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Visitors Review

Deepak 2012-05-18 07:33:14

Neat

School Ties is definitely worth watching.The artist to watch here is Damon and Fraser who steal the show.The theme has been exploited extensively though , a Jew as an outcaste in a priviledged school.Well worth watching.

2012-05-17 21:21:36

If you are Jewish and grew up in the 50's, you'll relate...

This film might have seemed "strained and obvious" to some of the other reviewers here, but if you are Jewish and grew up in the 1950's, you'll relate to it very well. Especially the part about having to violate the Jewish holidays in order to play on the team -- a conflict that still arises for Jewish students today. I've used this film very successfully in high school discussions and in classes on antisemitism. And yes, things like this really did happen to Jews -- and still do. The question of whether or not to stay "in the closet" and "pass" or be yourself and get rejected is an issue for other minorities, too. If you work in any area of multicultural studies and/or dialogue, you should add this film to your library.

2012-05-16 07:15:55

Great movie, great seller

I really enjoy this movie, ton of great actors, great plot. The seller sent the movie in a timely manor allowing me to enjoy my movie shortly after I ordered it.

c_cheng88 2012-05-15 22:36:53

Hmmmmm Prep Schools never change.....

I saw the movie for the first time in the theatres some ten years ago whenit was first released. I have seen it numerous times since then and haverealized one thing: while private schools like St. Matthew's have changedagreat deal, and have gotten more diverse in the last fifty years, the aimofthe students have not. There still are the Charlie Dillons, those legacystudents who want to protect the family name. There are the new kids likeDavid Greene (Note: Brendan Fraser went to boarding school himself, andhadto go through tons of nasty hazing rituals, including being tied up at theplayground of the nearby girls' school!). There are also the awfulteacherslike the French teacher (mine was a math teacher) as well. Privateschoolswill always be private schools, with traditions that may be hard tochange.

sxct 2012-05-11 02:25:43

An important lesson to all parents

I watched School Ties this morning for probably the tenth or eleventhtime. This film never gets old and only gets better.I work at a major university and have daily contact with students.Often we discuss films and this film, along with Dead Poets Society,are two movies that I always bring up.I believe that every parent of a high school age child who is planningon attending college should be required to see both of these movies. Ithink that it gives a clear message to everyone that racism, jealousyand the need to succeed at all costs is an awful lesson to teach yourchildren.As a parent of a college educated son, it was, and still is, mythinking that the child has to spend 4 years at college and the rest oftheir lives working. Allow them the right to make their own choices.Allow them the right to be happy and choose their college, withfinances a consideration of course, and not decide that they will go toHarvard or Yale or Princeton and they will be a doctor or lawyer orwhat ever else you want them to be even if they want to do somethingelse with their lives. If these two films don't show you the importanceof what I have said, then you the parent should pay for theconsequences.WATCH this movies and pay attention. The message is too important notto.

2012-05-10 12:23:55

still loving cole

This was actually quite a good movie. Im a huge Cole Hauser fan which is why I watched it but it turned out to be pretty good. I probably would have been real p!ssed off it it had of been crap since he wasn't in it all that much. Some of it was pretty harsh though and could have been left out and by "some of it" i mean naked tussling in the shower. That could have been avoided.

lallenwa 2012-05-06 19:01:10

what's the name of the song

Lord I can not believe this, I must type ten lines of words before thiswill publish. All I really wanted to say was that I really loved thismovie, and would recommend it to anyone. The actors did a outstandingjob in this movie. I do have a question though, in the movie there is adorm scene where the guys are hanging out singing to this son "smokeyJoe's café" I wish I knew the name of that song and who sings it. Ican't get it out of my head and want it... any help would be greatlyappreciated? I've tried looking up Smokey Joe's Cafe but am not able tofind it. Some of those oldie songs are better then this new junk thatcomes out and so when I heard this one I really wanted it. I thoughtthis was a great story to even show kids how we shouldn't treat oneanother unfairly. I had my son watch it with me. He really enjoyed themovie and in fact watched it twice with me. Well I hope this is enoughlines. I'm not that talkative...

PM-19 2012-05-06 03:19:06

Jewish middle-class boy gets into elite-highschool, and gets into trouble when he hides the fact that he's jewish.

Great drama with even greater performances from the relatively young andunknown cast. Especially Brendan Fraser's acting is really intense. One ofhis first roles, and in my opinion his best. He was not yet as famous asheis now ( after, for example, a film as 'the Mummy' ), but I think that hisacting never had the intensity and credibility of that part.(In fact, Iwasshocked when I discovered that it was in fact Fraser in the horrible "George of the jungle' ! How could a fine actor like him accept such aterrible role ? ) Also Matt Damon (also an unknown actor at thattime )andthe other young actors are great. A terrific, subtle drama!9 out of 10 !

