Assassination of a High School President
Encyclopedia
Assassination of a High School President is a 2008 American neo noir comedy film
, directed by Brett Simon
, written by Tim Calpin
and Kevin Jakubowski, and starring Reece Thompson
, Bruce Willis
, Mischa Barton
and Michael Rapaport
. It premiere
d at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
and garnered rave reviews.
The film had been scheduled for limited theatrical release
on February 27, 2009, but that release was postponed indefinitely following the bankruptcy of its distributor, Yari Film Group
's releasing division. It was released on DVD in the United States on October 6, 2009.
) is a less than popular high school sophomore with a dream to get into Northwestern University's summer journalism program. Although Bobby claims he's a great writer, he's never finished an article for St. Donovan's School Newspaper. The editor-in-chief Clara, (Melonie Diaz
), assigns Bobby to do an article on Paul Moore, the student body president. Bobby attempts to get an interview, but is unable to get a story out of Paul and is bullied by Paul's friends. Paul is the star of the basketball team and on a game night, Paul takes a fall and injures his knee. The next morning Principal Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis
) discovers the SATs have been stolen from a safe in his office. Kirkpatrick rounds up his "usual suspects" of high school misfits along with Bobby to question them. The group is innocent but Kirkpatrick warns them all to watch their step.
When senior Francesca Facchini (Mischa Barton
) solicits Bobby's help tracking down the set of stolen SAT
s, Funke uncovers a story. He sets on a large scale investigation and links Paul Moore to the crime. He writes an article pointing the finger at Paul. Kirkpatrick forces Paul to open his locker and the SATs fall out. As a result of his sleuthing, Funke becomes one of the most popular kids at St. Donovan's. Clara decides to submit Funke's article to Northwestern which earns Bobby a scholarship to the summer program. Funke wins the respect of everyone from Principal Kirkpatrick to the kid that farts on him in Spanish
class and Francesca takes Funke to homecoming. As Funke's popularity grows so do his suspicions. Paul confronts Bobby, proclaiming his innocence, stating that he got into Cornell but decided to take the test again to see if he could get a better score. Funke begins to wonder if the president really stole the SATs or if he's just a pawn in a conspiracy.
Funke investigates even deeper into the lives of Paul's shady friends, all members of the Student Council. He discovers their involvement with drug dealing. The Student Council had actually stolen the SATs along with other tests throughout the year, modifying the marks of the best students to make them doubt their test-taking abilities and turn to the Student Council for speed-like "study drugs". Funke says that while Paul wasn't a part of the scam, group ringleader Marlon Piazza (Luke Grimes
) has Paul framed to avoid being caught. Funke also finds out that Francesca led him along the entire time to keep him from finding out the truth. Francesca and Marlon, step-siblings, are revealed as lovers.
Funke confronts the group in the principal's office. Marlon threatens to have Funke thrown out the window and frame it as a suicide, but his threat and confession are heard on the school's intercom system. When Funke entered the room, he secretly turned on the microphone; Funke's friends save him from being thrown out the window and Kirkpatrick rushes into the office, followed by the student body and Francesca. Francesca attempts to gain Funke's trust again, only to be shut down and left to deal with Kirkpatrick's punishment.
. The look of the school and style of dress were drawn from these high schools. The school mascot (Friar) and the school emblem (cross of the Dominican Order) was derived from Fenwick. The movie was shot on location at Bayonne High School
in Bayonne
, New Jersey
.
's releasing division filed for bankruptcy. This has attracted a response in the media urging a theatrical release, and avoiding a direct-to-dvd release by Sony
who own the home video distribution rights. Several journalists have advised that the film should at least receive a limited theatrical release and have encouraged fans to support the film on social networking sites such as Facebook
.
In May 2009, Barton spoke to reporters about the future of the film: "They just can't get the funding to distribute it. The movie is complete and ready to go but there is no release date set and it is not looking likely there will be one."
In Russia, the film was not released to theaters but announced for a May 14 premiere on the Russian TNT TV
.
In August 2009, because of YFG's bankruptcy it was reported that the film would not receive a theatrical release, and would instead be released straight-to-DVD on October 6, 2009.
However, in April 2010, the movie was released in Portugal, distributed by Ecofilmes.
, favourably comparing it to Rushmore
, The Usual Suspects
, Chinatown
, Sixteen Candles
and Fast Times at Ridgemont High
. The network added that "The film's central mystery keeps you guessing intelligently, but brilliantly balances every reference to Nietzsche with a joke about a chocolate swirly." The casting choices were also praised, Willis is "hilariously intense" and Barton "brings the femme fatale back for a new generation."
The Hollywood Reporter
cited the film's lack of "novel insights" but praised the performance of two of its actors, Thompson is "completely convincing" and Barton is "captivating".
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, directed by Brett Simon
Brett Simon
Brett Simon is an American commercial, music video and film director.-Career:Simon graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing, and later graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002 with...
