Summer School Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Summer School Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 9, 2022

The 1980s supplied a weird range of teen entertainment, with the adventures of aggressively undersexed adolescents in the first half of the decade eventually replaced by slightly more meaningful offerings of emotional connection. The John Hughes-ing of material certainly made things more interesting for the subgenre, but 1987’s “Summer School” is quite content to be a comedy with a slightly old-fashioned approach to funny business and characterizations. Director Carl Reiner was in his sixties when he helmed the feature, working to bring his sense of humor and timing to juvenile entertainment, offering a sunny day approach to the ways of unfocused students and the gym teacher assigned to smarten them up during the high school off-season. “Summer School” has its struggles in the editorial department, but the brightness of the endeavor is quite appealing, as Reiner simply aims for humor and performance with the production, bringing in a capable cast and a lively script by Jeff Franklin (who would go on to create “Full House”) to make a reasonably good-natured distraction for the summer moviegoing season.

It's the last day of the school year for Oceanfront High, but a handful of students aren’t going anywhere. Having failed a key test, Pam (Courtney Thorne-Smith), Chainsaw (Dean Cameron), Dave (Gary Riley), Denise (Kelly Jo Minter), Kevin (Patrick Labyorteaux), Rhonda (Shawnee Smith), Alan (Richard Steven Horvitz), and Larry (Ken Olandt) are forced to try again in summer school, dealing with a remedial English class. With nobody willing to step up and instruct the kids, Vice Principal Gills (Robin Thomas) forces gym teacher Shoop (Mark Harmon) to lead the way, killing the beach bum’s plans for the season. Unprepared for discipline, Shoop is lost in the classroom, relying on help from his colleague, Robin (Kirstie Alley), who’s dating Gills. Trading favors for academic focus, Shoop tries to reach the rejects, navigating all kinds of problems as the retest countdown begins.

Harmon’s performance is one of the reasons why “Summer School” is so engaging. He’s not Bill Murray, but the actor finds a different way to play a lovable goofball stuck in an overwhelming situation of responsibility, with Shoop pulled from a trip to Hawaii and stuffed into a classroom, tasked with prepping seemingly dim-witted kids for an important retest. Harmon finds the perfect balance of looseness and attentiveness, keeping Shoop anxious about the professional assignment but comfortable in his own skin, spending his free time eating junk food, hitting on Robin, and sharing the beach life with his loyal dog, Wondermutt. Harmon’s not known for comedy, but he nails the part here, following Reiner’s lead as they give Shoop some life beyond one-liners, mixing his inner teacher with his habitual mellow.

“Summer School” isn’t any great achievement in screenwriting, but Franklin provides distinct personalities for Shoop’s students, with Pam an old soul surfer girl, Rhonda is pregnant and nervous, Larry is nocturnal, and Chainsaw and Dave are best friends with a shared adoration for horror movie makeup masters, including Rick Baker (who actually brings gory visions to life for the production), and the violent delights of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” Chainsaw and Dave are mostly in charge of silliness in “Summer School,” triggering many laughs with their recklessness and attention to exchange student Anna-Maria (Fabiana Udenio), and the general mood of the film is light and episodic, watching Shoop deal with student demands for his time, including Denise and her desire to pass a driver’s license test. Reiner tries to add a little heart along the way, with Shoop tending to learning disabilities and family issues, but “Summer School” doesn’t grow melodramatic. It weaves such realities into the picture’s humor, keeping the feature on the move Shoop experiences an evolution as a teacher, while his students finally get a sense of an educational experience that meets their needs.

As mentioned in the Blu-ray supplements, there are a lot of deleted subplots and moments in “Summer School,” and Reiner can’t cover all the gaps in storytelling. The movie plays breezily, wonderfully so, but a few questions remain after a viewing including this: What was Shoop doing inside a male strip club, where he discovers Larry is one of the top talent? That’s one of a few bewildering moments in the picture.

Summer School Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Summer School" is sourced from an older scan of the film. However, the viewing experience remains acceptable, providing a mild amount of detail on skin surfaces, horror makeup extremes, and classroom decoration. Colors are satisfactory, offering bright California hues on clothing and locations, including greenery. Blood reds make their impact. Skintones are acceptable. Delineation is acceptable. Grain has a more processed appearance. Source is in good condition.

Summer School Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA is a largely frontal listening experience, focusing on dialogue exchanges from a wide range of performers. Punchlines and banter are clearly defined. Scoring cues support as needed, with acceptable instrumentation and some surround presence. Soundtrack offerings handle with more force and low-end beats, emerging crisply.

Summer School Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Carl Reiner and actor Mark Harmon.

• "School's In for Summer" (17:07, HD) is a video conference interview with actor Richard Steven Horvitz, who tracks the development of his career, beginning as a child actor in commercials, including hand model work for toy ads. Horvitz was already working on the sitcom "Safe at Home" when he got the call to audition for "Summer School," impressing director Carl Reiner with his take on Alan's nerdiness. The interviewee recalls a "friendly rivalry" among the cast, and he offers extended memories of Reiner, Kirstie Alley, Robin Thomas, and especially Mark Harmon, with the pair reuniting a decade ago to take care of some cast photo framing and signatures. Set memories are shared, including work with gory makeup and improvisations, and Horvitz discusses deleted moments Reiner was forced to cut to keep the picture at a manageable length. The actor's struggle with typecasting is detailed, but Horvitz now appreciates what "Summer School" means to people and his own career.

• "Inside the Teacher's Lounge" (14:15, SD) is a 2007 featurette on the making of "Summer School," featuring interviews with director Carl Reiner, writer Jeff Franklin, and actors Mark Harmon, Ken Olandt, Patrick Labyorteaux, Dean Cameron, Robin Thomas, and Kirstie Alley (who appears in footage from 1986). The production experience is tracked from writing to principal photography, with Reiner encouraging his cast to play with the material, and extra love is offered to Harmon, who thought he was miscast as Shoop. Some BTS footage is included.

• "High School Yearbook" (11:02, SD) is a 2007 featurette focusing on the cast of "Summer School," using a mix of newer interviews and EPK material from 1986. We learn more about writer Jeff Franklin's biographical touches when it came time to shape these personalities, and characterizations are examined. Casting stories are also shared, with Patrick Labyorteaux personally picked by Mark Harmon after they worked together on an earlier project.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:18, SD) is included.

Summer School Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Reiner's enthusiasm for the material helps "Summer School" rise above the competition, giving the production a defined mischievousness and gentleness (even with grotesque horror movie makeup visuals and hints of alcoholism involving Chainsaw and Dave), and his casting is fantastic, finding the young talent fully engaged with their different takes on adolescent concern. In a subgenre that's loaded with dreary events and angry characters, "Summer School" remains cheery and winning, with Reiner adding a sense of maturity to the material, but he's also mindful of pure goofballery.