Where does Hollywood come up with such fresh and original material?
Underclassman (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Jan 17, 2006
Reviews for Underclassman
This unoriginal, not-raucous-enough- to-be-offensive movie just turns inane.
Underclassman was probably a gas to film. Watching it, on the other hand, is like sitting in afterschool detention.
With unsympathetic characters and a preposterous plot, the film has only the outdoor action scenes to provide a slight diversion from total boredom.
Why, oh why, would Nick Cannon, star of the perfectly marvelous (but too-little seen) “Drumline” star in this tasteless mess? Did success go to this young actor’s head?
Cannon is a good actor; he’s exceptionally funny and has a great sense of timing. Stil, toning down some of the over-the-top elements in 'Underclassman' would've helped.
It's sad to see an exciting new director supervising a paint-by-numbers script of no creativity whatsoever.
It's difficult to pick the film's most heinous fault: its derivative script and story; star Nick Cannon's painfully hammy performance or Siega's attempts at Michael Bay-lite action scenes and explosions.
[H]ow does [Cannon] get money to write, produce, and star in a movie that’s all about how hilarious he is? This is a particular puzzle because he is not funny in the least.
Less an original product than a shoddy tribute to other mediocre cop movies.
Hu, Marin and a very fine British actor, Hugh Bonneville (Iris) playing the school's headmaster, bring some desperately needed authenticity and texture to this Miramax film.
Yes, it's really silly. And no, you won't remember a thing about it the second it's over. But adults looking for fast-moving, nonviolent fun that kids might actually enjoy could do a lot worse.
If it weren't for the racist and puerile humour and the general laziness of the production, you could almost understand a movie like Underclassman. And maybe even forgive it.
Cannon's appeal is overshadowed by both his vanity and the dull, by-the-numbers quality of the filmmaking.
Once in a great while -- usually late August -- a movie comes along that's so lame, it doesn't deserve a bad review. It deserves a war-crimes tribunal.
Latest News for Underclassman
August 31, 2006:
Box Office Preview: "Crank" Closes Up Summer Movie Season
The summer movie season comes to an official end with the Labor Day holiday weekend unleashing three new releases plus the national expansion of a fourth. More...
September 06, 2005:
"Transporter 2" Kicks Some Labor Day Box Office Butt
Jason Statham in "Transporter 2" was the go-to guy over the holiday weekend, hauling in an estimated $20.2 million from 3,300 screens. This is a marked improvement... More...
September 01, 2005:
Critical Consensus: "Gardener" Reaps Praise
This week we have a movie about international intrigue ("The Constant Gardener"), a mercenary ("The Transporter 2"), the problems of time travel ("A... More...
August 29, 2005:
Carell's "Virgin" Remains On Top (of the Box Office Chart)
Universal's "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" maintained its grasp on first place at the box office for a second consecutive weekend, beating out a trio of newcomers without... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Underclassman at Rotten Tomatoes
- Underclassman at IGN
- Underclassman at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



