How I Got into College

Last updated
How I Got Into College
Howigotintocollege.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Savage Steve Holland
Written byTerrel Seltzer
Produced byElizabeth Cantillon
Michael Shamberg
Starring
Cinematography Robert Elswit
Edited byKaja Fehr
Sonya Sones
Music byJoseph Vitarelli
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
May 19, 1989
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million
Box office$1,642,239 (USA)

How I Got Into College is a 1989 American romantic comedy film directed by Savage Steve Holland, starring Anthony Edwards, Corey Parker, and Lara Flynn Boyle and produced & released by 20th Century Fox. This is the film debut of eventual voice actor Tom Kenny, who would become best known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Contents

Plot

The story follows two high school seniors from Michigan on their quest to get into Ramsey College, a small college in Pennsylvania: popular and talented Jessica, and unnoticed underachiever Marlon. Jessica wants to break free of both her high school image and her family's near-maniacal devotion to the University of Michigan, while Marlon simply wants to go to whatever college Jessica is going to because he's completely in love with her. Jessica and Marlon go from being in completely different orbits to slowly becoming friends and then romantic interests for each other. The battle lines at Ramsey are drawn between a priggish administrator named Leo who wants to make SAT scores the entire arbiter of who gets in, and good hearted Ramsey alums-turned-Admissions officers Kip and Nina, who feel that SAT scores are important but not the whole or even the main story behind any applicants. Side stories involve two African-American high school seniors in Detroit (one a natural leader whose father died when she was younger, the other a very talented football player whose desire to expand his intellectual horizons is ignored by everyone), Marlon's college-eschewing best friend Oliver, a conniving pair of untalented "SAT tutors", and the battle between Leo and Kip/Nina to get a great class of students to Ramsey.

Cast

Production

Jan Eliasberg started directing but was fired five days into filming and replaced with Savage Steve Holland. [1] Production on the film commenced in February 1988, actress Lara Flynn Boyle left production briefly in March 1988 to film reshoots for the ending of Poltergeist III.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has rated it a 38% [2]

Box office

The film was a box office bomb, making just $651,850 in its opening weekend from 743 theaters for an average of $877 per venue. [3] It ended its run with only $1,642,239 domestically. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Santa Clause</i> 1994 film directed by John Pasquin

The Santa Clause is a 1994 American Christmas comedy film directed by John Pasquin and written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick. The first installment in The Santa Clause franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordinary man who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof to his supposed death on Christmas Eve. When he and his young son, Charlie, finish the late St. Nick's trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole where Scott learns that he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed Santa Claus.

The year 1989 involved many significant films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lara Flynn Boyle</span> American actress (born 1970)

Lara Flynn Boyle is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Hayward in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). After portraying Stacy in Penelope Spheeris's comedy Wayne's World (1992), Boyle had a lead role in John Dahl's neo-noir film Red Rock West (1993), followed by roles in Threesome (1994), Cafe Society (1995), and Happiness (1998). From 1997 to 2003, Boyle portrayed Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in the ABC television series The Practice for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

<i>Mobsters</i> (film) 1991 film by Michael Karbelnikoff

Mobsters is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Michael Karbelnikoff. It details the creation of The Commission. Set in New York City, taking place from 1917 to 1931, it is a semi-fictitious account of the rise of Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. The film stars Christian Slater as Luciano, Patrick Dempsey as Lansky, Costas Mandylor as Costello and Richard Grieco as Siegel, with Michael Gambon, Anthony Quinn, Lara Flynn Boyle, and F. Murray Abraham in supporting roles.

<i>The Wizard</i> (1989 film) 1989 adventure comedy-drama film directed by Todd Holland

The Wizard is a 1989 American family film directed by Todd Holland, written by David Chisholm, and starring Fred Savage, Jenny Lewis, Beau Bridges, Christian Slater, and Luke Edwards. It was also Tobey Maguire's uncredited film debut.

<i>Alfie</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Charles Shyer

Alfie is a 2004 American romantic comedy-drama film inspired by the 1966 British film of the same name and its 1975 sequel, starring Jude Law as the title character, originally played by Michael Caine in the 1966 film and Alan Price in the 1975 sequel. The film was co-written, directed, and produced by Charles Shyer.

Moira Kelly is an American actress. She is known for portraying Kate Moseley in the 1992 film The Cutting Edge as well as single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She is also known for playing the role of Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, replacing Lara Flynn Boyle in the prequel to the 1990 TV series Twin Peaks. Other roles include Dorothy Day in Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, White House media consultant Mandy Hampton in the first season of The West Wing, and the voice of Simba's love interest Nala in The Lion King and its direct-to-video sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1½. She also played Hetty Kelly and Oona O'Neill in Chaplin.

