Movie Review # 35 Assassination of a High School President (2009)

Release: 2009
Director: Brett Simon http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1843195/
Writer(s):
Tim Calpin http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1926674/
Kevin Jakubowski http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2489912/
Cast:
Bruce Willis http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000246/
Reece Thompson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1107127/
Mischa Barton http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0059215/


Ratings:
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% Critics 40% Audience http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/assassination_of_a_high_school_president/
IMDb: 6.6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018818/
Netflix:  3.2 Stars


Review:
Assassination of a High School President is a movie that every high schooler should see. It breaks down high school life into portion sized pieces. As it shows that life inside the brick and mortar buildings we send our kids to are prisons unto themselves. As one event can make or break you in the social jungle of high school. All the while it shows how schools create clicks and ultimately a stepped society. Where each wrung you go up the better your life is.

That is just high school and yet this movie covered it elegantly. Thankfully this movies second act the mystery of who stole the schools S.A.T's was fun, engaging and ultimately worth more than a price of admission. As it's smart writing, amazing acting and engaging characters come to life in ways that are shocking and love able. The main focus is on Bobby Funke played by Reece Thompson. As he wants to write for the school paper and his ground breaking story on who stole the S.A.T's. Only to have to have start and ground zero and figure out what really happened.

This is where the movie gets fun and very entertaining. With each successive event that unfolds and the more you find out. The more you are drawn in and the more you wish to know the whole story and not just the partial that is presented at the beginning. At no point do you ever feel lead on or even insulted by the story. You just feel like part of it and that says a lot about the writing of the co-writers of this film Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski who are known more for writing several episodes of South Park.

Yet as this movie proved even comedy writers can pen a masterpiece and that is what they did. Even the director Brett Simon is a unknown. Just not for long as this movie sets a benchmark for excellence and enjoyment. Despite all this glowing the story of what happened to this film is sad. As it opened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and received great reviews and was supposed to see a limited release. Only see that fall through as the financing company Yari Film Group go under stopping it from coming out.

Which is the same company that produced the movie The Maiden Heist that also suffered the same fate as this one. No matter the outcome of the company. This movie is steps above a majority of main stream movies that come out each summer. Both in story, character design and ultimately staying factor in your mind. I can stress enough how good this movie is. So I will just close with this. Assassination of a High School Principal is an amazing neo noir comedy that is nothing more than great cinema.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars