High School (2010 film)

Last updated
High School
High School film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Stalberg, Jr.
Screenplay by
Story by
  • John Stalberg, Jr.
  • Erik Linthorst
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Mitchell Amundsen
Edited byGabriel Wrye
Music by The Newton Brothers
Production
companies
  • Parallel Media
  • Flipzide
  • Zero Hour Films
Distributed by Anchor Bay Films
Release dates
  • January 24, 2010 (2010-01-24)(Sundance)
  • June 1, 2012 (2012-06-01)(United States; limited)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million
Box office$139,034 [1]

High School (also known as HIGH school) is a 2010 American teen comedy film starring Adrien Brody. It is the feature-length directorial debut of John Stalberg, Jr. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically distributed by Anchor Bay Films on June 1, 2012. [2]

Contents

Plot

High school valedictorian-to-be Henry Burke (Matt Bush) takes his first hit of cannabis with his ex-best friend Travis (Sean Marquette), only to learn that, due to a spelling bee champion's recent use of marijuana, their high school is conducting a drug test where anyone caught under the influence of anything will be expelled. Travis knows of a psychotic drug dealer, known as Psycho Ed (Adrien Brody), who carries an exclusive kind of cannabis called "kief", and the two boys steal the stash and intend on getting the whole school high, to invalidate the drug test and save Henry's future. But Psycho Ed is right on their trail and so is Dr. Gordon, the school dean.

Cast

Students
Staff
Other characters

Production

In 2008, principal photography began at the now named Parker Middle School in Howell, Michigan.

Reception

High School received almost exclusively positive reviews on its film festival circuit, including the Sundance Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival but was delayed by producers for over two years in spite of numerous studio offers to distribute the film. After making changes to the film, music and composed score, the producers finally agreed to release the film through Anchor Bay Films in 2010, garnering mixed reviews with their altered version.

As of June 2020, it holds a 28% approval rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 54 reviews with an average rating of 4.26/10. [3]

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References

  1. "High School". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  2. Stephen Holden (2012-05-12). "Beating the System With Tainted Brownies and Tainted Minds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  3. "High School (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 June 2020.