Movie Info

This diverting (if very unrealistic) comedy focuses on the exploits of charmingly naive Marlon Browne (Corey Parker), a well-meaning but scholasticall...(read more...) y average high school student intent upon attending the same college as the girl of his dreams, his classmate Jessica Kailo (a young, perky Lara Flynn Boyle). To Marlon, Jessica seemingly has it all: looks, intelligence, and sophistication. His dilemma is that she is a far brighter student whose main choice, Ramsey College, seems hopelessly out of his reach, so the awkward but determined Marlon endeavors to get accepted there. But little does Marlon know that Jessica is also struggling with tremendous pressures of her own. Director Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead) exaggerates many sequences--including the college fair, college interview, and college acceptance scenes--to humorously portray the traumatic adolescent experience of applying to college. Taken as an '80s pop-culture time capsule, and disregarding its blatantly two-dimensional characterizations, How I Got Into College is fluffy fun; there is a genuine chemistry between Parker and Boyle. However, one has to wonder why the filmmakers are making the bizarre statement that it's ideal for Marlon to plan for this potential adolescent romance without any regard for his future. Among the film's notable cast appearances, Anthony Edwards (E.R.) plays Marlon's supportive and sympathetic liaison at Ramsey College, while Nora Dunn and Phil Hartman make goofy cameos as SAT/college-prep counselors who bilk students out of money by offering them transparent advice. --Bryan Reesman

Director: Savage Steve Holland

MPAA: PG-13

Release Date: May 19, 1989

Cast: Anthony Edwards, Corey Parker, Lara Flynn Boyle, Brian Doyle-Murray, Finn Carter, Charles Rocket, Philip Baker Hall, Phil Hartman, Curtis Armstrong, Tichina Arnold, Richard Jenkins, Diane Franklin