YFL 2012-05-03 23:03:19

Good, and sends a message, but ...

Overall, after watching this, I deem it good, and it does send a message.BUT. The acting which most impressed me, unfortunately, wasn't the two leads.Brendan Fraser never struck me as very 'real' ... I was too aware that hewas acting, somehow, though I can't put my finger into it, can't describewhy, it just felt that way. And Matt Damon was adequate enough, I guess, buthe lacked the intensity needed.However, I thought the guy who played Van Kelt - Randall Batinkoff did hispart well in kinda a subtle way, and the roommate - imagine my surprise whenI looked at the credits and discovered it was Chris O'Donnell, because I'venever taken notice of him despite the hype, and I didn't recognize him inthe film at all.Also, I found myself commenting inwardly about the movie as it progresses,which is always a bad sign for me ... because a great movie pulls me in anddoesn't give me a chance to analyse it until it's finished. Strangely, Ithink I like it, but the fact that I did a commentary alongside - whilewatching - obviously was a major hint that the movie didn't work well enoughfor me - I was all too well aware it was just a movie, and it never gotbeyond that, not for me.But who knows. I know a lot of people really liked it. If you haven'twatched it, you might want to take a look.

Jeff Colvin 2012-05-03 14:33:07

great drama with so many great actors making there debuts.

I see this movie every once and a while on USA or TNT, I never watch all ofit, but a few days ago I finally did and it was absolutely wonderful. Itmakes you wanna watch it again. Though some parts were slightly disturbing,the movie was still excellent. "School Ties" is set in the late 50s early60s i do believe and a jewish kid goes to a basic prep school, all white,all Christian. He is a successful football player and makes many friends andis quite popular. But has to keep his religion in secret in fear of mockeryand torment of his fellow classmates. Starring this wonderful cast, BrendanFraser in his first major role, Matt Damon & Ben Affleck back when they wereyoung and innocent. Before they had Oscar nominations starring in low-budgetdramas. This movie is excellent, I give "School Ties" 10/10!

jrm23july@aol.com 2012-04-29 02:43:01

Athletics, Adolescence, and Anti-Semitism

People don't normally associate anti-Semitism with post World War IIAmerica. After all, we are the great nation that defeated Hitler.School Ties shows that anti-Semitism existed in America long afterWorld War II ended, even in schools for gifted students.David Greene (Brendan Fraser) is a gifted student and an all-Americanhigh school football player; but he is also Jewish. He is admitted intoa Catholic school for the academically talented, for the purpose ofgiving them a winning football team and giving himself almost certainadmittance into Harvard. David's father wants him to know his roots andhonor his religion, but the administrators at the school want to keephis religious affiliation private.Can Matt Damon play the villain and play him well? You bet he can.Going back in the day before the world knew who he was Damon plays ajealous, raging anti-Semite named Charlie Dillon, the supportingcharacter in this film. He and the other students at the Prep Schoolare pleasant for a time, except for the occasional wisecracks aboutJews, and Dillon takes a liking toward David, but is jealous of hisabilities. David takes Charlie's spot as the "go to guy" on thefootball team and carries the team past St. Lukes in he big game. Laterhe falls in love with Charlie's girl.Charlie, looking for revenge, discovers that David is Jewish, and letsthe world know, turning everyone against David. Charlie, once David'sfriend, is now the ringleader behind every anti-Semitic prank played onhim.David, now ostracized by his peers, has a chance at redemption when hesees Charlie cheating on the midterm exam. Drama mounts. "School Ties"is not a movie of adventure or comedy, but it sends a strong messageabout the evils of bigotry. For those who like movies from the pastthis one is poignant, intense, and formidable.

Chris Camrik 2012-04-28 20:31:21

A touching reference to racial segregation in 1950's America

A brilliant 'coming-of-age' style film, in the tradition of "DeadPoet's Society". Starring a bevy of familiar faces during theirup-and-coming phase: Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, ColeHauser and Amy Locane, this brilliant flick explores the challenges ofa young, Jewish hopeful, David Greene (Fraser) who hides his religionfrom a group of bigots upon entering a prestigious preparatory school.Unaware of his identity, the students welcome him into the fold, untila prejudiced student (Damon) discloses his identity after discovering aromantic friendship developing between his own girlfriend (Amy Locane)and Greene. When one of the students cheats on his final exam - andGreene is accused - the class is requested to deliberate on a verdict,forcing them to choose between their own personal prejudices and thestruggle to be impartial. Brilliantly acted and directed. Add this oneto your collection!