<i>The Rules of Attraction</i> (film) 2002 film by Roger Avary

The Rules of Attraction is a 2002 black comedy-drama film written and directed by Roger Avary and based on Bret Easton Ellis's 1987 novel of the same title. The film was distributed by Lions Gate Films. The story follows three Camden College students who become entangled in a love triangle with a drug dealer, a virgin, and a bisexual classmate. It stars James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, Kip Pardue, and Joel Michaely.

<i>The End</i> (1978 film) 1978 black comedy-buddy film directed by Burt Reynolds

The End is a 1978 American black comedy film directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, written by Jerry Belson, and with music composed by Paul Williams. The film also stars Dom DeLuise along with Sally Field, Strother Martin, David Steinberg, Joanne Woodward, Norman Fell, Myrna Loy, Kristy McNichol, Pat O'Brien, Robby Benson and Carl Reiner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Bird</span> Irish journalist and broadcaster

Charles Brown Bird is an Irish journalist and broadcaster. He was Chief News Correspondent with RTÉ News until January 2009. He took up the role of Washington Correspondent, but prematurely returned to his earlier post in Ireland in June 2010. He retired from RTÉ in August 2012.

<i>Above the Rim</i> 1994 film directed by Jeff Pollack

Above the Rim is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina.

<i>The Quiet</i> 2005 American film

The Quiet is a 2005 American psychological thriller film directed by Jamie Babbit and starring Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle, Martin Donovan, and Edie Falco. It focuses on a deaf-mute teenage orphan who is sent to live with her godparents. She soon becomes a sounding board for the family members, who confess their darkest secrets to her, including the incestous relationship between her godfather and his teenage daughter.

<i>No Mans Land</i> (1987 film) 1987 crime film directed by Peter Werner

No Man's Land is a 1987 American crime film written by Dick Wolf directed by Peter Werner, and stars Charlie Sheen, D. B. Sweeney, and Randy Quaid. The plot follows a rookie cop who goes undercover and infiltrates a car theft ring. The film was released on October 23, 1987 and received mixed reviews from critics.

Russell Kunkel is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Cass Elliot, Dan Fogelberg, Glenn Frey, Art Garfunkel, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carole King, Lyle Lovett, Reba McEntire, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Seger, Carly Simon, Stephen Stills, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Steve Winwood, Neil Young, and Warren Zevon. He was the studio and touring drummer for Crosby & Nash in the 1970s, and has played on all four of their studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Herzlinger</span> American film director

Brian Scott Herzlinger is an American film director who directed and starred in My Date with Drew, a documentary released in 2005. Herzlinger graduated from Ithaca College (NY) with a film degree in 1997.

<i>The 6th Man</i> 1997 American film

The 6th Man, sometimes titled The Sixth Man, is a 1997 American sports comedy film directed by Randall Miller, and starring Marlon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison. The film features real National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools, although the rosters are fictitious. Some schools shown in the film include the University of Washington, University of Massachusetts Amherst, California State University, Fresno, Georgetown University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Arkansas, UCLA, and others. The film features cameos from college basketball personalities such as Jerry Tarkanian and Dick Vitale.

<i>Where the Day Takes You</i> 1992 American film by Marc Rocco

Where the Day Takes You is a 1992 American drama film directed by Marc Rocco. The film stars Sean Astin, Lara Flynn Boyle, Peter Dobson, Balthazar Getty, Ricki Lake, James LeGros, Dermot Mulroney and Will Smith in his film debut. Its plot follows a group of teenage runaways trying to survive on the streets of Los Angeles. The film was released on September 11, 1992.

<i>Married to It</i> 1991 American film

Married to It is a 1991 film directed by Arthur Hiller starring Beau Bridges, Stockard Channing, Robert Sean Leonard, Mary Stuart Masterson, Cybill Shepherd and Ron Silver. The film is about three New York City couples with disparate careers, ages, and lifestyles who nonetheless bond through their mutual connection to a local private school. As they help to stage a school pageant with a 1960s theme, each couple begins to quarrel and reassess their marriage.

Daniel Martin Shea is an American record producer and composer who has worked with numerous artists including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Santana, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Simpson. Sara Evans, Rob Thomas, Marc Anthony, Boyz II Men, Martina McBride, Kenny G, Ricky Martin, Bono, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Robin Thicke, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Luther Vandross, Michael Bolton, Lady Antebellum, Jim Brickman, Plácido Domingo, Grover Washington Jr., Al Jarreau, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, Daryl Hall, Boney James, New Kids on the Block, Rissi Palmer, Christina Milian, Jordan Pruitt, Thalía, Savage Garden, Clarence Clemons, and more. As producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Dan Shea's albums have sold over 150 million copies worldwide.

Beatrice Domond is a regular-footed American skateboarder from Miami, Florida.

References

  1. Cieply, Michael (March 11, 1988). "A Fired Woman Film Director--New Questions, Issue Continues". Los Angeles Times.
  2. "How I Got Into College". www.rottentomatoes.com. 1989-05-19. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  3. "Swayze Flexes Box-Office Muscle". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  4. "How I Got into College".