School's Out (film)
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| School's Out | |
|---|---|
| Genre | teen drama coming of age |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Creator | Linda Schuyler Kit Hood |
| Written by | Yan Moore |
| Directed by | Kit Hood |
| Produced by | Linda Schuyler |
| Starring | Pat Mastroianni Stacie Mistysyn Neil Hope Stefan Brogren Kirsten Bourne Anais Granofsky L. Dean Ifill Irene Courakos Michael Carry Amanda Stepto Jacy Hunter Sara Holmes Christian Campbell Andy Chambers Siluck Saysanasy |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | CBC Television |
| Release date(s) | January 5, 1992 |
| Preceded by | Degrassi High |
| Followed by | Degrassi: The Next Generation |
| IMDb profile | |
School's Out is a 1992 TV movie featuring the characters of the immensely popular Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High series. The show's longtime team of writers filmed this feature length movie during the summer of 1991 to be shown on CBC Television during the new year. Initially, the movie was intended to wrap up the entire Degrassi saga, but in 2001, Degrassi: The Next Generation gave the Degrassi series a revival.
School's Out was released on DVD October 9, 2007 as part of the "Degrassi High Complete Series" DVD set.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot synopsis
The crux of the feature focused on Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) and his longtime girlfriend, Caitlin Ryan (Stacie Mistysyn). Joey had been held back a year and was turning 19, while Caitlin—due to her taking extra classes—had managed to graduate a year early (she should have been entering senior year). Joey proposes to Caitlin at a wild graduation party, she says she is not ready for that kind of commitment, and he storms out, only to run into Tessa Campanelli (Kirsten Bourne), who asks for a ride home. When they get to her house, she pulls him in for a kiss. The next day she purposely goes to the drugstore where Joey works and asks him on a date.
Joey, though initially hesitant, goes out with Tessa, has a great time, and as he tells Wheels (Neil Hope) the next day, he got to "third base." Joey sees little of Caitlin, who is working as a waitress to make money for university, so instead he spends most of the summer with Tessa, who unlike Caitlin, "goes all the way."
Other plot lines include Wheels and his 200 dollar junker he spends the summer trying to get to work, and Snake's (Stefan Brogren) hope that his lifeguarding job will get him "laid."
In the film's final act, Tessa has dumped Joey without telling him that she's pregnant and having an abortion, Joey and Caitlin finally have sex, Snake finally rescues a drowning woman (though not at the pool where he was working), and Caitlin finds out roughly ten minutes after getting engaged to Joey that he cheated on her, then breaks off the engagement and storms out. Also, Wheels drives drunk, ends up permanently injuring Lucy Fernandez (Anais Granofsky) and killing a child in the ensuing accident and goes to jail.
Upon finding out about the affair, Caitlin said "You were fucking Tessa Campanelli?" line and called him a "bastard". The line did not get aired in America. (It was edited to "You were sleeping with Tessa Campanelli?")
The gang all meet up again months later at Alexa (Irene Courakos) and Simon's (Michael Carry) wedding; minus Wheels, Erica (Angela Deiseach), and Lucy. Still incarcerated, Wheels is set to plead guilty for his crime, while Erica is teaching abroad in the Dominican Republic and meets a new boyfriend in the process. Meanwhile, Lucy has since regained her vision in one of her eyes but was still not well enough to attend. Snake finds a new girlfriend in university, and Joey and Caitlin share a dance as friends.
[edit] Reaction to the movie
The feature marked a darker turn for a show that while always unflinching, had never been excessively graphic or profane.
Many fans didn't like that most of the coverage is given to Joey, Wheels, Caitlin, and Snake and not other characters. Most of Degrassi's bit players are also seen in the background, dancing, drinking or smoking pot. It is small details like this that made the jump from the last Degrassi High episode and this feature appear a bit jagged to those fans.
In the series, drug use and sex was more often implied than shown, and although there is no complete nudity, the sex scenes are beyond what would have ever aired on the show in its heyday. That, combined with the profanity, led some parents to believe that Degrassi went too far.
However, the film proved a success and drew in around 2.325 million Canadian viewers on its initial showing, doubling the average audience that Degrassi High received.
With eight songs from Toronto based rock group Harem Scarem featured in the movie, Toronto's rock station Q107 received immediate requests for their songs to be played on-air. Songs by future Styx lead singer Lawrence Gowan are also featured in the film.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The title of the movie (like some episodes from Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, and most of the episodes from Degrassi: The Next Generation) comes from a song, in this case an Alice Cooper song.
- Stefan Brogren (Snake) was the first person to use the word 'fuck' on Canadian primetime television during School's Out. Stacie Mistysyn was the second, as she said it only a few moments after him.
- Although Spike and Caitlin are not friends in Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, they are friends in Degrassi: The Next Generation. This film is the only time (pre-Next Generation) that you see any hint of a friendship between the two, but only at the end of the film and not for very long. So one has to assume that between School's Out and Next Generation they became better friends.
[edit] References
- ^ Correct release date plus front & rear artwork. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
[edit] External links
- School's Out page from Official Degrassi Website
- School's Out site from Degrassi.ca
- School's Out at the Internet Movie Database
- School's Out (film) at TV.com
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