2012-04-28 04:42:51

Brendan Fraser

This review is from: School Ties (DVD) Brendan Fraser is a great actor, in comedy he can't be beat. I think he is good in just about anything.

RichHartford 2012-04-27 19:46:54

Future Movie Stars Appear In School Ties

School Ties is a film that stars Brendan Fraser,who plays the lead roleas a Jewish high school student who transfers from a Pennsylvaniapublic school to a New England prep school in his senior year after heis awarded an athletic scholarship.It also stars Matt Damon, BenAffleck, Chris O'Donnell, Cole Hauser, Randall Batinkoff, and AnthonyRapp.The film was directed by Robert Mandel.School Ties has David Greene,who is a working-class teenager inPennsylvania during the 1950s that is given a football scholarship toan exclusive Massachusetts prep school for his senior year, quicklybecoming the school's starting quarterback.He becomes the team hero andwins the attentions of beautiful débutant Sally Wheeler. In theafterglow of a victory over the school's chief rival, the ties of hisnewfound friendships are broken when jealous classmate Charlie Dillonreveals that David is Jewish, which David had been trying to conceal.David soon finds himself fighting a battle alone after Sally and histeammates turn against him, and it all comes to a head when David isfalsely accused of cheating during a history exam. Due to the school'shonor code, the history class must sort through prejudices and feelingsof jealousy to find out the truth.School Ties presents early performances of future Hollywood superstarslike Brendan Fraser,Matt Damon,Ben Affleck and Chris O'Donnell.Althoughthe premise of the story about religious intolerance is interesting,themovie's story and screenplay feels contrived.Also,there are manyinstances that the film feels not-so engaging and absorbing that welose interest at some point of the movie.Overall,School Ties is a worthy to see not because of the story but dueto the appearance of many future movie stars in their earlyperformance.

annejodette 2012-04-22 22:41:03

Boys in a 50s prep school

Fantastic character study; historical setting well done; decadeaccurate, as far as prejudices; beautifully portrays integrity vssocial sanctions.This movie had all the elements of a great story and the acting wasimpeccable.Interesting to see Ben Aflack in a minor role. Nothing outstandingnoted in his character or role; but the major roles, outstanding.Loved the irony presented in living out Christianity and Judaism withinthe confines of institutionalism and "the good old boys" hand in thepie--muddles the souls of the best of faiths, when it leans moreheavily on the side of the institution rather than personal commitment.

2012-04-22 12:05:45

The School Ties That Bind

School Ties is about a poor, exceptional football player who gets accepted to a prestigious prep school on a scholarship but chooses to hide his Jewish heritage.Once he's revealed by a jealous jerk, everybody turns on him.The film examines prejudice and acceptance. Not just acceptance of others, but acceptance of yourself. David hides apart of himself because it is convenient. But he learns at the end that denying his faith and ethnicity was wrong, though I can't exactly blame him. When he first arrives, he hears an anti-Semitic phrase ("I jewed him down") by a guy he ends up caring about as the guy suffers a nervous breakdown because he failed a French test.Matt Damon is the villain. This was the first film I saw with Damon in it. He's definitely a p-rick. Incidentally, I don't like Matt Damon as an actor or person at all. Everytime I see him, he has this smug smirk on his face. He comes off as a real a-hole. In my opinion, he should play villains all the time because I don't buy him as the good guy, which is why I have avoided his Bourne...movies and basically anything else with him in it; except for the Talented Mr. Ripley where he also plays a sleazy villain. The cast list reads like a Brat Pack Part Deux: Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, Amy Locane, Matt Damon, and even a slightly chubby Ben Afflack (not a typo).What I also like about the film is the ending. It doesn't suffer from the usual Hollywood ending in which everything has to be neatly tied up at the end of 2 hours. I certainly like closure in most films, but with this film, there can really be no closure. David's fight against bigotry is going to be ongoing. At the end, no one has changed. And in real life, it's mostly like that. If Matt Damon's character had changed by the end, it would have been stupid. I'm pretty sure the thought police have a problem with the bigot not being reformed by the end, but bigotry can't change overnight. School Ties is a great movie.

