Guess What We Learned in School Today?

I recently watched Guess What We Learned in School Today (1970) on Prime. The storyline follows a community that views sex as evil, and a school teacher who aims to prove them wrong with examples.

Directed by John G. Avildsen (Rocky), the film stars Jean David (Born to Win), Dick Carballo (Cry Uncle), Jane McLeod, Zachary Haines, and Yvonne McCall.

This movie excels in not taking itself too seriously, with random dialogue, circumstances, and comedy. The "water is good, water is life" pool scenes were particularly hilarious. Featuring a plethora of nudity in various shapes and sizes, the carefree elements maintain a light and enjoyable atmosphere.

In conclusion, Guess What We Learned in School Today is a random and entertaining film that's worth a watch if you're seeking something different. I'd score it a 5.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

John G. Avildsen, before becoming the respectable director of uplifting "climb to victory" tales like ROCKY and 8 SECONDS, made this scattershot counterculture comedy about sex and suburbia. Like many movies of this period, including Brian DePalma's GREETINGS and Aram Avakian's END OF THE ROAD, the movie clumsily copies the jump-cutting, "fourth wall" breaking, and blackout staging of Jean-Luc Godard's inflential films previous to this, which may have seemed daring but serves now only to alienate the initial viewer of today. While there is the hint of a plot -- a community's resistence to sex education -- ultimately this is a clothesline to hang running gags: a too-vigilant vice cop, a suburban mom who talks in TV commercial jargon, a sheltered teen attracted to his babysitter, etc. Some gags are effective, others tedious. What does hold up in this movie is the actual sex education advice provided by the would-be visiting educator. It is honest, direct, and still relevant today. It stands out amid the ham-handed comedy antics. However, the message loses some effectiveness among the easy stereotyping of the middle-aged "squares." One cannot ask everything to be written as dryly and facutal as the average ABC Afterschool Special, but a little more realism and a little less condescending caricature would have given this the kind of longetivity that would make it better known, instead of the curious video obscurity it is now. Recommended primarily to those either nostalgic or curious about the early '70's.

So funny. Skin shown which is great. So many jokes that would be cancelled in todays' cancel culture. I thought it was fun and stylish!!! Funny.

7/10.

Just watched on YouTube this rarity from one John G. Avildsen before his fame from Joe, Save the Tiger, Rocky, and the Karate Kid movies. This is a comedy about the Generation Gap and the ridiculous reactions among the middle agers of sex education for young kids being some kind of Communist plot. Rita and Lance Battle (Jane McLeod and Zachary Hains) are the parents of a teenage boy, Robbie (Devin Goldenberg), who happens to have a crush on his babysitter, Lydia (Diane Moore). Their neighbors are police Lt. Roger and Eve Manley (Dick Carballo and Rosella Olsen). Both Roger and Lance are against a psychiatrist, a Dr. Lily Whitehorn (Yvonne McCall), teaching sex education at her school for underage kids. It should be noted that both men have hangups as Lance can't bed his wife and Roger seems to be bi as evidenced by his relationship with female dresser Billie (Stanton Edgehill). I'll stop there and just say that the whole thing has a jump cut structure meant to emphasize some jokes that mostly don't work but is fascinating to watch. The discussions of Dr. Whitehorn with various students about sex and certain words are perhaps the most compellingly naturalistic dialogue of the entire thing that one gets the feeling that that was improvised while the other scripted parts seem obviously contrived. And then there are some stupid characterizations like that of a stuttering mailman (Jan Saint) who likes looking at "dirty" pictures or the aforementioned husbands. I did, however, like the nude bodies of the blondes, Ms. Olsen and Moore with the redhead Ms. McLeod not looking so bad, either. In summation, Guess What We Learned in School Today? gets some points in conception but almost nothing in execution. P.S. The little girl voicing the opening credits is the director's daughter, Katherine, and if I didn't read the cast list on IMDb, I wouldn't have recognized the first radio voice as that of Bret Morrison who I knew played Lamont Cranston/The Shadow on the old radio program, "The Shadow". Oh, and he's also a native of the same city I was born in, Chicago, Ill.

It's like an X-rated movie from the 70's that caused all the controversy this film talks about. But it never takes that step forward to be as daring as they were. Those movies, while most were not great as films, have a place in film history challenging the rating system, censorship and societal norms. This movie falls well behind in that.

As a film, it doesn't work because the story is all over the place. The points it tries to make are often undermined by stupid cuts and plot devices. From the director of one of my favorite films ever, Rocky, I expected more competency.