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I saw this film when it first came out and as it turned out I saw it with someone who spent a few stretches of his life homeless. The late David T. Frank was most moved by the film and I take that as the highest possible accolade.

In a day and age when so few of us put anything aside as a cushion against hard times, lots of people are one paycheck away from being as homeless as Joe Pesci was here. Others like Pesci, have a debilitating illness and there's no place for them. The saddest of all are some of those with mental illnesses who are surviving on medication to keep psychoses under control.

Brendan Fraser is a Harvard undergraduate who is writing his senior thesis when his computer crashes, leaving him with only one printed out copy. I've had the experience of losing valuable files when the hard drive I'm writing this review crashed, so I know exactly where he was coming from.

Topping that off he loses that copy to Joe Pesci who's made himself a makeshift shelter in the boiler room of the Harvard library. Fraser finds Pesci throwing his thesis page by page into the boiler for some heat.

Pesci's got him by the short hairs and they make an incredible bargain. He'll give Fraser back his thesis page by page for favors done. Incredibly he accepts the deal.

More incredibly the two of them form a unique bond and Pesci goes to live with Fraser and his roommates, Moira Kelly, Patrick Dempsey and Josh Hamilton. Of the group of them I really enjoyed Hamilton's portrayal of the uptight pre-med student.

The four Harvard kids learn a whole lot about life and what's really important in it. And I think they all will graduate life with honors.

This review is respectfully dedicated to David T. Frank who checked out of life way too soon. Brendan, Joe, and the rest of the cast, this film deeply moved him, good job folks.

I'll admit; "With Honors" grew on me. Initially, I was cool towards it as it looked like some pretentious drivel, but as the movie progressed it grew on me.

The movie begins with Montgomery "Monty" Kessler (Brendan Frasier) dropping his thesis into a grate where it fell down into the boiler room of a library. By the time he hobbled down there to retrieve it a homeless man named Simon B. Wilder (Joe Pesci) was burning some pages to keep a fire going. When Monty tried to stop him, he attacked him with a metal pipe.

Right then and there I had a problem with the movie. A.) why would he grab what clearly looked like important documents and start burning them? B.) who puts paper in a boiler furnace to keep the fire stoked? C.) what was his deal attacking a student of the university he was squatting in?

This thesis was of the utmost importance to Monty because it was going to allow him to graduate with honors--hence the title. Simon, however, kept the remainder of the thesis hostage from Monty, whom he derisively called "Harvard," as a means of getting certain benefits from Monty (food, shelter, and other perks). All the while Simon is keeping the thesis hostage and only handing over a page per perk, he is carrying this air of moral superiority and prejudging Monty because he assumed Monty had prejudged him (the best defense is a good offense approach). Simon kept up this demeaning holier-than-thou charade long enough to where I was thinking, "This movie better correct itself soon because they're making this into a rich v. poor thing where the poor guy is inherently morally better because of his poverty."

Simon struck me as a cross between Robin Williams' character in "The Fisher King," and Ethan Hawke's character in "Reality Bites." Like Williams in "The Fisher King," Pesci was a short, pudgy, bearded homeless man with above average intelligence. Like Hawke in "Reality Bites," Pesci was almost misanthropic, totally demeaning, and arrogant with his sense of superiority because he isn't a slave to capitalism.

So, I was down on Simon and the entire movie to begin with. Then, just as the relationship between Simon and Monty grew, so did my enjoyment of the movie. It developed into a wonderful human-interest story with a side helping of a tolerable romance between Monty and his roommate Courtney Bloomenthal (Moira Kelly). I say tolerable romance because it wasn't too thick.

I liked "With Honors" as a complete project and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

So i caught this movie in the store and thought I'd give it a go because of Joe Pesci and Brendan Frasier. It's a very rewarding movie about life, and how sometimes we need to step back and see that we're all human. I'll definatly have to commend Brendan on his acting, a great job, and he's won new respect. Heartwarming film.

With Honors (1994)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Brendan Fraser plays Monty, a Harvard student who believes that his thesis is going to send him into the perfect life with the perfect job. The only problem is that the papers fall into the hands of a homeless man named Simon (Joe Pesci) who plans on using them to get things that he needs.

WITH HONORS was released to some really horrible reviews and I still remember going to see it on its opening weekend and leaving the theater wondering what everyone had missed. The film took a real beating from critics and it didn't do too well at the box office but for my money it was one of the better movies released that year. Is it a masterpiece? Of course not but it's certainly a very good, heart-warming and funny picture.

