Remember "Summer School"

It was 1987. Colors were bright. Kirstie Alley was under 150 lbs. And movies about the not so real high school experience were hot. But most, if not all, 80s high school movies took place during the school year. But what happened when June rolled around and the school year ended? Did they shut down production of high school movies during those beautiful summer months? NO! Why not have a movie that delt with the happenings of summer school classes? And while we're at it, let's name it "Summer School."

Summer School is a highly over-looked 80s comedy about high school slackers who completely bomb a language skills standardized test and are forced to take remedial English during summer school in hopes of passing the test on the next try. Carefree P.E. teacher Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) gets suckered by the bag of douche vice principal into teaching said class. Shoops has a school boy crush on the not-so-single history teacher (Alley), who happens to be dating the aforementioned bag of douche. And hilarity ensues.

Loads of 80s high school cliches can be found here. All the 16, 17, and 18 year olds were actually played by actors in their 20s. Although the class consists of about 20 students, only 10 of them speak and do important things. Bright and pastel colors are everywhere. There is a wise-cracking black person. And there are enough obscure 80s songs to half-way fill your "80s Monster Jams" playlist on your iPod.

Summer School is a run-of-the-mill 80s comedy about 26-year-old high school students and the slightly older slacker teacher who knows he's way too good looking to be doing anything as trivial as teaching remedial English. But the movie makes up for its mediocrity by having an extremely funny cast of actors playing the students. They aren't big-name stars, but they were hilarious in their various roles, rather the role be an underaged male stripper, a dislexic PYT who can't drive, a geek who surprising doesn't make As, or two guys who love the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre very very very very very very very very very very very much.

So if you are stuck inside on a rainy day and Summer School happens to come on TBS, or if you find it for $5 in a grocery store like I did, watch this movie. I can't recommend it highly enough. People fall in love, dumb students improve, and you get your chuckls all the while. Oh, and see if you can spot actress who played Austin Powers' love interest, Alotta Fagina, ten years later.