Making the Grade (1984) User Reviews

Are we grading on a curve?

[Mister-6 · 5/10 · 24 January 2000]

SEE Judd Nelson break-dance! SEE Andrew "Dice" Clay before he got more famous and less funny! SEE what ALL '80s teen comedies were like, more or less!

"Making the Grade". Let's see... basically, a loser student (Olsen) pays off another loser (Nelson) to pretend to be him so he can pass his classes and graduate (for some inheritance or something, I don't know - this is not one of those movies that celebrate the joys of higher learning).

And, of course, all the hips trends of 1984 are there for you to drink in till you're positively drunk from all the flash, trash and splash of the Gimmie Decade. Not just the aforementioned break-dancing display, but also some of the tackiest clothes you've seen since your last garage sale, an almost ALL synthesizer sound track and a Brat Packer!

If you love the '80s, you gotta catch "Making the Grade". Not for the story, mind you...just for "the experience".

Five stars. "Making the Grade" - barely passing, needs work on its social skills, recommend less time around the Diceman.

I love 80's comedies. There is just nothing special about this film

[callanvass · 5/10 · 22 January 2014]

Palmer Woodrow is given an ultimatum. Either he goes to school or he is cut off from his money. Woodrow chooses the latter. He conjures up a scheme to pay a compulsive gambler named Eddie Keaton to be Palmer Woodrow, and act as him, while Palmer takes off to Europe. Eddie Keaton makes enemies immediately, when he sets eyes on Tracey, angering Biff, the Academy suck up in the process. Eddie's life begins to get very tumults when his bookie from the old neighborhood, Dice, comes to collect Eddie's gambling debts I would never call Judd Nelson a great actor. There is a reason he faded in the late 80's (Well, two reasons, the other being he had an overly arrogant attitude in real life) I do have a major soft spot for him, though. He can be very entertaining when he wants to be. The Breakfast Club proved that. I actually was looking forward to this film. It seemed to be right up my alley. I love cheesy 80's comedies. This one tanked at the box office for a reason. It is way too derivative and shockingly dull. Do the movies Arthur and Trading Places ring a bell? This movie is essentially a combination of the two. It is filled with corny slapstick that fails to garner any chuckles or laughs. Judd Nelson seems bored half the time and as a result, he is also boring. He tries to incorporate part of the things that worked so well with Bender to no avail. He isn't interesting enough to command your attention. His humming of "Nuh-Nuh-Nuh" got annoying fast. He did have an epic dance scene, I'll say that. Scott McGinnis is OK as the academy bully. He was rather dull in all honesty. He looked like a poor man's James Mardsen. Andrew Dice Clay does alright. Jonna Lee makes for a rather average love interest. She didn't really have anything that stood out about her. The ending is filled with proper ethics where Eddie has a change of heart. I don't think I need to explain the rest, you should be able to figure it out for yourself.

Final Thoughts: I didn't hate it, I just didn't get into it all that much. It lacks everything I loved about cheesy 80's comedies. They were expecting a big hit, as evident from the promised sequel at the end credits "The Tourista" with Judd Nelson returning. I'm really glad that didn't happen.

5/10

A Passable 80's Comedy

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 7 June 2019]

This film begins with a pampered, rich teenager named "Palmer Woodrow" (Dana Olsen) being told by his parents that he has been enrolled for his senior year in a prep school known as the Hoover Academy. This displeases Palmer very much and since his parents subsequently head overseas he becomes determined to find a solution to his problem. To that end a poor but conniving teenager by the name of "Eddie Keaton" (Judd Nelson) just happens to appear who needs a place to hide from a local bookie named "Dice" (Andrew Dice Clay) to whom he owes a large sum of money. Since Palmer has plenty of money he offers it to Eddie in exchange for taking his place. Naturally, Eddie jumps at this opportunity but the question soon becomes whether a street-wise kid from Jersey can somehow manage to fit in at a posh prep school for the extremely wealthy. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had a good premise and plenty of potential but the comedy wasn't quite as sharp as it could have been. Likewise, although I thought Andrew Dice Clay performed quite well, I was somewhat disappointed in the uneven nature of the film and for that reason I have rated this movie accordingly. Average.

Somewhat better than you'd expect

[Wizard-8 · 8 March 2003]

Determined to watch every Golan-Globus movie ever made, I finally sat down to watch this years after it was released. To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting much. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty painless to sit through. The movie didn't have the crude edge of other teen comedies of the '80s, the cast was made up of a likable bunch of individuals, and there were several genuine laugh-out-loud moments. The funniest bits come from Walter Olkewicz's coach character; even though he was probably cast because he greatly resembles John Belushi, he is really funny, and it's a shame that he almost completely disappears from the second half of the movie.

