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Assassination of a High School President

Assassination of a High School President (2009)

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 3

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Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 98,896

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Movie Info

A teenage take on Roman Polanski's post-noir classic Chinatown, The Sophomore stars Reece Daniel Thompson, Mischa Barton, and Bruce Willis in the tale of a Catholic high-school newspaper reporter who stumbles upon a disturbing conspiracy. Prompted by the most popular girl in school to investigate the theft of the SAT exams, an ambitious young fact-finder discovers that the school's president -- a disillusioned Gulf War veteran -- and the top jock are responsible for the crime. As if this

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

Tim Calpin, Kevin Jakubowski

Oct 6, 2009

Yari Film Group

Cast

All Critics (10) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (7) | Rotten (5) | DVD (4)

The noir pastiche is sitcom-ish, the characters vestigial, and the satire of high school so compromised I wondered if cowriters Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski weren't home-schooled

February 2, 2010 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Doesn't find enough novel insights to make for essential viewing.

January 25, 2008 Comment
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Basically Brick for remedial viewers.

January 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comments (2)
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Compelling high school noir movie, but not for kids.

December 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

Superbad meets grossout noir, boasting tangy teen dirty talk so thick, you could cut it with a well sharpened pencil. Which by the way, somebody does more than once.

October 4, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

Superbad meets grossout noir, boasting tangy teen dirty talk so thick, you could cut it with a well sharpened pencil. Which by the way, somebody does more than once.

October 4, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

The entire film wants to be a carbon copy of Rushmore, with the addition of dark slickness and the omission of general quality.

October 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | Comment
Filmcritic.com

Brett Simon's Assassination of a High School President is a small and pleasant surprise.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Screen International | Comment
Screen International

The flick plays like "Rushmore" meets "The Usual Suspects," alongside shout-outs to everything from "Sixteen Candles" to "Chinatown" to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

May 19, 2008 Full Review Source: MTV | Comment

Depending on your personal taste, the following statement may make or break Assassination for you: the movie is cute.

January 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

Assassination has a meandering plot line that dithers when it should drive forward, and lingers at times it should leap ahead.

January 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Cinematical | Comment
Cinematical

Brett Simon's clever high school noir debut is more Heathers than John Hughes

January 22, 2008 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | Comment
ComingSoon.net
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Assassination of a High School President

Clara: Forget it, Funke. It's high school. "Politics, popularity, paranoia, pharmaceuticals. Are you in?"Assassination of a High School President is a really cool film in my opinion. It blurs the line between a typical set in high school movie and a noir; like Brick, but not nearly as serious. It doesn't take long to

May 15, 2012
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

Quite dark for a movie set in high school. Some of the humour falls flat as it's a little too dark and verging on bad taste (i.e, the comatose girlfriend on the sofa), but mostly it works and is an entertaining use of an hour and a half.Mischa Barton I found not too bad in this. Not saying she is the best actress in

May 16, 2009
romy861

Super Reviewer

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Latest News for Assassination of a High School President

March 13, 2009:
Battling for a Theatrical Assassination
Thanks to the Yari Film Group's financial woes, the 2008 Sundance sweetheart "Assassination of a...

August 14, 2008:
Brett Simon Takes Lionsgate's Severance Package
Lionsgate has purchased the film rights to Duane Swierczynski's Severance Package, a novel about "a...

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