that happens in it is too ridiculous - but it maintains a consistent sense of epic importance that successfully subverts, and is subverted by, its own fairly mundane story. On that level it's sort of brilliant; we understand how important the events of the story are to the characters while never losing track of how comically meager they are to us, the seasoned moviegoers. Now, just reading that, I can't imagine a more effective way of representing secondary school.

The story is this: (wannabe) star reporter of the school newspaper Bobby Funke (Reece Thompson) gets a puff piece on student body president Paul More (Patrick Taylor) at the same time a stack of SATs are stolen right out of Principal Kirpatrick's (Bruce Willis) office. Kirpatrick appoints Bobby as his head investigator and it turns out the two stories are deeply connected. More than that I will not say, although keep in mind this film is closer to Wes Anderson than James M. Cain.

And another thing it isn't is Rian Johnson's "Brick." Its 2005 genre predecessor and "Miller's Crossing" rip-off, that was the film where Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a down-and-out student playing two high school gangs against each other. It's the movie this one has been most compared to, unfavourably, although the two are nothing alike. "Brick" was a film of dead weight, a leaden "drama" with aged and dreary characters and a story meant to confuse and depress you. It was a gangly, nearly incomprehensible movie that's gained cult status mainly, I think, because most of its fans don't understand it. It was a movie with a story and setting that never came together, and with a sensibility and technique more heavy-handed than the worst Hollywood message movie.

"Assassination" just wants to make you laugh, and, in the process, laugh off the petty issues that plague high school life (I can see it being almost therapeutic for kids facing those problems today). It sparkles with an understated wit and has a real atmosphere to it; with stylish, brooding cinematography and dialogue that's one third noirspeak and two thirds teenage dirty-mindedness. It never plays above or below its own maturity level, at once broadly funny and fiendishly clever.

It's also a showcase for a host of young actors who are likely to become the Steve Buscemis and Robert Downey Jr.'s of their generation. Reece Thompson is note-perfect as Bobby, a classically straightlaced gumshoe-in-training who can't seem to catch a break. He holds the movie on his back and shows some real star power. Taylor is hilarious as the air-headed president, and Bobby's three stoner friends - Tanya Fischer, Luke Grimes and Vincent Piazza - inject their scenes with a put-upon camaraderie. Mischa Barton, Adam Pally and Melonie Diaz also shine.

The old pro's have a lot of fun with the material: Willis, Kathryn Morris and Michael Rapaport. Willis is particularly strong as the scene-stealing principal. He's a deadly serious, tough-as-nails man who can't stop talking about his tour of duty in the Gulf War - perhaps not the most appropriate coaching technique for a group of adolescents. His dialogue is spotless, timing perfect and intensity - palpable. Every scene he appears in elevates the material to a heightened level of pulp/pop culture craziness; you almost can't believe that's actually Bruce Willis standing there, having so much fun, almost impersonating himself. I'd go so far as to say Willis deserves a Supporting Actor nomination for his work here.

It's an effective comedy and an interesting mystery. It has a lot of fun with its premise instead of sticking to it with an almost dutiful monogamy like "Brick" did. It's well-made enough to make its director, Brent Simon, someone to watch out for. It's not perfect, the conclusion lacks some umph, but that only makes sense considering the film's last line: "Forget it Bobby, it's High School." 8/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
It's more enjoyable if you don't compare it to "Brick"., 14 November 2009

Author: KineticSeoul from United States

Like some critics are saying, this movie is similar to "Brick". But the thing is there can only be a certain amounts of different genres, types and styles of films. So for a detective story to happen in a high school setting in a over exaggerated, unrealistic, and fantasy like style is fine although it's been done before. I mean there is tons of movies for a certain type of genre, but you hardly see people whining about similar styles in films and go see it anyways. So "Assassination of a High School President" is it's own film, as a matter of fact it would have worked as a fresh sequel for "Brick". Now is it better than "Brick"? I don't think so. And if I had to compare it to "Brick" this is complicated but not as intelligent, not as convoluted but also not that much in depth, less heartbreaking but comedic. Also main character in this film just isn't cool or slick as Brendan from "Brick", but that could be his charm. Sophomore newspaper reporter Bobby Funke is assigned to write a cover story on Paul, the popular class president and top athlete. After a stack of SAT tests is stolen from the office of a bada** principal Kirkpatrick(Bruce Willis) and Bruce Willis is the main reason I decided to check out this film. Funke publishes an expose that names Paul as the prime suspect and, suddenly, Bobby is the hot shot on campus. But when Paul's girlfriend who is the hottest girl in school makes a move on Bobby and even his former bullies lay off his back, Funke begins to doubt the jock's guilt and everyone else's motives. And his investigation uncovers a campus wide conspiracy that threatens to take down people in high places in school. Funke must decide to either stay as the new stud on campus or decide to tell the truth, although he is sort of forced to go with the other option. The build up was good but the ending wasn't that satisfying because it was simply far fetched, had plot holes and just wasn't that creative, but passable.

7.4/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Reece Thompson an unheard of actor to me but does a great in this movie!, 15 October 2009

Author: brownah18 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Reece Thompson (Bobby Funke) plays a school loser you could say in The Assassination of a High School President as a Sophomore newspaper reporter. After interviewing and contemplating after being accused of stealing SAT tests he writes his first article in the school paper which tells all and that Patrick Taylor (Paul Moore) the school president has stolen the SAT tests. Funke interviews other students along with the help of Francesca Fachini (Mischa Barton) to figure out what is really going on in their high school. This movie reminds me a lot about those movies like the Breakfast Club except with more going on than just detention on the last day of school. If you liked high school conspiracies as much as i do this one will keep you interested. This movie also stars Nick Blaemire, Zachary Booth, Gabrielle Brennan, Emily Brownell, Melonie Diaz, Tanya Fischer, and Bruce Willis. See my Reviews on getthenew.com, thanks ahb.

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Damn good journalism, 4 October 2009

Author: Prayas Rajpal from India

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is a movie For the people who want to enjoy their movies. All i mean is that this movie was Awesome all the suspense like in a Sherlock Holmes and the things happening in high-schools these days. This movie is a must-2-watch as it is a popcorn-snack friendly picture. when you watch this movie u will feel like being in it and experiencing the thrill. People won't regret watching it at all .

Not for Children Under 17. Because of some sexual content and abuses. good. better. Best. This is what i have to say for this movie.

i mean i am not the movie person but considering to help you i must say once again it is a must see and if you don't you will regret it.

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