Rating: 
Summary: great period flick!!!
Review: "'ha-ha-haa, ha-ha-haa, ha-ha-ha-ha-haa-haaaa' a manly laugh, for manly men such as we" These, and other infamous quotes will undoubtedly go down in history as misunderstood genius. Or, maybe, they will just go down in history. Regardless, Making the Grade chronicles the mishaps of that zany group, Palmer, Eddie, and the charasmatic Dice, as they trapse throughout Hoover prep in search of Love, money, and those last 11 minutes on the hour. In addition, the sound track by Shandi brings such incredible emotional swells that one can only be reduced to tears. Even if you aren't a fan of 80s B movie genre, you find a loveable cast carving out shards of humanity in a humanistic drama wrought by cunning deception and vengeful greed. A great movie depicting a classic era. Its also a great educational film. Quotes like "remember, its almost NEVER the letter E" got me through a prestigious medical school. Give this one time, its an acquired taste, like Brie. You will love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Below average, very disappointing.
Review: (Actually I give it 2 and a half stars) "Making the Grade" is a below-average teen comedy. The plot is paper-thin, it simply revolves around Palmer Woodrow (Dana Olsen) who is told that he has to graduate from college (Dear God!) or he will have to get a job! So what does he do? He hires street-hustler Eddie Keaton (Judd Nelson) to stand in for him and attend classes under his name. Not much substance here. And the plot isn't the only thing that suffers, so does the whole overall production value, i.e. sloppy editing, grainy footage, a heavily annoying score, etc. I myself was drawn to this movie because of the presence of Judd Nelson and Andrew "Dice" Clay. Both give above-average performances and do good with what little they are given. Nelson pretty much portrays a mild and more-likable Johnny Bender and the "Dice Man" pretty much protrays an exact duplicate of himself, except he's actually "tame" in a sense. Dana Olsen also does a moderately good job as Palmer, he did the best to his ability with such an unfunny premise.As for the DVD itself, nothing special here, just a poorly edited trailer, not even a booklet! The sound is below standard, whether it's just the way the master was recorded or the remix was poor, I can't tell. But I do know that it isn't consistent and is hard to make out what the actors are saying because the sound effects and dialogue are blended together. The picture quality is slightly above VHS quality, as the picture is very blotchy and white streaks peirce the screen momentarily, it appears as thought they didn't even digitally master it, let alone bleach it. Plus a few scenes are dark and are hard to make out. Overall, I was rather disappointed with "Making the Grade", the film and DVD. This is an exact example of how even actors can not save a film from disaster, but they can prevent total failure and shed some light on an otherwise dull film. I feel that should they had a better, more indepth script, they could have had a memorable teen flick. I can only recomend this film if you enjoy 80's teen comedies, like Judd Nelson, or are compelled by the price, which isn't bad and saves this one from a total waste. But saying that, don't expect a lot. For those of you who do not fit under either of these categories, I suggest you pass and try "Slackers". Thanks for reading, I hope this helped in making your decision, enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best 80's Comedy EVER!!
Review: For the longest time the cinematic treasure was not available on DVD, and I had to scower the internet for copies of this film on VHS. It was worth the time, effort and money because the is a GREAT film.
If you remember the 80's then be prepared to laugh uncontrollably. The Preppies in the movie will seem over the top to many, and maybe they are slightly, but not as over the top as you would think. This is so funny to see the pink and green, the terrible nicknames, and the pomposity of wealth at it's highest.
The cast is terrific, the writing is excellent and the movie is hilarious. It stars Judd Nelson, in his very best role as the punk that a rich snob pays to go to an elite and very preppy boarding school. Andrew Dice Clay appears in the film, I think his very first on screen appereance, and he does the Dice character that he will repeat later on to much fame and fortune. Luckily for the viewer he also does in much funnier here then he did later on. Dana Olsen plays the rich kid who pays Judd Nelson, and after watching this film you will wonder why he never made it big. He was laugh out loud funny. The rest of the supporting cast is terrific too. BUY THIS NOW! You will not regret it. Especially if you remember the early 80's and you read The Preppy Handbook. Then this film is a must see!!!
Rating:
Summary: WHY TO WATCH THIS FLICK
Review: guys,
the reasons to watch this flick are:
1) jonna lee.
2) the movie is brain candy. enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Grade: F
Review: I am getting mentally exhausted from watching so many generic movies. "Making The Grade" looks as if it was churned out of the same factory as a hundred other '80s movies. A spoiled high school kid doesn't want to spend his senior year going to a private school. He hires a trouble maker (Judd Nelson) to pretend to be him and attend the school in his place. End of story. There is no chemistry whatsoever between Nelson and his female costar (Jonna Lee). What about comedy? I literally laughed one time during the 100 minutes of this film. It is dull and predictable. You would be infinitely better off watching Judd Nelson for the millionth time in "The Breakfast Club" rather than watch this piece of drivel.