However, the movie is far from perfect. Much of the time the movie seems to be spinning its wheels, where scene after scene goes by with little to absolutely no advance to the plot. It's almost like you are seeing a bunch of deleted scenes from the "special features" section of a DVD. At the same time, there are a lot of scenes that seem to finish much sooner than they should, as well as a lack of explanation about some things. Since the movie runs 105 minutes (quite long for a comedy), my guess is that the original cut of the movie ran much, much longer than 105 minutes. Then when they tried to cut down the movie to an acceptable running length, a lot of material that would have made the movie make more sense had to go.

As problem-filled as this movie is, there is something likeable about it all the same, enough so that you can't help but wonder what "Tourista", the sequel announced during the closing credits - that ultimately never got made - would have been like.

Grade: F

[BrettErikJohnson · 1/10 · 14 May 2002]

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. 1/10

"A manly laugh, for manly men such as we."

[PredragReviews · 7/10 · 17 November 2016]

"Making the Grade" chronicles the mishaps of that zany group, Palmer, Eddie, and the charismatic 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. The two songs by Shandi were great. One thing I couldn't understand was the Jonna Lee appeal. Her character and she herself were boring. The plot of the movie was complicated enough to be funny but not so convoluted that we were scratching our heads trying to figure it out. The coach and the Diceman (in his first appearance as his alter ego) were amusing too. Judd Nelson and Dana Olsen were so great in this movie that I really wish a sequel had been made. And a soundtrack. This movie is silly for sure but good fun and a definite 80's classic. Even if you aren't a fan of 80's B-movie genre, you find a lovable cast carving out shards of humanity in a humanistic drama wrought by cunning deception and vengeful greed. It's also a great educational film.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

T isn't for terrific. It's for tedious!

[mark.waltz · 2/10 · 5 April 2022]

As a teenager in the early 80's and a college student in 1984, I thought I'd find a few amusing moments in this comedy. Nope. Only one, and that was in the opening scene for the elderly maid who brings Judd Nelson his breakfast in his disaster area of a huge bedroom, knocking previous dining trays on the floor so she can make room for the extremely heavy one she's carrying. From there, he is sent off to his father's alma matter, probably the only college that will take him, an ultra preppy ivy league school with some of the most obnoxious prigs outside of the adults in "Caddyshack". Nelson hires someone to basically due his studying for him, and turns the campus into his own private party house, complete with Andrew Dice Clay, about as funny as a keg party invaded by parents of the attendees.

There's nothing memorable about this film outside that promising start, and the mask wearing maid is ten times funnier than anything that follows her shuffling walk-on. Nelson and the ensemble of young actors are doomed by a horrible script that didn't even have a grasp of how to make a college age film funny. Gordon Jump as the head of the college is pompous but lacks the hysterical snobbery and scheming of John Vernon's Dean Wormer from "Animal House". I consider it a miracle that I made it through this film, but this is going on file with other wretched comedies evicted from my collection. However, it's instantly added to the worst five of 1984 and top ten of the most hideous comedies of the 1980's. A root canal with no pain killer is preferable to this.

Making the Grade

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 9 March 2022]

Originally called The Last American Preppie and the first appearance of Andrew Clay's Dice character, Making the Grade has Eddie Keaton (Judd Nelson) and Palmer Woodrow (Dana Olsen) making a deal. The con artist will work with the rich kid to keep him in class at the Hoover Academy, which will keep him in money. In return, Keaton gets paid ten grand - which he owes to Dice - and gets to drive away in a brand new Porsche.

Hijinks ensue.

Directed by Dorian Walker (Teen Witch) from a story by Charles Gale (Ernest Scared Stupid) and a screenplay by Gene Quintano (the writer of Comin' at Ya!, Treasure of the Four Crowns, King Solomon's Mines and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, three Police Academy movies, Operation Dumbo Drop, Loaded Weapon 1 and Pittsburgh's second best action movie Sudden Death), this plays like any number of 80s bad kid does good comedies. Of course, it's all for the love of a good woman, Tracy (Joanna Lee).

But hey look - there's Ronald Lacey, perhaps better known as Toht, the German soldier who had a coin burned into his hand before his entire face melted right off in Raiders of the Lost Ark, as well as Gordon Jump and Dan Schneider, who would go from Better Off Dead to creating much of Nickelodeon's programming before he got cancelled.

