Cooley High
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Movie Reviews of Cooley High
Movie Review: A coming-of-age film unlike any other I've seen
Summary: 4 Stars
I worked my way backwards in time to this movie, so my reaction may be different than that of reviewers who saw Cooley High when it was released in 1975. I had never even heard of the movie until I learned that the TV show What's Happening?? was inspired in part by it. Cooley High turned out to be a much different movie than I was expecting. This isn't just three young guys hanging around having fun, this is a gritty, honest, realistic look at the experiences of a group of poor African-American teenagers living on the other side of the tracks in 1964 Chicago. The two main characters are Preacher, played by Glynn Turman, and Cochise, played by Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs. In case you have the same questions I had, let me go ahead and give you the answers: Yes, Glynn Turman went on to play Colonel Taylor on A Different World, and yes, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs played Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on Welcome Back, Kotter. Preach is a smart young man who wants to become a screenwriter in Hollywood, and Cochise is a star athlete with a recently-acquired scholarship to Grambling. The two of them are also, to be frank, juvenile delinquents who engage in all sorts of petty crimes, use drugs and alcohol, and hang out with the wrong crowd (albeit that is pretty much the only crowd there is in the neighborhood as it is presented here). I tried to force the image of Raj from What's Happening?? onto Preach in the beginning, but it does not fit at all. Preach is smart, reads and writes poetry, studies history for fun, and even has a younger sister named Dee, but he is no Raj; he hardly ever goes to class and seems determined to flunk out of high school. Cochise is also no fan of school or studying, and he's basically coasting his way through high school, scholarship offer already in hand. I tried to like these guys, and deep down I did like them, but mostly I just wanted someone to sit them down and have a serious pow-wow with them; Preach's history teacher, played by Garrett Morris, tries but gets nowhere with his most promising yet most disappointing student. There is a lot of comedy in this film, and the guys can really be funny at times, but their dark sides began to emerge more and more as the movie went along. The thing I had the most trouble with was the way they treated the young women in their lives. In the end, I'm afraid I just don't understand these characters - of course, my own life experience includes nothing that gives me any real connection or insight into the life of an African-American young man growing up in a Chicago ghetto during the final years of segregation. My only real complaint with this film centers on a certain piece of dialogue; Preacher not only says something incredibly stupid, he says it for no apparent reason whatsoever. A real strength of the film is the music, as Cooley High features some of the best of Motown, with the music of both the opening and closing scenes of the film serving an important purpose in relation to the story.
The conclusion of this film comes as quite a surprise, especially given the fact that it follows rather quickly upon the heels of one of the film's funnier scenes. It's tragic yet somehow life-affirming and inspirational at the same time, making this a movie one will not soon forget.
Movie Review: Mama knows Best
Summary: 5 Stars
This is mama's favorite movie. She used to watch it all the time on video, and I didn't have much time for it myself personally. Then when it came out on DVD, I bought it for her birthday and watched it all the way through for the first time. I cried, ya'll. This movie is very touching and all the sixties music is real nice.Movie Review: Great high school drama that needs to be seen more
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a wonderful, warm, and realistic look at urban teenage life in the 1960s as seen through the 1970s, and is still relevant to today because of the well-drawn characters and the low-key approach to the friendship between protagonists Cochise (basketball star) and Preacher (hidden poet). The productions values are low and the sound is somewhat muffled -- I doubt much could be done to improve it -- but these don't stand in the way of enjoying this heart-felt film. The acting, the script, and the keep-it-real direction carry it all the way. The film moves at a leisurely pace, slowly developing our connection to the characters through clever and often hilarious scenes of teens being teens, yet hinting to us of a serious story and serious consequences developing underneath. The pay-off is emotionally explosive but completely appropriate. Few movies about high school have such a perfect mix of elements. (And the score of early 60s motown hits is a blast.)
Sadly, MGM released this disc in a pan-and-scan only version. A widescreen release would be much appreciated.
Movie Review: Shouldn't be missed
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely love this movie. It's got to be one of the best coming-of-age films ever made. All the characters seem like they fell directly out of your childhood. With the Motown beat backing up the script it simply can't miss. Every time I see the end when the Four Tops "I'll be There" kicks in, I can't help but get chills as the main character sprints out of that cemetary and into an uncertain future. The death of his friend is the obvious demarcation of their childhoods from their adulthoods. Can anyone honestly say that today's Hollywood could make anything even remotely close to this in style and quality? Of course not! (OK, I exaggerate a bit, but let's face it, most of what's coming out of Hollywood these days is shet!) Do not miss this one; it's an extremely underrated sleeper that'll hit you on every emotional level. It came on the heels of American Graffiti and is every bit as good.
Movie Review: Times Have Changed
Summary: 5 Stars
While watching the movie, I saw the scene where they had a house party. Hardly anyone does house parties. Most of the parites are in clubs where you have to pay. Anyway, that is not what the movie is about. The movie follows the lives of the characters Cochise and Preach. Cochise was a basketball star who could have all the ladies. And Preach was a poet with dreams of being a screenwriter. Despite their surroundings, both young men have ambitions to make something of themselves. Preach, although a good kid, he lied often to get out of a bad situation which only made worse sometimes. Cochise could have anyone he wanted. He was a smooth brother with all the moves. I laughed as the pimp hoodwinked that white man out of his money and his car. Served him right! He probably had a wife at home and was looking for some dark meat. This movie is good to watch.