Rating:
Summary: Grade: F
Review: I am getting mentally exhausted from watching so many generic movies. "Making The Grade" looks as if it was churned out of the same factory as a hundred other '80s movies. A spoiled high school kid doesn't want to spend his senior year going to a private school. He hires a trouble maker (Judd Nelson) to pretend to be him and attend the school in his place. End of story. There is no chemistry whatsoever between Nelson and his female costar (Jonna Lee). What about comedy? I literally laughed one time during the 100 minutes of this film. It is dull and predictable. You would be infinitely better off watching Judd Nelson for the millionth time in "The Breakfast Club" rather than watch this piece of drivel.
Rating:
Summary: "A manly laugh, for manly men such as we."
Review: I know what you're thinking. "Judd Nelson in a 80's teen movie. Pass" Such is your misfortune, because Making the Grade is a cut above most 80's teen movies, mainly because of an great supporting cast, led by screenwriter Dana Olsen in one of the great characters from 80's teen flicks, preppy slob Palmer Woodrow III. The plot is fairly simple. Palmer has to graduate from prep school, so, like all rich kids, he hires an impostor from the streets (Judd Nelson) to impersonate him at his new prep school, while he spends some quality slacking time. Unfortunately, he has picked a guy with a questionable pass, which will return to haunt them all. The two leads aren't very interesting and the fish out of water plot is hardly new, but once you get past that, you will be laughing at everyone else in the movie. Just remember Palmer's creed, "I'm rich, I don't have to be nice," and all will be well.
Rating:
Summary: "A manly laugh, for manly men such as we."
Review: I know what you're thinking. "Judd Nelson in a 80's teen movie. Pass" Such is your misfortune, because Making the Grade is a cut above most 80's teen movies, mainly because of an great supporting cast, led by screenwriter Dana Olsen in one of the great characters from 80's teen flicks, preppy slob Palmer Woodrow III. The plot is fairly simple. Palmer has to graduate from prep school, so, like all rich kids, he hires an impostor from the streets (Judd Nelson) to impersonate him at his new prep school, while he spends some quality slacking time. Unfortunately, he has picked a guy with a questionable pass, which will return to haunt them all. The two leads aren't very interesting and the fish out of water plot is hardly new, but once you get past that, you will be laughing at everyone else in the movie. Just remember Palmer's creed, "I'm rich, I don't have to be nice," and all will be well.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely hysterical '80s comedy!
Review: I love this movie! Way back in the day, around 1986 or so, MAKING THE GRADE was required weekly viewing amongst my buddies and me. This is a "fall down laughing" comedy. I won't recap the plot, but I do want to point out that this film has some of the funniest, most quotable one-liners I have ever heard...lines that have stuck with me for almost twenty years. Every single performance -- from Gordon Jump's to Walter Olkewicz's, from Scott McGinnis's to Judd Nelson's, from Jonna Lee's to Andrew "Dice" Clay's -- works together, in tandem, to lift the material far above the other comedies that attempted to reflect the spirit, the tastes and the outlooks characteristic of that period in time (deep, deep, deep in the '80s). Together, they elevate MAKING THE GRADE to something truly special. And, oh, yeah...Dana Olsen is a comedy god. In the wrong hands, this comedy could have fallen flatter than a sewer cover but, in the hands of the exceptionally talented cast, MAKING THE GRADE lives, breathes and sings with delight! Did I mention that this film has some of the funniest, most quotable one-liners I have ever heard? Anyway, if it's comedy you're looking for, this film is a sure thing. Trust me; I've never steered you wrong before, have I? Two words: Breakdancing. Preppy.
Rating: 
Summary: not so good...
Review: I picked up this DVD because it was filmed in my hometown of Memphis and it seemed to be billed a pretty funny "1980s" movie. But the film is mostly disappointing, plauged with bad acting and poor production quality. The fat kid from "Head of the Class" was the saving grace, but most of the characters, including Judd Nelson, were just so wooden. I don't think they had a very good script to work with either. The laughs come few and far between. And Judd Nelson talks like a normal guy, but reverts to this weird Italian thing where he struts around going "yo" whenever a good-looking girl is around. If you want to see a funny "1980s" type of movie that takes place in a school, why not go for REAL GENIUS, SIXTEEN CANDLES, BETTER OFF DEAD or SAY ANYTHING. See? I just thought of four better movies just off the top of my head. Maybe I was expecting too much. I really did want to like it, but there are definitely better movie choices out there.
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