There was supposed to be a sequel called The Tourista, but it never happened. I think I may be the only person who would have watched that.

Obnoxious In A Bad Way

[statuskuo · 2/10 · 20 October 2020]

From the people who brought you "Missing In Action" series and "Masters Of The Universe" and who destroyed the Christopher Reeve "Superman" franchise, Israeli Golan-Globus but better known to us watchers as The Cannon Group comes this awful, obnoxious and painfully dull Pygmalion mistaken identity person switch movie.

Here, Nelson plays Eddie Keaton, a degenerate gambler who sleeps in his car and hustles everything to exist. Great set-up for what we think is to come. Nope. He darts from bookie Andrew Dice Clay, aptly named Dice and stumbles across Palmer Woodrow (Dana Olsen) a rich spoiled unambitious gnudnick. Made so much more awful that even his parents want nothing to do with him. BUT they give him an ultimatum: get a high school degree or he's cut from the trust. Pretty simple premise. Here he decides to hire Eddie to infiltrate a hoity toity boarding school posing as him to get that degree. Never mind Eddie looks to be 30 years old.

Fortunately, so do the rest of the student body at Hoover Academy (H.A. get it, Ha!) While posted up as a fake Palmer Woodrow, Eddie gets sucked into the yuppie/preppie lifestyle due to a stunningly angelic WASPy girl name Tracey Hoover (Jonna Lee). Her namesake adorns the academy since her grandfather founded it. Don't get me started on the casting of her parents which look to be in their 60's already.

Anyway, hijinks ensue. Or so you would think. Unfortunately, it is a paint by numbers 80's comedy which doesn't even paint properly. For a hustler Eddie does nothing remotely...hustly. He isn't funny. He seems dour and miserable (as I think Nelson seems to be in such weak material) and is overshadowed by Dana Olsen (real Palmer) who seems to REALLY enjoy his role. The only saving grace, to be perfectly honest.

There are no real bad guys in this movie. They are all equally obnoxious. MAYBE, doe-eyed innocent Tracey may be the only breath of fresh air in an otherwise trope filled trash. I mean, I kept forgetting that they were in high school.

This is not a fun movie to even sit through. For a rated R flick it lacks a great deal of bawdiness. The rest is a drag.

Given how awful this flick is, there is a better way to skate through it with fun, if they were to make it for the 21st Century audience. Though I'm not entirely sure how PC culture could deal with stock characters such as "the nerd" or "the jock". It has the right ingredients for a solid fun film, it just didn't know the right tempo and atmosphere. This does remind me a little of "Back To School." Which is a fun movie that relies on you to do the same thing...let the slob be a slob. BUT, Nelson obviously lacks the courage to be "unlikeable" or, in the case of Rodney Dangerfield, understand he isn't the leading man. Overall, it was a complete waste of time. Which I don't say often.

Judd Nelson never rose higher than this

[policy134 · 3/10 · 16 May 2009]

This is quite boring. When I first saw the trailer, I thought that this was in the same style as Animal House. True, there are some raunchy jokes but the plot shifts to a lesson on morals midway through and the laughs peter out. There are basically none in the second half.

It's also funny to think about that this and The Breakfast Club is basically Judd Nelson's filmography. Maybe a few still remember his performance in New Jack City but up until Suddenly Susan what did he do that really sticks in your memory? Like all teen comedies, there has to be a slob. We get two here, one Palmer Woodrow and the Coach. Palmer Woodrow got on my nerves but luckily he is off screen for most of the second act. The Coach is great and Walter Olkewicz really was an interesting actor way back when. He did everything (Twin Peaks, The Client and comedies such as this).

Gordon Jump basically repeated the character he got famous for on WKRP but he did it like it was all new to him. May he rest.

Finally, the plot. Do you even care. Switched identities were hot at this point but for the life of me, I can't think of any movie that did it better than Trading Places. Oh, and Andrew Clay is in the movie too.

Come on, don't be a curmudgeon.

[gavin_imdb · 8/10 · 15 April 2005]

You have to take this movie for what it is and when it was released. The characters are likable and the dialogue doesn't try too hard to be funny; it just is.

Granted, some of the appeal may be nostalgic at this point; it's hard to imagine how this looks to a first-time viewer today. OK, some parts are bound to be ridiculous; there is a break-dancing scene and accompanying music that are hopelessly dated... then again break-dancing does appear to be making a comeback.

I'm not a huge Andrew Dice Clay fan, but this movie is where the "Diceman" character originated.