One thing that the film deserves credit for is taking a serious look at being homeless. This includes how someone can become homeless and then it talks about the various issues that happens because of it. I thought the film was very intelligent when it came to the subject matter and unlike so many other movies this one here at least had something to say on its subject.

The best thing about the movie were the performances with Pesci leading the way in a very good role. Pesci was on a hot streak during this era as he was coming off the box office hit of HOME ALONE as well as an Oscar-win for GOODFELASS. He really makes a memorable character here as he can handle the drama and the laughs without any problem. Fraser is also very believable in his role and we get some nice support from Moira Kelly, Josh Hamilton and Patrick Dempsey.

The film certainly does a very good job at mixing the laughs with the drama and to me WITH HONORS remains a film that never got its due.

Joe Pesci brings the best out of this film. The plot is OK, but Pesci, as the eccentric (yet downtrodden) bum Simon Wilder, keeps it together. He is funny, heartwarming and good at what he does- and that is acting. Brendan Frasier is also good as the college harvard who find Simon and makes the plot go around. Usually funny, usually sad, OK in my book (if I have such a book). A

Alek Keshishian's "With Honors" was shown on cable recently. The film tries to tells us that not all the knowledge in life comes in the way of a university education, but by experience and hard knocks, as is the case with Simon Wilder, a homeless man, who has more knowledge than the young people that befriend him.

"With Honors" is a film with good intentions. It presents us a group of four Harvard students sharing a house. They are bright and want to do well. In fact, they have been conditioned to excel in their studies, but in doing so, and coming from some money, they are not experienced in the ways of the world.

All that changes when Monty loses the only copy of his thesis that falls into the basement of the Harvard library. Breaking into the building he discovers the homeless person who is feeding his work to the furnace. Horrified, he wants to get it back, but Simon has other plans for him.

At the same time, Simon, has a dark past. That secret is only revealed toward the end, and it comes as a shock. Monte and his roommates have to deal with reality as they realize Simon is a sick man. At the end, Monte, who has been a student expected to graduate suma cum laude, realizes he has learned an important lesson in his meeting that strange man, and how his life has taken a different turn.

Mr. Keshishian got good acting in genera. Joe Pesce and Brendan Fraser do excellent job. Patrick Dempsey, Josh Hamilton, Moira Kelly and Gore Vidal make valuable contributions to the film.

"With Honors" and the French-Canadian film "Jesus of Montreal" are my two favorite films, period. "With Honors" means so much to me...it takes on an issue - homelessness - that most film studios won't touch with a ten-foot pole. Then, it manages to make a funny, warm, touching film that's also fairly mainstream in its appeal. It's amazing that someone could make a film largely about a homeless man into a commercially acceptable film without sugar-coating the issue, but they did it.

Stellar performances abound here, including Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, Josh Hamilton, and the spectacular Moira Kelly. With a great performance by the priceless Gore Vidal - who's also in another of my favorite films, "Bob Roberts."

There are also some nice shots of the Harvard University campus, and the film accurately re-creates the turmoil, joy, and passion and the hundred other emotions that come with college life.

With Honors is a 1994 comedy-drama that centers around a Harvard university student who must succumb to the demands of a homeless man after his senior thesis is held hostage.

Starring Brendan Fraser and Joe Pesci, With Honors is a terrific movie that might not have won over the critics when it came out, but still tells a charmingly fun yet sad story that is held together very well with the performances from its fantastic cast. It probably won't leave any long lasting impressions, but is still a very well made film that captures good characters forming an unlikely friendship in a somewhat humorous and unconventional fashion that will leave you entertained while pulling at your heart strings a little by the movies end.

If you've never seen this great movie before, I would recommend checking it out.

Btenden Fraser is decent and befriends a bum who's not dumb. It's quite predictable, but watchable. Decent character arcs and an OK love interest in Moira. Otherwise kinda meh.

Monty Kessler (Brendan Fraser) is a type A Harvard student. His roommates are rowing crew leader Courtney Blumenthal (Moira Kelly), pre-med Jeff Hawkes and trust fund college radio DJ Everett Calloway (Patrick Dempsey). His thesis with Professor Pitkannan (Gore Vidal) is to leave governing to the political elite rather than the needy minorities. His hard drive crashes and he loses his only copy to homeless guy Simon B. Wilder (Joe Pesci). Wilder offers to exchange one page for every one thing and the first thing being a glazed donut. He calls the campus police on Wilder but the thesis is gone.

