Classe 44

Hermie, Oscy, and Benjie graduate from high school. Dorothy is long gone. The war is calling. Hermie is going to college. Oscy is still girl crazy. Benjie signs up with the marines only to be ridiculed by the other two. After sending him off to the war, Hermie and Oscy go to college together. Hermie is taken with high-strung school reporter Julie. The boys join a frat where they get hazed. Oscy gets kicked out and joins the Army but he's stationed off New York as a typist.

I feel like this is missing the biggest issue of the era, the war. It's always in the background but these characters are not actually in it. Benjie goes off to war and disappears. The football sucks because all the real men are gone. There are constant references to the war. I expected more pressure for the guys to join. It could have done a separation of paths by doing the other half with Benjie at war. This is Animal House but the bigger issue of the war is pushed to the sidelines. That may be the point but it makes the movie less compelling. I do appreciate its semi-autobiographical nature. This is notable for John Candy's theatrical debut as a side character early in the movie.

Summer of '42 was a great movie. I loved its funny and relatable characters, terrific characters, relatable story, excellent score, and the overall artsy nature of the film. It truly is a terrific film.

Now when I heard that there was a sequel to the film, I was a bit skeptical. I immediately thought it would be bad, especially after reading that the film abandons the artsy-ness of the first film and goes for a more straightforward story. But I thought to myself, "It can't be ALL that bad. I mean, we still have the same likable characters." Plus, they're in college, so I assumed that we'd get to see the typical young adult antics displayed in most college films.

I was kind of right.

Yes, it does suck how this film is more simple and straightforward instead of being poetic like the predecessor. But it's not like they had nothing to work with. I mean, this movie is set during World War II. They could have thrown in some social commentary about war, and how it affects young adults and their overall views on it, but nope. But that isn't to say that the film is a total wreck. It makes up for it by reuniting us with the same three friends who haven't changed a bit. Oscy is still a smart-ass, Hermie is still the one who stays true to himself, and Benji is still the same. So, that's good.

But one thing you might be asking yourself when watching this is whatever happened to Dorothy, the girl from the last movie that left a major impact on Hermie's life, in both Summer of '42 and in real-life. I mean, this movie had the same writer, Herman Raucher. I think it should have been at least mentioned, or maybe Hermie is in a deep depression and the new girl that he meets in this film pulls him out of it. Speaking of which, the romance in this movie isn't quite on par with the last movie. I don't see much chemistry between them. And I think that a deep soul like Hermie should have higher standards for women.

Overall, this movie was actually alright, but again, it could have been much better. I wouldn't mind watching this again. It has the same great characters who put on great performances, and it actually has some comedy to it. But because it could have been much more better, I give it a measly 5 stars.

I liked the prequel Summer of 42 a lot more. I did not find this sequel to leave me with any bright spots to remember this movie for any significant value. It almost looked as if they took some excess film from the Summer of 42 and tried to piece together this sequel by adding a few new characters and a new location.

I just found that I was waiting for something (anything) to occur but the movie went no where. Oh sure there was young love, a few fight scenes, boy turns in to man and goes off to serve in the military, but these scenes did not have any flow to them. As I said I thought maybe they just edited from some scenes that were cut from the original Summer of 42.

Look out for a young John Candy who has a single scene in which he has a few lines while climbing the stairwell in a home filled with students after high school graduation ceremonies about 15 minutes in to the movie.

Took 45 years for me to see this movie, and I wish I had waited longer. There is no main story, no flow, just lots of short scenes unconnected. Summer of 42 grabbed you and held your attention. Class of 44 wasted your time, I'm still waiting for something to finish the story.

Anyone who was around in 1971 remembers the sensation that "Summer of '42" caused back then. In a more proper time, the story of a young war bride and an innocent teenager was a smash hit with audiences. So...an inevitable sequel with most of the original cast was released in 1973.

"Class of '44" should have been titled "Hermie and Oscy Go to College" since that's about all the sequel is about. Hermie (Gary Grimes), Oscy (Jerry Hauser), and Benjie (Oliver Conant) graduate from high school, after which Hermie and Oscy attend college while Benjie joins the service. Hermie becomes involved with rich Julie (Deborah Winters) and Oscy is thrown out of school, leading to the nondescript end of the movie in a train station with Julie and Hermie confirming their love.

"Class of '44" isn't a bad movie, it just can't possibly compete with "Summer of '42" on any level. There's no real momentum to this film, we don't care much about the characters, and the basic plot simply meanders all over the place. Christopher Norris and Jennifer O'Neill are sadly missing from this movie, and their absence really makes a difference. John Candy has a brief role after the high school graduation sequence but it's not much.

Grimes disappeared from movies after a couple of years, Winters had a very short acting career, and Houser and O'Neill went on to establish themselves as solid actors in movies and on television. "Class of '44" isn't nearly as profound or entertaining as the original film, but it's certainly acceptable for an undemanding evening if you can locate the DVD.