The actor who plays Palmer Woodrow wrote the movie The Burbs, as it turns out.

Excellent comedy!

[orb-caddyshack · 10/10 · 2 March 2001]

Very funny movie, very entertaining characters. Palmer was the top dog, every scene he was in, every line he had, was HILARIOUS!!! Some great early work by the Diceman. His imitation of John Travolta was great! The Coach was very funny too; best scenes were when he stumbles into the X-rated movie, and when he comes home with the hookers. Gordon Jump (Big Guy from WKRP) was his usual bumbling, funny self. During the final credits, they say Palmer and Eddie will be back in "Tourista"; unfortunately for us they never made it. Big mistake, Tourista would have been great!

Most Overlooked Comedy of the 80s

[thedrumm · 10/10 · 13 June 2007]

This is one fantastic movie. It is still funny 20 plus years later. It is a shame they never made Tourista, the sequel to Making the Grade. Sure it is a 80s movie with all of the usual 80s fare, but it is worth watching. There are funny things in the background throughout the movie as well as great lines that you barely hear.

For any comedy to be great, it needs at least one character that stands out. Judd Nelson was not character. He was overshadowed by the real Palmer Woodrow III, Dana Olsen. This as well as the money problems at the corporate level are probably why Tourista wasn't made. With the additions of Gordon Jump from WKRP in Cincinnati and Andrew Dice Clay, this movie will make you laugh. The Dice man actually does a good job in this movie. I know, I was shocked as well. In realistic terms, it isn't the greatest comedy of all time. However, it is a personal favorite, and you should enjoy it too.

It is now on DVD, so get out there and watch it. See it soon!

This movie is Preppy forever!

[cis1103randyweiss · 10/10 · 26 April 2005]

Some movies are preppy come lately, some movies are preppy come never, this movie is Preppy Forever.

I love this movie... I suggest you grab a cold Miller High Life and enjoy a great classic.

It's got a guy named Biff in it... that's a great name, you can never get depressed with a name like Biff. Eddie (Judd Nelson) does a fantastic break dance scene. The main girl, Tracy Hoover, is super hot...the first time I saw her, I was like...Bam, she was breaking my heart and I didn't even know her name.

Just a good movie.

Thanks, Mr. Alligator Shirt

I love this movie.

[festerinfrank · 10/10 · 30 August 2006]

I love this movie man, judd nelson who never really took off after m,aking this film, is great in this as the street smart kid shaking up the establishment in old fashioned college.

The coach of the team is also very funny, and some of the lines are greatest that I have ever heard.

Watching this film takes me back to the 80's, its what teen comedies were all about, the absolutely awful 80's fashion, the hairstyles, the synth score that just is washed all over the film, I just love this stuff.

if you want to get back to your missed youth, and reminisce about the old days, get this, this essential 80's viewing that should be on the shelf with the breakfast club and all the rest, man I love this film.

If you guys haven't seen, find it and slot it into your DVD player and, sit back and enjoy.

The best of the 80's comedy

[Butch-13 · 10/10 · 26 April 1999]

I am a huge 80's buff. I love the classic comedies that have come from that era. This is by far and away the best of the bunch. It is quite possibly the best comedy ever. It plays on the stereotypes of Preppies and intercity kids. It is great. Palmer Woodrow, played wonderfully by Dana Olsen, is a scene stealer. This is also one of Judd Nelson's first films. It is Andrew Dice Clay's first film apperance. It is a classic piece of Americana. Buy it, rent it, steal it if you have to. It is that good.

If you are a Judd Nelson fan....

[daughertya05 · 3 September 2001]

If any of you remember John Bender from The Breakfast Club, then Eddie Keaton of Making the Grade will seem familiar. They are similar, except that John Bender has more depth. Making the Grade is a silly, sometimes funny, parody of the "Preppy" Lifestyle. It makes fun of everything from wearing no socks, to the bright, peppy colors. It's an all around funny movie. This is Judd's first movie, and I recommend it to all of you who enjoy his work. For those of you who don't, I suggest you watch it anyway, and make an opinion for yourself...! *+*Anna*+*

Best 80's Comedy of All Time.

[bw1344 · 10/10 · 8 July 2006]

For anyone who was alive and well in the 80's this movie is the funniest of all time. Of course you might need to remember the Preppy Handbook, putting pennies in your shoes (or coins from other countries if you wanted to be really cool), nicknames like Bif, Kiki and Buffy, and men wearing pink and yellow.

The star of this movie is the REAL Palmer Woodrow, Dana Olsen. It is a shame it doesn't look like he is still in the business.

