Back to School (1986)

Rodney Dangerfield	Thornton Melon
Sally Kellerman	Dr. Diane Turner
Burt Young	Lou
Keith Gordon	Jason Melon
Robert Downey Jr.	Derek
Paxton Whitehead	Dr. Phillip Barbay
Terry Farrell	Valerie Desmond
M. Emmet Walsh	Coach Turnbull
Adrienne Barbeau	Vanessa
William Zabka	Chas
Ned Beatty	Dean Martin

Director	Alan Metter
Producer	Chuck Russell Estelle Endler Michael Endler Harold Ramis
Writer	Rodney Dangerfield Greg Fields Dennis Snee

Self-made wealthy guy Rodney Dangerfield decides he needs a better education—and also to spend some time away from his cheating new wife. Dangerfield joins his son Keith Gordon at college. Dad hopes to gain his son's respect (isn't that always Dangerfield's motivation?), while son tries to fit in with his snobbish and brutish fellow students. English professor Sally Kellerman forms a strong bond with Dangerfield, encouraging both father and son to stick out their first year despite all odds. The finale involves some slapstick at the swimming pool diving board, and the obligatory commencement address delivered by Dangerfield, who proves that he can crack jokes without tugging at his tie. Even non-Dangerfield fans can enjoy Back to School because his character is appealing and the story has some semblance to credibility. The film was lensed on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, which never looked better. — Hal Erickson

Edition Details
Chapters	32
Release Date	6/24/2003
Packaging	Keep Case
Screen Ratio	1.85:1
Subtitles	French; Spanish
Audio Tracks	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround
Layers	Dual Side, Single Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes	1

Personal Details
Purchase Date	10/11/2004
Owner	Thomas Eisenmann
Store	Best Buy
Purchase Price	$9.99
Condition	Excellent
Reviewed	Widescreen Review
Bit Rate	192 KB
Anamophic	Yes
Links	All Movie Guide DVD Empire Amazon US IMDB

Anamophic

Includes the theatrical trailer and a production notes booklet.

Story Synopsis:
Thornton Melon (Dangerfield), the rich and free-spirited entrepreneur-and owner of the Tall & Fat clothing empire-is worried about his son Jason’s (Gordon) difficulties in college. So Thornton decides to go Back To School and succeeds in turning the campus on its ear by purchasing his homework, dating his Literature professor (Kellerman) and throwing wild campus parties with the incomparable Oingo Boingo as the house band. The loveable, late Sam Kinison as an over-the-top history teacher is not to be missed.

DVD Picture:
The 1.85:1 DVD is not anamorphically enhanced and opens with sepia-toned images. The picture, viewed in component video, is generally pleasing at best. Colors are balanced, but wanting in clarity, as they tend to bleed. Otherwise, fleshtones are generally natural, and blacks are deep and solid. While the picture is revealing of film grain, pixelization, artifacts and aliasing problems can be distracting.

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 2.0-channel matrix-encoded soundtrack is undistinguished 1980s Dolby Stereo. The soundfield is predominantly front channel-oriented, except for the music which wraps into the surrounds. Fidelity is appropriately dated, and there is the presence of low level background hum. The overall sonic character is a bit strident as well. Sound effects are stereophonic in nature, but their integration into the four-channel soundstage sounds manufactured. The dialogue production is also dated, and ADR characteristics are sometimes evident.