Crash Course (film)

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Crash Course
DrivingAcademyMovie.jpg
VHS cover
Also known asDriving Academy
Genre Comedy
Written byWilliam A. Schwartz
Directed by Oz Scott
Starring Jackeé
Charlie Robinson
Edie McClurg
Tina Yothers
Alyssa Milano
Harvey Korman
Dick Butkus
Ray Walston
Music byMark Davis
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Charles Fries
ProducersIrv Wilson
Maj Canton
Yuri Spilny
Production location Los Angeles
CinematographyBernd Heinl
EditorDuane Hartzell
Running time95 minutes
Production company Fries Distribution Company
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseJanuary 17, 1988 (1988-01-17)

Crash Course (also known as Driving Academy) is a 1988 American made for television comedy film directed by Oz Scott.

Contents

Plot

Crash Course centers on a group of high schoolers in a driver's education class; many for the second or third time. The recently divorced teacher, super-passive Larry Pearl (Charlie Robinson), is on thin ice with the football fanatic principal, Principal Paulson (Ray Walston), who is being pressured by the district superintendent to raise driver's education completion rates or lose his coveted football program. With this in mind, Principal Paulson and his assistant, with a secret desire for his job, Abner Frasier (Harvey Korman), hire an outside driver's education instructor with a very tough reputation, Edna Savage (Jackée Harry), a.k.a. E.W. Savage, who quickly takes control of the class.

The plot focuses mostly on the students and their interactions with their teachers and each other. In the beginning, Rico (Brian Bloom) is the loner with just a few friends, Chadley (Rob Stone) is the bookish nerd with few friends who longs to be cool and also longs to be a part of Vanessa's (Alyssa Milano) life who is the young, friendly and attractive girl who had to fake her over-protective mother's signature on her driver's education permission slip. Kichi (B.D. Wong) is the hip-hop Asian kid who often raps what he has to say and constantly flirts with Maria (Olivia d'Abo), the rich foreign girl who thinks that the right-of-way on the roadways always goes to (insert awesomely fake foreign Latino accent) “my father’s limo”. Finally you have stereotypical football meathead J.J. (Nathan Dyer), who needs to pass his English exam to keep his eligibility and constantly asks out and gets rejected by Alice (Tina Yothers), the tomboy whose father owns “Santini & Son” Concrete Company. Alice is portrayed as being the “son” her father wanted.

As the movie progresses, the students’ relationships with their teacher, each other and their driving abilities all begin to improve. Friendships are formed in and out of the classroom. All the while Abner, Acting Principal while Paulson is out of town, is spying on the entire bunch, teachers and students, and constantly calling the superintendent with the purpose of smearing the reputation of Principal Paulson in hopes of taking his job. In the meantime, Edna, who was initially cool and somewhat hostile to Larry, begins to see him in a new light. At the same time, Larry, who was initially a nervous and passive man due mainly to stress involving his ex-wife and their divorce proceedings, becomes more assertive and confident in himself, which Edna finds very attractive.

Just as things start to look up for the class in school and at home, an untimely accident involving Chad, Vanessa and the driver's education car brings the entire class closer together. Literally, each character, save for Abner whose attempts to take over as principal are thwarted by the progression of all the characters and the timely return of Principal Paulson, reaches a point in their life where they seem happy with themselves, their relationships with their friends and their relationships with their parents. Ultimately, all the kids pass the course with flying colors, and Larry and Edna end up falling in love and entering into a romantic relationship.

Cast

Teens
Other

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