School Daze

I am only 18 years old and I just saw the movie School Daze. I do not attend a H.B.C.U., but I have friends that tell me what goes on there. To the older people out there, can you believe that that type of stuff is still going on?! My friends and I were just talking the other day about how this guy on her campus would only date lighter skinned girls. If that is his thing, than it is, however, he would not date them because of their personality. He said they just "looked better on his arm." My mother and I always discuss the future of African-Americans and I am going to tell the truth. I am scared. We hurt each other more than any other race and we have to stop. I am a dark-skinned female and I just learnd to love myself. I thank Spike Lee for not being ashamed to call us out when we needed it. No, I do not think that the movie was an Oscar winner, but I do know that it was a mind opener and should be a lesson to all of us on how we allowed the European standard of beauty to shape our self-worth.

I'm a fan of Spike Lee and look up to him, being an aspiring director. I wouldn't rank this film up there with "Do the Right Thing," since it has its flaws, but I still found it entertaining and the characters generally engaging. Spike has a knack for writing, as well as directing. The minor problems I had with "School Daze" were that it dragged a bit (quite a few scenes could've used trimming), some of the acting is wooden, the occasional music numbers seemed forced (this is also considering I'm not a big fan of musicals) and the ending didn't satisfy me. Aside from the end scene being pretentious, it seemed way too forced in an otherwise realistic film. Laurence Fishburne, who's a naturally brilliant actor that never disappoints, gives the best performance of the film. He compensates for some of the more amateurish members of the cast. By the way, expect to see a lot of Spike's regulars--including Bill Nunn, Ossie Davis and Samuel L. Jackson in a nice bit part. Also, expect to see several actors from "A Different World." It's evident that Spike was probably in a frat back in his college days, since the film feels authentic and the frat scenes are rich with detail. I recommend "School Daze," if you're a Spike fan like me, though it's nowhere near as powerful as most of his work. (7 out of 10)

I had not seen Spike Lee's School Daze in 13 years, the first weekend of its release. This movie has a very special meaning to African Americans like me who were college students in the 80s. The school setting acts as a microcosm of black life as a whole. The social issues it tackles are all too familiar to black life: light skin vs. dark skin, college kids vs. the surrounding economically disadvantage community, and the social responsibility of African Americans to Africans across the entire black diaspora among others.

Watching it in 1988 I thought the dance sequences were too long, but in 2001 I now see their worth. The DVD is visually beautiful, while being gritty in spots where it should thanks to the beautiful work of the great Ernest Dickerson. This was a huge leap for Spike as a director, coming from a $175,000 budget for She's Got To Have It to School Daze.

This film does a great job of giving us some of the inner workings of Black Greek letter organizations. It also shows what abuse people will go through to belong. I was actually living School Daze when I saw it in 1988, so I come from that perspective. It was thrilling to figuratively see myself on that screen in 1988.

If you are looking for Academy Award winning performances, then this isn't the film for you, although there are some really fine actors in the film. If you haven't ever lived this existence, it is really hard to appreciate School Daze. I have a great appreciation for Spike, the era, and the story Spike has written and brought to the screen.

Most folks don't get the ending "Wake Up" scene, but it absolutely belongs. The entire movie and most of Spike's works are wake up calls to America, but specifically to the black community.

Spike Lee's School Daze is an interesting film, one that reveals the struggle of black society in the 1980's. This was the time period when they were struggling to keep their head afloat in this world despite the civil rights movement some decades before. This film has many flaws, but it's not a letdown thanks to the clear message Spike Lee was able to bring across. The opening of this film is powerful as Lee is showing the history of his people and the end.....well it came out of nowhere but I think it's rightly justified.

Spike Lee's film takes place at a historically black college during homecoming weekend and it's about how the sororities and the fraternities clash against each other.

The acting is decent: nothing to rave home about, but nothing to be ashamed of either. Laurence Fishburne may have had the best role as the revolutionary leader who wants to change how his school is ran.

Overall, School Daze is very interesting and it sends the message to America and more specifically to black people, to wake up and be proud of their heritage. These morals are a strong presence throughout the film and quite frankly, they elevate the movie. For the music itself, it's quite enjoyable though some songs are a tad too long. Kudos to Spike Lee for going somewhere that directors rarely go. I rate this film 8/10.

This is my favorite movie of all time. I have seen it at least 300 times. I saw it the first time about a year after it came out. I was about ten years old and I was mesmerized. I really loved all the singing and dancing. But when I got older, thats when I got the message of movie. Thats what makes this movie such as classic. The only thing I don't like about it is that I read the book about the making of School Daze and Spike cut out so many scenes that would have been good for the movie. It would have made some of the scenes easier to understand. I wished he would've put them on the DVD. But still, one of the greatest black films of all time.