Brendan Fraser doesn't really fit this young Republican character. At its best, the movie is a cliché with heart. At its worst, it's "Boy Oh Boy" annoyingly clunky. I admit to being a sucker for clichés with heart. I'm willing to buy into these likable stock characters but it has too many clunky moments. The movie grinds along too much. It needs more funny comedy. Pesci is not appealing. I want to like this more but can't.

This is a fantastic movie and I loved it! Basically, Monty is a Harvard student who thinks he knows it all and is writing his senior thesis but while running to make a copy of it (cliche, his computer crashed and he only has one copy) he slips and his work falls into the hands of Harvard bum Simon. What ensues can only be described as "masterful" as Monty and Simon develop as the story continues with different little twists and an ending that leaves you in tears. You can really FEEL the portrayal of the characters from Pesci and Fraser, but adding Patrick Dempsey, Moira Kelly, and Josh Hamilton completes the group. It is truly a beautiful film.

While this movie may not be particularly memorable or great, it is however a good movie that pulls no punches. Uplifting even without the perfect happy ending. Well acted by Fraser in particular, and always nice to see Pesci in a flick, however it did suffer from subpar writing which is most likely why it has never received critical acclaim. Highly recommend you watch at least once in your life.

Question: How do you screw up a movie with a cast of Brendan Fraser, Patrick Dempsey and Moira Kelly? Answer: It ain't easy, but try adding Joe Pesci. I hope no one actually associates the way Pesci (as Simon Wilder) acted in the movie with real homeless people. In the real world, Montgomery Kessler (played by Brendan Fraser) could have had this arrogant little urchin committed. I've been homeless. I know that real homeless people do not act like they are doing a standup comedy act, or preach constantly (unless it is someone who has psychiatric problems and they are off their meds). I don't know.., I just hate Joe Pesci. That squeaky, little voice coupled with the arrogant, Guido demeanor. He's not funny. He's just irritating. I actually felt sorry for Kessler's roommates when this aggressive, little punk actually weaseled his way into their apartment to "take a bath".

I´m one of those people who knows what to expect from a movie and the best part of it is that you can be surprised.

"With Honors" is certainly one of my favorite little movies so far. There are times when one gets tired from blockbuster-movies and cars blowing up and heros and spies and guns and the all-so-great 'wipe out the world ploy' (yes, I am quoting The Mummy Returns). I stopped by Blockbuster and decided I´d watch old movies and simple ones, so I got what I wanted but it was more than satisfying.

I love Joe Pesci and as surreal and unreal as his bum version was, you can´t help loving the guy. There was something very ´common place´ (the poor but incredibly wise man that is) about it, but the movie has it´s merits.

I knew Brendan Fraser could kick ass and look hot but I was pleased to see him act. The guy´s good and his character was really captivating, which gets the movie going.

There is a lesson coming from the movie, but it´s not one that will make you want roll your eyes (although it´s perfectly acceptable).

I watched it twice, and I´d watch it again.

I watched this movie for the first time just today, after learning that Brendan Fraser and Joe Pesci were in it. And I've gotta say, it's a nice enough movie, but it is flawed.

The movie centers on Harvard senior Montgomery "Monty" Kessler (played by Brendan Fraser), who is struggling to finish his program to graduate with honors, but an unexpected power glitch screws up his computer's hard drive, and as if just to make matters worse, his only paper copy of his in-progress thesis quickly falls into the hands of a homeless man named Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci). Though the two get off on the wrong foot, they quickly become unlikely friends, and Simon offers Monty some valuable lessons on life. Despite initial hostility toward Simon, Monty's roommates, Courtney Blumenthal (Moira Kelly), Everett Calloway (Patrick Dempsey) and Jeffrey Hawkes (Josh Hamilton), warm up to him as well.

Now, let me just say, the acting is pretty good. Brendan Fraser, especially, who at the time was known for playing rather cocky school students, delivers as Monty. Although, I personally feel that Joe Pesci was somewhat miscast as Simon. At the time, he was best known for playing gangsters, mafiosos, crooks and tough guys, especially in the first two Home Alone movies and Easy Money, so it's very odd to see him playing a super-wise (if somewhat crass) homeless guy who's ultimately a catalyst in changing the life of a Harvard student. His routine just doesn't translate here. Everybody else, though, is good in their roles, especially Moira Kelly, Patrick Dempsey and Josh Hamilton as Courtney, Everett and Jeff, respectively.