The character of Rand is well played and is very, very funny.

Andrew Dice Clay, Gordon Jump and Judd Nelson all put in solid performances.

I have this on DVD...it is great.

I really wish they made Tourista. That would have been excellent.

Good 80's teen comedy.

[bigpappa1--2 · 25 May 2000]

A rich preppie hires a street wise loner to pose as him at an elite prep school. Judd Nielson is good in a hand tailored role and the film is better done than most 80's teen comedies. The score is good. It is overlong, however. Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

The end credits announced a sequel, but none has been made to date. Also the film is rated PG, according to its box, but should have been R-rated.

Fantastic!

[mburke_1998 · 9/10 · 9 November 2005]

If you were one of the lucky ones to grab the Varese Sarabande limited edition soundtrack CD (1000 copies made) because you are a fan of Basil Poledouris and not the film, the following will mean nothing to you. If you bought the soundtrack because it reminds you of some laugh out loud moments of this under rated film, read on.

For those of you still reading, you already know this is one of the best comedies to come out of the 80's. You can picture studio execs in the early 80's trying to come up with more "Animal House" type yucks only to deliver crass, sexist garbage like "Porky's" or "Up the Creek".

After reading the liner notes to the CD, I was not at all surprised to see the negative comments about the film. It is what it is, and if you are like me, you have been wondering for years why Palmer and Eddie did not return in "Tourista" after all. The CD was a nice upgrade from my scratchy vinyl, and the DVD a nice update from my dated VHS; however, I want more.

In the meantime, here's Nicky handling the books.

Pretty good.., for what it is/was.

[fre3lee · 14 August 2004]

Andrew "Dice" Clay plays "Dice". I'm used to the movie box cover where the guy is sitting on the hood of a Porsche. This is a story of a "my parents are rich, and so am I" kid, who tires of attending Prep School, so he hires Judd Nelson's character to play him while he vacations/travels around. -He gets tired of travel, so he returns.., -I'm not at liberty to say anymore, so you'll have to watch the movie to see what happens! It is a decent movie; kind of "B-movieish", but well worth the watch if you get the chance. (Please, if you see this video in the rental store, rent it! You won't be sorry, I promise you.) Gordon Jump (WKRP's Arthur 'Big Guy' Carlson) plays the Dean. Not a big role in the film, but a part he played well. Good story; Funny movie, and I recommend it highly.

Hilarious!

[pchanel · 9/10 · 8 May 2019]

Judd Nelson was HILARIOUS in this role. When his character, Eddie, arrives at the school is comedy GOLD to me. The outfit, the gestures, the music lol. Everything put together made that scene ridiculously funny. A movie I definitely like watching more than once. Especially when I want a good laugh.

Making the Grade

[Coxer99 · 26 May 1999]

In the few scenes he's in, it's the Diceman who adds the only flavor to this amateurish attempt at a teenage sex comedy. Lifeless screenplay and dull cast drive this right into the ground.

I'm rich, I don't have to be nice.

[Katy-8 · 10/10 · 29 August 2000]

I'm always amazed when I find people who think Caddyshack is hilarious but have never even heard of Making the Grade. Making the Grade is still the funniest golf/class struggle/gettin lucky/uptight white people movie to date. There's even breakdancing. For anyone who hasn't seen this film and likes goofy 80s fare, run to your video store. For anyone who has seen it and doesn't like it, I must quote Coach, "Attention! Attention! You guys suck!"

better than average formula teen flick

[sychonic · 19 April 2000]

Back in the mid-eighties the movie industry churned out teen comedies trying to capture some of the spark and success of Caddyshack and Animal House. Mostly, they failed. Class, Private School, all of the Revenge of the Nerd flicks, and even the high brow attempts like the John Hughes films, all ended up formulaic, inane, poorly plotted, and silly. Perhaps the only exception is Risky Business which rises above the genre. "Making the Grade", however, is not an exception. It has all the same problems as "Breakfast Club" or "Better Off Dead" or "Sixteen Candles". But if you're in the mood for this kind of movie, I'd pick this one up rather than any of the others. It captures some of the attitudes and styles of the time quite nicely, like when the preppy nerd is trying to teach urban kid Judd Nelson how to dress for prep school. And Dana Olsen is absolutely hysterical, easily stealing the movie, as the obnoxious rich kid hiring Nelson to complete school for him. The movie has some genuinely funny scenes mixed in with the snobs versus slobs formula. Don't expect much, but low expectations are the key to a good time with a movie like this.