School's Out!

I picked this video up at the Library because I have heard of it through the Kevin Smith movies (he always refers to the show in his movies). Though I never have seen any of the show, I figured, what the hell. I have to say, this is a good video. I am very interested in seeing more of the show.

The plot is this: All the kids graduate and go through one crazy last summer. Pregnancy, drunk driving, infidelity, and teenage marriage are all in the mix, along with some awful 90's music. All and all, a very neat way to show what happens when you grow up.

Every fan of the original show MUST see this. Your Degrassi experience is not complete without it.

Dark? Yes. But for a show showing a realistic take on pre-teens and teens and growing up this is a great way to end the original series. Some happy endings and some jaw-dropping tragic moments. Pretty much everyone who was on the show the last few years is in this at some point. It doesn't go the pat happy ending that most shows would have pulled. They let some characters really screw-up. I loved that it went this far.

It's worth it for that classic Caitlin line to Joey at the climax. Fantastic, envelop pushing material.

After years and years of trying Joey finally bangs Caitlin.

I watched this for the first time since it was originally aired at the time it was done. Since that time, I have watched all of the Degrassi shows to the present. Wisely, the writer chose not to include every student but focus on core characters. This made the film sharper, with a lot more cohesion to the plot. The characters in Degrassi always seemed real and this film highlights that. The acting is very good, the actors at times are seemingly ad-libbing their lines. It was a groundbreaking film also, apparently the first time an expletive was used on Canadian television. Think about it: What was the U.S. version of Degrassi? Saved By The Bell! In Degrassi, the characters made mistakes and lived with them. This film highlights the time after high school. It does it admirably. I have nothing but praise for this production. They could have made it a fairytale film, marrying a few couples off and watching as everyone else prospers. They chose to depict real life. They did a great job.

I used to really like the Degrassi series - I probably still would if they continued airing it (even if they were reruns).

I was actually too young at the time to relate to the characters, but they managed to tackle serious social and personal issues that could happen to any teenager in any day of their life. Because of the brilliance of this series, I am able to embrace the knowledge it has brought upon me. However, the movie was a different story...

The first time I heard 'School's out' was going to be on TV (early-mid 90s, perhaps?) I was extremely excited, but once I saw it, it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I felt that the characters had matured way too much, which seemed like a huge jump from when they were just in High School. It was rather dismal and depressing to see practically all the characters have their lives ruined, though, I suppose films like this would provide a really good way of educating a lot of future teenagers.

The good aspects of the film is that it looks into modern teen issues, and more importantly, it was a good laugh to be seeing all the tragic 80s/early 90s fashion blunders and side-to-side dancing emerge after a while of slumber.