But the writing is where the movie's flaws lie. Despite an interesting story, there are some story turns that just feel forced and contrived, and don't make sense. Why would Simon take a bunch of papers that clearly look important and burn them page by page? Why would he then immediately attack Monty when he comes to try and claim them? It's never explained. Still though, there is some good drama in this movie, especially when Monty learns about Simon's health condition, and past, and never treats any of it as a joke. Still, the movie also has some pretty good comedy, especially Jeff barging in on Simon while he's using the bathroom, and bits involving Everett's pet rooster.

In addition, With Honors is well-filmed, and gives us a pretty good look at how lovely Harvard's campus looks, as does rural Maine. It also allows the actors to tell the story where necessary.

And lastly, the music. Patrick Leonard, though he rarely scores movies, scored this movie remarkably well. His score sounds very beautiful and haunting, and fits the tone of every scene it appears in. In addition, the song he co-wrote for the end credits, "I'll Remember" by Madonna, is powerful and lovely. Speaking of which, this movie makes really good use of other songs as well.

Everything considered, With Honors is a nice movie with a relatable story and good acting, especially from Brendan Fraser. However, it has a rather flawed script, and Joe Pesci feels somewhat out of place in the role he's in. Still, there is a lot this movie has to offer.

This gets a six only because it reminds me of that time.

I graduated from undergrad in 1994 albeit not from Harvard, mind you.

But this was my era all the way.

And all the young, Gen-X talent represented here in that fantastic moment were definitely of that moment.

Very familiar with all of them.

At this point Pesci seemed to be taking on many comedy roles, though he goes back to prior years with the genre and successfully so. It's like he was trying to get away from the gangster roles with movies like this.

Though Casino was still just ahead and man, was he great in that.

This may be my people and my time but this movie is still too simple for me. Too touchy feely. Too easy. Packaged too smoothly and easily.

It wraps up all nicely and puts a bow on it.

It even has a group hug.

But the soundtrack is awesome.

Remember soundtracks?

Those were great.

But I guess I never saw this because I was getting out into that world too. Degree in hand. But not really a clue otherwise.

But I didn't go to Harvard either.

And I still can't relate to the kids in this movie, even today.

And another thing that trips me out in this is Pesci's character is only supposed to be about fifty years old.

I'm a few years older than that now.

And I doubt if I was some vagrant hanging around Harvard in 2025, that a bunch of undergrads would take me in and treat me like some old wise soul.

But it is funny to think about.

It's just to bad this movie isn't funny.

The film with honors is a movie about the troubles of life and how we can't judge people the second we see them, since everybody always has a story. The movie itself is very touching and deep if you are to listen to every word and see what is trying to be said. It's a very sad movie, with a lot of meaning and a lot of emotion. Joe Pesci does a really good job portraying a Bum who is much more than what he seems. Moira Kelley does pretty bad, but Brendan Fraser does surprisingly well. This was one of the few movies that I cried at during the end. A film about Honor and love. It is a film like The Breakfast Club, but in my eyes is much better. This movie really touched me and made me see people differently, one of Joe Pescis line's really touched me. "What did you see when you looked at me Harvard? You didn't see a human being, you saw a piece of sh#t!" As a film I give it 8/10 because it's somewhat slow at the beginning, but as for honor it gets a 10/10. Actually when I think about it, the film entirely is a 10/10.

With Honors is one of those films that I remember enjoying back in the day, but never could recall what actually happened in it, let alone what it was about. Sure I knew that Joe Pesci played a bum attempting to show Brendan Fraser what life is all about, but that was pretty much it. Watching it again, probably more than ten years later, I can safely agree with myself from back then on how good of a movie it is. The acting is great and the story, while maybe a tad too sentimental and emotionally manipulating, is enthralling enough to stick with the characters and feel for them and their plight in getting through college with an education, along with their souls intact.

A film like this makes you think about how good Joe Pesci used to be and regret that he has been out of the business for a while now. The guy never had the looks, the height, or even a voice that won't start grating on your ears before he even opens his mouth, but the guy is fantastic. He plays Simon Wilder with heart and realism, a homeless man who has regrets, but also piece of mind, knowing what went wrong and living life for meaning not materialistic necessity. In exchange for warm meals from Fraser's Harvard co-ed, he agrees to return the government thesis paper he is holding hostage. The paper is one that Fraser's professor fully endorses, but in the end is just a pile of nonsense that he himself doesn't believe in. Pesci must then try and make his young "student" learn how to see inside himself and realize that catering to those in power will never cause change or evolution in thinking.