, written by Tim Calpin
Tim Calpin
Timothy Calpin, Jr. is an American screenwriter best known for writing the 2009 film Assassination of a High School President.-Biography:...
and Kevin Jakubowski, and starring Reece Thompson
Reece Thompson
Reece Daniel Thompson is a Canadian actor. Thompson started his acting career by voice acting in several animated television series and minor roles on television shows before transitioning to films. His first major role came in the 2007 film Rocket Science...
, Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
and Michael Rapaport
Michael Rapaport
Michael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
. It premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
d at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
2008 Sundance Film Festival
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was In Bruges and the closing night film was CSNY Déjà Vu.-Films:...
and garnered rave reviews.
The film had been scheduled for limited theatrical release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
on February 27, 2009, but that release was postponed indefinitely following the bankruptcy of its distributor, Yari Film Group
Yari Film Group
The Yari Film Group is an independent film company founded in 2002, and headed by producer Bob Yari, which deals in financing, production, acquisition, sales and distribution of theatrical feature films....
's releasing division. It was released on DVD in the United States on October 6, 2009.
Plot
Bobby Funke (Reece ThompsonReece Thompson
Reece Daniel Thompson is a Canadian actor. Thompson started his acting career by voice acting in several animated television series and minor roles on television shows before transitioning to films. His first major role came in the 2007 film Rocket Science...
) is a less than popular high school sophomore with a dream to get into Northwestern University's summer journalism program. Although Bobby claims he's a great writer, he's never finished an article for St. Donovan's School Newspaper. The editor-in-chief Clara, (Melonie Diaz
Melonie Diaz
Melonie Diaz is an American actress who has been appeared in many independent films, including four shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.-Biography:...
), assigns Bobby to do an article on Paul Moore, the student body president. Bobby attempts to get an interview, but is unable to get a story out of Paul and is bullied by Paul's friends. Paul is the star of the basketball team and on a game night, Paul takes a fall and injures his knee. The next morning Principal Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
) discovers the SATs have been stolen from a safe in his office. Kirkpatrick rounds up his "usual suspects" of high school misfits along with Bobby to question them. The group is innocent but Kirkpatrick warns them all to watch their step.
When senior Francesca Facchini (Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
) solicits Bobby's help tracking down the set of stolen SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
s, Funke uncovers a story. He sets on a large scale investigation and links Paul Moore to the crime. He writes an article pointing the finger at Paul. Kirkpatrick forces Paul to open his locker and the SATs fall out. As a result of his sleuthing, Funke becomes one of the most popular kids at St. Donovan's. Clara decides to submit Funke's article to Northwestern which earns Bobby a scholarship to the summer program. Funke wins the respect of everyone from Principal Kirkpatrick to the kid that farts on him in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
class and Francesca takes Funke to homecoming. As Funke's popularity grows so do his suspicions. Paul confronts Bobby, proclaiming his innocence, stating that he got into Cornell but decided to take the test again to see if he could get a better score. Funke begins to wonder if the president really stole the SATs or if he's just a pawn in a conspiracy.
Funke investigates even deeper into the lives of Paul's shady friends, all members of the Student Council. He discovers their involvement with drug dealing. The Student Council had actually stolen the SATs along with other tests throughout the year, modifying the marks of the best students to make them doubt their test-taking abilities and turn to the Student Council for speed-like "study drugs". Funke says that while Paul wasn't a part of the scam, group ringleader Marlon Piazza (Luke Grimes
Luke Grimes
Luke Timothy Grimes is an American actor. Grimes was born to a devoutly religious family in Dayton, Ohio. He moved to New York City to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has appeared in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, and War Eagle, Arkansas...
) has Paul framed to avoid being caught. Funke also finds out that Francesca led him along the entire time to keep him from finding out the truth. Francesca and Marlon, step-siblings, are revealed as lovers.
Funke confronts the group in the principal's office. Marlon threatens to have Funke thrown out the window and frame it as a suicide, but his threat and confession are heard on the school's intercom system. When Funke entered the room, he secretly turned on the microphone; Funke's friends save him from being thrown out the window and Kirkpatrick rushes into the office, followed by the student body and Francesca. Francesca attempts to gain Funke's trust again, only to be shut down and left to deal with Kirkpatrick's punishment.
Cast
- Reece ThompsonReece ThompsonReece Daniel Thompson is a Canadian actor. Thompson started his acting career by voice acting in several animated television series and minor roles on television shows before transitioning to films. His first major role came in the 2007 film Rocket Science...
as Bobby Funke - Mischa BartonMischa BartonMischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
as Francesca Fachini - Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
as Principal Kirkpatrick - Patrick TaylorPatrick TaylorPatrick or Pat Taylor may refer to:* Patrick Taylor , an Irish-Canadian author and doctor* Patrick F. Taylor, founder of Taylor Energy* Patrick Gordon Taylor, author and aviator...
as Paul Moore - Michael RapaportMichael RapaportMichael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
as Coach Z - Luke GrimesLuke GrimesLuke Timothy Grimes is an American actor. Grimes was born to a devoutly religious family in Dayton, Ohio. He moved to New York City to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has appeared in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, and War Eagle, Arkansas...
