Higher Learning

Rating:
Summary: Embraces the very stereotypes it claims to reject
Review: Higher Learning is preachy and forced. It's a film which surprisingly embraces the very stereotypes and attitudes which on the surface it claims to reject. So let's see, the White feminist character is an earnest lesbian, the White frat guy is a rapist, the White campus security guards are posturing racists, and of course every Black is angry and see's racism everywhere. Oh yeah, the one "Sensitive White Male" is a long-haired bohemian type. Once the "sieg heil" shouting Hitler youth take center stage, it becomes clear that Singleton has no interest in examining the complexities of the way young people learn to interact at a university in exchange for a melodramatic, silly drama. Indeed, much of the movie is a heavy-handed polemic, driven by Left-wing political convictions rather than a genuine interest in its people, and it tends to go over-the-top at the most unfortunate moments.

It's almost a given in Singleton's movies that Blacks will be roughed up by White police, who will then treat even a raving, gun-toting White skinhead with more sympathy! But the idea is hammered home so often in Higher Learning that it almost becomes a running gag. The film also loses an element of potency in its depiction of the main antagonists. The skinheads are presented as one-dimensional caricatures. As a result, the viewer's enmity is equally as shallow. The skinheads of Romper Stomper were convincing because of their realism: You could almost understand where they were coming from. In Higher Learning, however, there is little dimension to these Neo-Nazis, they serve a function in the plot, nothing more. Indeed, in Higher Learning, White people seem to be the root of all the problems. Hmm, now who's the racist?

Rating:
Summary: Dreadfully oversimplified
Review: John Singleton had the right idea as he appealed to the college educated youth to forget the prejudices we have grown up with and think for ourselves concerning differences among people. What I don't understand is why he felt the need to portray such radical extremes in his characters, thereby isolating real life experience from his over-inflated film. If his goal was to produce a thought-provoking movie, what is the point of making the final showdown a battle between blacks and skinheads? I am not "learning" anything new by viewing cinematic tension between these two groups. It isn't a new development that Nazism is built on fundamentals of racism, ergo the film's climatic sequence is far from interesting.

The director relied too heavily on college stereotypes to bring anything fresh to the feature. Even the talented Omar Epps and Michael Rappaport couldn't save a film that cast them in such limited roles. Laurence Fishburne serves as the director's voice (complete with goofy accent and oral fixation), and there is no sense of subtlety surrounding his message. On many college campuses, especially in the cravenly Politically Correct 1990's, racism is more apt to take on the form of glances, whispers, quiet jokes and invisible battle lines rather than loud slurs and gun-swinging farm boys in Doc Martens. An enemy that is harder to see is the where attention needs to be drawn.

Furthermore, Singleton attempted a portrayal of women's issues as a movement that is also split between racial lines. White women's issues were completely isolated from black women's issues. This was the most compelling aspect of the film, but the director did not seem to move towards resolation of this split. This issue he was content to leave as is while following through with the over-dramatized plot line.

I only hope Singleton is able to regain the potential he demonstrated in Boyz in the Hood for his future projects.

Rating:
Summary: El Stupido!
Review: A waste of effort. A waste of film and video tape.

Rating:
Summary: 2 thumbs up!
Review: When this movie was released in 1995, I then was a graduate of high school, on my way to College and unaware of the problems that MAY exist in a college/university setting. Singleton did a wonderful job displaying every inche of whats going on on our AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITY. Rappaport, Epps, Swanson, Rhythmes and Cube all represent in some way or fashion our college freshmen. This is a moving, thought provoking, powerful, eye opening, emotional, truthful blockbuster that I recommend every entering college/university student AND their parents watch before packing their bags for HIGHER LEARNING.

Rating:
Summary: Higher Learning...Question The Knowledge
Review: Date Rape, Racism, Sexism, Neo-Nazism, Elitism...This Ambitious, Issue-Packed Look At The Social Turbulance Of A Ficticious University Campus Certainly Deserves An A+...John Singleton Depicts The Waywardness Of The Modern World From An Utmost Pessimistic Vantage, However This Film's Bombardment Of Socio-Political Issues Is Very Well Strung Together. Blending Romance, Drama And Social Comment It Will Weave A Tapestry Not Soon Forgotten...Main Players Include An Athelete (Omar Epps), A Lesbian Actevist (Jennifer Connelly), Campus Police, A Wise Political Professor (Laurence Fishburne), And Skinheads...Very Provocative And Powerful...

Rating:
Summary: GARBAGE
Review: One of the worst movies ever made.All the black students are hip,all the white students are nerds.The black groups of students are cool, the white groups are Nazi's.Yeah,really great movie.Singleton can only live off boys in the hood for so long.Whose A worse "actress"? Tyra Banks or Janet Jackson? Seems pretty even

Rating:
Summary: Higher Learning
Review: This is the tragic tale of a group of high school students, that have been seperated by their beliefs and feelings. Excellent directing and acting from pro's such as Swanson, fishburne and John Singleton as the director make this film seem so close to reality. I saw it on Television but was still captivated by it's realistic style.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect!
Review: I love this film with a passion. I also like the director (a black man) who made it such a classic. This movie is the best movie that regards race and sex relations......perfect.

Rating:
Summary: pretty good could have been better
Review: John Singleton had the right Idea except for one thing: he had to many going on at once.i liked the way he tackled Race,Sex&class issues but he tried to speak about everybody all at once and it hurts the film.now Michael Rapport does a good job.OMar Epps does a fantastic job.why can't this Brother get any Love? He can Act.he should have gotten a Nomination or two by now.Ice Cube was alright.he was funny.Busta Ryhmes was ok.Laurence Fishburne is almost forgotten here.that's the Directors fault.a great Actor Like Fishburne almost forgotten? and REgina King is one of the most Underrated Actresses ever.everything she is in she turns it out.like Epps she should have at least been Nominated a couple of times.now the downside as well.why another Pretty face non-acting person? first Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice was bad enough now Tyra Banks? these Ladies are fine and what not but they have no acting skills what so ever.it's cool to have Beautiful Women in the film as long as the main one can act.Tyra like Cindy &Janet have no business in a Lead role.so overall it's a hit&miss film.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: I love Higher Learning because it makes you think and it shows you the concequences of being racist. Higher Learning is a film that is not to be missed. Its about three students that come to Columbus University and well, they get a tast of the real world. Buy this movie. It had great preformences from Fishburn, Epps, Connely,Rapaport and Cude.