Besides Pesci, the main principles all do wonderful as well. It is a shame that Fraser has since rode his career down the toilet by doing children's fare and stupid comedies. Back in his heyday with this and School Ties, the guy showed he had some promise. Even the funny roles like Airheads worked, but unfortunately after that, he started to cash in the paychecks. Fraser shows that despite his jock physique, he has the ability to show inner intellect as well as a capacity to emit emotion. Some of the things that go on between he and Pesci strike tough cords and bring repressed feelings to the surface, but it is all a catharsis for both characters as they find out what it really is they need out of their own existences. As for the others, Moira Kelly makes you wonder what ever happened to her as far as film goes, Patrick Dempsey gives a performance with meaning while still keeping with his image of the day, and Josh Hamilton is entertaining enough to have made me see what else he's done since, surprising me to find he was one of my favorite roles in last year's comedy gem Diggers.

Throughout the film, you know that tragedy will soon hit and the tears will flow, however, that knowledge never detracts from what is happening on screen. The writer doesn't copout when he could have, and the emotionally resonant moments are so because he allowed them to be hurtful and real. Infused consistently with the drama, though, are many moments of nice humor. No matter how serious Pesci might play, he is still a goofball through and through. A brilliant example of this is when he sits in on a government lecture at the school. His quips are funny, but when the professor finally calls him out, he holds his own and proves that looks are most definitely deceiving. That scene is worth seeing the film all by itself and it encompasses everything that the story is trying to convey.

This is a great movie with great characters and an awesome storyline. Brendan Frasier plays Monty who is obsessed with making it at Harvard, spending most of his time working on his thesis. In the story, Frasier and housemates (a great bunch, I might add) meet Simon, a sick homeless man who is living in a broken down van in the backyard of the group's house. Simon defies the stereotypes of homeless people, in that he's very smart and very classy when he wants to be...in an odd kind of way. Frasier is indifferent toward Simon, but thru the story, they both become very close, culminating in an awesome friendship in the end. The bad thing is--Simon is dying, because of asbestos in his lungs he picked up from working in the merchant marine. This is just an awesome movie, that's funny, touching, and downright beautiful. It's one of those movies you can't help but cry at. The acting is great, the movie is beautifully shot, and as I said before, the story is just perfect. The music is well done also. Great film. 9/10

I saw this movie as a kid, maybe 13/14 in which I could still fill the gaps and magnify the story by sheer force of imagination and innocence. Today I saw it again as a young adult and while the film-making doesn't shine and the acting isn't as top notch as I had remembered it, the movie still delivers a warm feeling.

This is the type of movie that unfortunately doesn't get made in Hollywood anymore. A simple premise,contrived scope, time frame and number of characters and an optimistic view of the world and people. As a child this perspectives filled the TV and cinema,everything had a moral and the bad guy was always defeated. Today, the movies don't carry the same idealistic view on human nature, preferring the darker(some will claim more realistic) approach on character and plot development. I rather that we had stories of hope than displays of human atrocities.

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality." ---Dom Helder Camera

Bad movie wrongly casts Joe Pesci as a bum living under a library at Harvard where he takes Brendan Fraser's senior thesis and holds it ransom in exchange for food and shelter from Fraser and his friends. Of course the plot is incredibly contrived, Pesci's character is very unsympathetic and makes it very obvious that he has let petty things rule his life. Fraser and friends are incredibly underdeveloped as characters and one wonders why they keep Pesci around. The biggest problem with this movie is Pesci, he is completely miscast and makes you wonder if the movie could have been better with a different actor in the part. Of course the biggest question is at a school as prestigious and select as Harvard how can Pesci live under the library with no one finding out?

This film is one that definitely flies under the radar. A Harvard student falls hostage to a super intelligent vagrant. I know that plot don't sound very interesting but in my humble opinion it's one of the better films I've ever seen.

I was a young kid around 13-14 and I'd watch this over and over without really ever understanding it. I always loved Joe Pesci and still do. He's on my Top 3 without a doubt. He's absolutely brilliant and hilarious. Brendan Fraser is also fantastic.

This film teaches you a good lesson. There is more to life that meets the eye and to never judge a book by its cover.

After reading the first page of very positive reviews I thought I would watch a gem but the truth is With Honors is just an okay movie, mildly entertaining, a story with a "message" like they like to push down our throats nowadays but eventually it misses that opportunity due to average acting. Not necessarily from Joe Pesci, he's most of the time good, but from Brendan Fraser, he just doesn't have the face to play a dramatic role. I couldn't even shed a tear just because of his dumb facial expression. With honors is watchable but it's really not a gem that I will remember.