as Marlon Piazza - Kathryn MorrisKathryn MorrisKathryn Morris is an American actress, best known for her lead role as Detective Lilly Rush in the CBS series Cold Case.-Career:...
as Nurse Platt - Michael ZegenMichael ZegenMichael Zegen is an American actor, best known for his role as probie firefighter "Damien Keefe" on the FX Network television drama Rescue Me, as well as his recurring role as "Dwight the Troubled Teen" on over 50 episodes of the Late Show with David Letterman...
as Stephen Lohman - Melonie DiazMelonie DiazMelonie Diaz is an American actress who has been appeared in many independent films, including four shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.-Biography:...
as Clara - Zoe KravitzZoe KravitzZoë Isabella Kravitz is an American actress, singer and model. She is the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet. She has appeared in the films The Brave One with Jodie Foster, and No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones...
as Valerie - Josh PaisJosh PaisJosh Pais is an American actor of film and television.He has appeared in many Hollywood films, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Raphael, Music of the Heart, Scream 3, It Runs in the Family, Little Manhattan and Find Me Guilty. He played Assistant M.E...
as Señor Newell - Marc John JefferiesMarc John JefferiesMarc John Jefferies is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Derrick Mitchell on the NBC sitcom The Tracy Morgan Show, and as Darius on Treme, the HBO drama series set in post-Katrina New Orleans.-Career:Jefferies debuted as the title character "Isaiah",...
as Elliott Duncan - Zachary BoothZachary BoothZachary Booth is an American actor. He appeared in several productions with the Peterborough Players, before starring in The N's What Goes On as openly gay teen Ethan and on FX's Damages, as Michael Hewes, the son of lawyer Patty Hewes .Booth had supporting roles in the films Assassination of a...
as Rocky - Aaron HimelsteinAaron HimelsteinAaron Himelstein is an American actor who is perhaps best known for playing a younger version of Austin Powers in Austin Powers in Goldmember and Friedman, Luke Girardi's best friend, in Joan of Arcadia...
as Tad Goltz - John MagaroJohn MagaroJohn Robert Magaro is an American film, television and stage actor. He will star alongside James Gandolfini in Twylight Zones —the upcoming feature film debut of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.-Life and career:...
as Cipriato
Inspiration
The fictional St. Donovan's High School was inspired by the Catholic high schools of writers Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski. Calpin attended Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton Pennsylvania while Jakubowski attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IllinoisOak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
. The look of the school and style of dress were drawn from these high schools. The school mascot (Friar) and the school emblem (cross of the Dominican Order) was derived from Fenwick. The movie was shot on location at Bayonne High School
Bayonne High School
Bayonne High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey, operated by the Bayonne Board of Education....
in Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Release
The film was scheduled for a February 17 limited theatrical release, followed by a wide release on March 27. The release date was not met as its distributor Yari Film GroupYari Film Group
The Yari Film Group is an independent film company founded in 2002, and headed by producer Bob Yari, which deals in financing, production, acquisition, sales and distribution of theatrical feature films....
's releasing division filed for bankruptcy. This has attracted a response in the media urging a theatrical release, and avoiding a direct-to-dvd release by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
who own the home video distribution rights. Several journalists have advised that the film should at least receive a limited theatrical release and have encouraged fans to support the film on social networking sites such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.
In May 2009, Barton spoke to reporters about the future of the film: "They just can't get the funding to distribute it. The movie is complete and ready to go but there is no release date set and it is not looking likely there will be one."
In Russia, the film was not released to theaters but announced for a May 14 premiere on the Russian TNT TV
TNT (Russia)
TNT is a Russian brand name of TNT-Broadcasting Network, one of Russia’s top five television networks. It reaches over 100 million people throughout Russia offering a light entertainment aimed at a younger audience from age 16 through age 30.Thanks to its blend of innovative reality programmes and...
.
In August 2009, because of YFG's bankruptcy it was reported that the film would not receive a theatrical release, and would instead be released straight-to-DVD on October 6, 2009.
However, in April 2010, the movie was released in Portugal, distributed by Ecofilmes.
Reception
The film holds a 50% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a mixed critical reaction. The film was highly praised by MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, favourably comparing it to Rushmore
Rushmore
Rushmore may refer to:Places:*Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, in the United States*Rushmore, Minnesota, a small city in the United States*Rushmore Cave, southeast of the mountain...
, The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
, Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
, Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
and Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
. The network added that "The film's central mystery keeps you guessing intelligently, but brilliantly balances every reference to Nietzsche with a joke about a chocolate swirly." The casting choices were also praised, Willis is "hilariously intense" and Barton "brings the femme fatale back for a new generation."
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
cited the film's lack of "novel insights" but praised the performance of two of its actors, Thompson is "completely convincing" and Barton is "captivating".
External links
- Video clips from /Film/Film/Film is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005.-Podcasts:Two podcasts run on the site. The /Filmcast airs Sunday nights, hosted by David Chen, Adam Quigley, and Devindra Hardawar, in which they and a guest discuss TV and...