Assassinat d'un président

A pretty fun movie, but I thought I'd take the time to point out something that apparently all the other reviewers have missed. this, to me, is pretty much a Brick rip-off. which is not to say it's a bad movie, as often if you pick a good movie to copy, you can end up with a good film yourself. But definitely, if you haven't seen Brick, do so. It's the same "hard-boiled" patter and convoluted connections that make up the high-school drama. Only Brick is way tougher, more intelligent, and a lot more heartbreaking.

Once again, I really like Assassination of a High School President. Although I would never recommend it to someone without making sure they've seen Brick first.

While some may compare this to Brick, the 2005 similarly-set High School film noir, Assassination is much more comparable to Chinatown, which is clearly it's biggest influence. In fact, you'll see lines lifted right out of the film. But is it good? Yes, actually, it's quite good. Clearly, the filmmakers here were not taking this quite as seriously as either Brick or Chinatown, and it pays off with a fun, funny, sometime campy, film noir with a good mystery and some well acted roles.

The writing presents a stylish script with dialogue that is often funny and over the top. Bruce Willis is especially mentionable as a veteran-turned-principle who pines over his time spent in the military taking out bad guys and his hate for chewing gum. He's perfectly over the top. Reece Thompson also does a great job as the lead character, playing up the gumshoe role with relish. It's fun to see him be him and follow him on his journey.

One line in the film goes something like "high school is simple...yet it's not." The film does a particularly good job of showing this throughout in scenes that inspire laughs. We have a suspension hall that acts like a prison, and is presented in such a way as to inspire this comparison. We have an assassination attempt that...well, I won't spoil it. But suffice to say, this scene in particular demonstrates exactly what I am talking about. It's a good revelation of how high school can be: in the end it seems simple, but while in, high school can be anything but.

The film is very entertaining and should be fun for anyone looking for a good noir. It's not serious like it's inspirations, but it does contain a good mystery, some good acting stints, and some fun dialogue. I recommend it for anyone looking for something slightly different to watch on a Saturday night.

I'd been resisting watching this movie mainly because of Mischa Barton but thankfully a trailer for the movie convinced me otherwise or else I'd have missed this little gem.

For me this movie was a neat satire of several types of movie settings. It's a mystery through and through but it satirizes styles such as 1940s detective noir, prison dramas, conspiracy theories, and high school movies. And it does it well to a certain extent.

The movie is not perfect- it's not that well polished and I felt that some of the actors were a little to laid back but it's a little nitpick. The tone of the mystery was well maintain throughout with subplots and little twisters popping along to keep the movie going. Sure the mystery wasn't mystery-proof...you could guess where it was heading before it happened but it was still a fun ride.

The performances were decent, not brilliant, but not over the top. Mischa Barton was the sole sore point- she didn't really do anything with her bad girl character. Perhaps it may be because she wasn't given much screen time but in that case why have her. The movie wasn't going to be a must see for everyone in any case and any no name fledgling, and better looking, actress could have done an able job. Still, I'm biased against her so I still maintain she sucked and brought the movie down a little.

I'd still recommend this movie as it worth watching- the mystery is great- who stole the SAT sheets and it's fun watching Bobby Funke try to meander his way to the truth, much like a roving ace reporter, and there's never a dull moment.

ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT is a big step above most of the teen movies that focus on potty mouth dialogue and absurd situations just to get laughs. Writers Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski have come up with a script that is sometimes smart but ultimately full of holes in deciding where it wants to take the original premise of this high school movie. Director Brett Simon seems to sort of let the movie flow as it develops, preventing a tight telling of a story with potential.

Bobby Funke (Reece Thompson, a promising new talent) is a nerdy newspaper reporter who is never able to finish a story. Student Body President/basketball star/ladies' man Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor) seems to have everything Bobby wants, including the attention of the school's most beautiful girl Francesca (Mischa Barton). As fortune would have it a crime happens - the SATs are stolen from the office of Principal Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis playing Bruce Willis) and Booby is on the investigation and story, a story that points to Paul as the perpetrator. Bobby's nerdiness is transformed by his attention and by the affections of Francesca, and soon the school collapses under the cloud of the crime. It is how the 'crime' is inspected and resolved that ends the film. For Bobby Funke it is a matter of 'What price glory'.

The cast is fresh and it is a pleasure to see some new faces with promise. Whether it is the director's or the sound mixer's fault, much of the dialogue is swallowed by the soundtrack, a problem thankfully solved by turning on the subtitles. This is a movie with promise from all involved and it will be interesting to see if it has an impact on teen flick quality.

Grady Harp

I saw this film at Sundance at the Salt Lake screening. I have to say I was really surprised by how much I liked it. This is NOT your typical high school movie. It's the antidote to say movies like High School Musical. I'd call it Rushmore meets the Usual Suspects or John Hughes on acid or something. The characters were great, Bruce Willis was excellent and most of all it was absolutely, laugh out loud hilarious. I can't believe this film hasn't come out yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing it again. I get the feeling it could go on to become one of those Lebowski type comedies. There was so much stuff packed in there that it should get better every time you see it.