Even the chase scenes sag as debut director Marcos Siega disappoints audiences at every turn.
Underclassman (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:77
Fresh:6
Rotten:71
Average Rating:2.8/10
Consensus: Despite the appealing presence of Nick Cannon, Underclassman is a shopworn Beverly Hills Cop/ 21 Jump Street knockoff.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence, sexual references, drug material and some teen drinking
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Sep 2, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $5,567,645
Synopsis: Nick Cannon plays Tracy "Tre" Stokes, a streetwise LA cop in 'Underclassman' which combines frenetic action with sharp-eared comedy. When a student at an elite private school gets murdered, the... Nick Cannon plays Tracy "Tre" Stokes, a streetwise LA cop in 'Underclassman' which combines frenetic action with sharp-eared comedy. When a student at an elite private school gets murdered, the rough-edged rookie, Stokes gets assigned as the undercover detective to track down the killer. The resulting culture shock is only one of his difficulties. The ever-resourceful Stokes resorts to using his unique blend of sharkish good cheer and rakish charm to woo his beautiful teacher Karen Lopez (Roselyn Sanchez) to help him pass Spanish and his arrogant athletic prowess to make the school streetball team. Once Stokes gets "in" with the edgy team captain and lead suspect Rob Donovan (Shawn Ashmore) he discovers that Donovan is being coerced into participating in a student car theft operation. Using his talent for hunches, Stokes wastes no time employing unorthodox methods of investigation. Although disapproving of Stokes behavior, Captain Victor Delgado (Cheech Marin) is worried for his safety and assigns two of his detectives as back up - Detective Lisa Brooks (Kelly Hu) and Richard Gallecki (Ian Gomez) to keep an eye on him. With their help,Stokes is able to track down the killer, Headmaster Powers (Hugh Bonneville) who turns out to be trading the stolen cars as payment for drugs. -- © Miramax [More]
Starring: Nick Cannon, Roselyn Sanchez, Shawn Ashmore, Cheech Marin
Starring: Nick Cannon, Roselyn Sanchez, Shawn Ashmore, Cheech Marin, Kelly Hu, Hugh Bonneville, Don McManus, Geoffrey Pierson
Director: Marcos Siega
Director: Marcos Siega
Screenwriter: David Wagner, Brent Goldberg
Producer: Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy, Andrew Panay
Studio: Miramax Films
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Release:
Jan 17, 2006
Reviews for Underclassman
It's mind-boggling that such relentlessly offensive trash ever finds financial backing from a major Hollywood studio.
This is geared toward the preteen set, but director Marcos Siega proves inept at executing the most basic dramatic and comedic setups, and Cannon's mugging and preening quickly grow tiresome.
The premise of The Underclassman is so familiar as to be groan-inducing, but the happy surprise is that it goes down very easily, and makes for agreeable summer light entertainment.
The smart-mouth-maverick-cop genre never looked more shopworn and played-out than in this halfhearted, half-baked mess.
It seems that the filmmakers behind Underclassman think that Nick Cannon is the second coming of comedy genius. The sad fact is that he ain't.
However unfortunate or sad it is that people enjoy experiencing mediocre quality cinema, if you have nothing more stimulating to do on a Friday night, Underclassman could provide the entertainment -- not enlightenment -- you seek.
Almost comically unambitious, Underclassman seldom tries to be funny, and never even attempts to be original.
The film feels like the victim of too many rewrites and edits, with lots of plotlines that go nowhere or feel oddly unfulfilled.
Cannon simply doesn't have the chemistry with his co-stars that he needs; it's as if he's trying to perform a one-man show
Underclassman can't seem to decide if it wants to be a cop comedy or take on a more serious tone. Either way, it doesn't succeed.
Underclassman flails around for 95 of the draggiest minutes that you could possibly encounter.
Cannon is abrasive and obnoxious, the comedy is not funny and the thrills are not thrilling.
[A] clichéd and callow action-comedy piece that’s about as appetizing as a dead worm in the teacher’s apple. Hence, the flawed Underclassman simply doesn’t make the grade
With movies like this is it a wonder that all theaters have lacked for most of the summer was the occasional tumbleweed to complete the illusion of their being ghost towns?
This is one of those movies where at the end of the year you’ll say, 'Underclassman, what was that about? I don’t even remember it.'
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