2012-04-18 14:44:23

Beautifully Made, Well Acted, Sensitively Written - A Classic

This review is from: School Ties (DVD) This movie is definitely made "the way they used to make 'em," as some would say - and most reviewers do not mention that Dick Wolf, of "Law and Order" fame, is the creator of the story, which concerns a Jewish high school boy getting the golden opportunity to excel in sports and academics at an elite boarding school. It's superbly made - the music by Maurice Jarre, one of the great film composers - is just one of the stand outs of this terrific film. The acting is genuine, heart felt, and strong. I wish Brendan Fraser had made more films like this, playing a real man, not the action hero kinds of things he did later. He really excels here - and so does Matt Damon, in a terrific, complex turn, echoing his later role in "The Talented Mr. Ripley," as a self-described "mediocrity," riding the coattails of his much more talented father and brother. Amy Locane, radiant here, is another superb actress we have not seen enough of in roles like this one. Unlike so many contemporary movies, which never seem to end, and have no sense of pace or story, "School Ties" has no fat at all: it's beautiful directed and photographed, beautifully scored, wonderfully acted and written. And its message, though sometimes overstated, is still applicable today: prejudice, in whatever form it takes, destroys lives and damages and diminishes all of us. This theme, together with other themes in the picture of religious faith, loyalty to friends and family, the meaning of hard work, marks this as a very unusual picture for its time, right at the cusp of the greedy '90's, and there probably hasn't been as good a picture on this subject since. This is a minor classic, without a doubt. One of those films you return to time and again, like an old friend, for the reassurance of decency and trying to do good in an often cold and harsh world. The closing moments of this picture are among my favorites in any film I've ever seen. This deserves a re-release, with a 15th anniversary approaching, and some great extras and interviews. It's a very fine picture!

ruxpin83068 2012-04-17 21:13:21

wow

It never ceases to amaze me what some people write in their comments.People who didn't like this movie on the grounds it was unbelievablecompletely astound me.The movie is stacked with soon-to-be stars who perform wonderfully. Themost dominant theme, of course is prejudice, but there is so much moregoing on in it. Among many secondary themes are what people are willingto do to at least give the appearance of success, the lengths"educational" institutions will go to for athletics, etc. Even the leadcharacter is shown to have serious flaws he must struggle with (anger,etc.) The story is compelling and well written. AND CERTAINLYbelievable.

2012-04-13 05:51:21

Michaela

This movie is classic! It describes perfectly the difficulty one has trying to fit in to a society that has no tollerance for people and/or ideas that differ from what is considered acceptable. Fraser, O'Donnell, and Damon are all academy caliber actors who play their parts to perfection. After seeing this movie I rush to see more of Fraser and O'Donnell, but I must say I was a liitle wary of watching Damon because I despised his character so much in "School Ties".

2012-04-12 09:45:20

Speaks of days past and a time almost forgotten

School Ties is a touching movie that is often compared to Dead Poets Society. While there are similarities (ie: teenage boys in a 1950s prep school setting), there are more differences. This is less of a movie about looking up to someone only to see them cut down before your eyes and the bonds and respect associated with that, and more of a story of the bonding and betrayal of friends. A young Brendan Fraser is stunning as David Green, a working class Jewish kid accepted to one of the most prestigious preparatory schools in the country. It would only be for one year, but what a year. With dreams of going to Harvard, this was his way in. He keeps his religion a secret from the new friends he makes, but when it all comes out in the end, slurs are thrown and the people he thought he could trust leave David high and dry. It speaks of an era when there were 100 different slurs for each religion and race, and the people who actually believed that somehow they were better. No character is portrayed in this negative light better than Charlie Dillon, brought to life by none other than Matt Damon. The seeds of his jealousy are planted within the first fifteen minutes and as the movie progresses you see Dillon become more desperate for his former status after David Green takes his position on the football team and in the life of a girl he thinks to be his.Other standouts include Chris O'Donnell, playing Fraser's fictional roommate, who is forced to deal with the situation a bit more close up than some of their classmates. Randall Batinkoff, though not well known, gives a fabulous performance as Damon's fictional roommate, having to decide which is more important: his best friend and roommate of 4 years, or his morals and conscience urging him to speak up in defense of David Green. Surprisingly, Cole Hauser, who generally is cast as a not-so-nice guy comes off completely different in this picture. His character, Jack Connors seems rude and hard-nosed throughout, but when it's all on the line, he really delivers, making it known that Connors is not the bigot he has been made out as.The movie was well scripted and brilliantly cast, from the guy who no one thought would come out on top (Fraser) to the guy who would be expected to rule the world (Damon). Set in a time when life was a little rougher and people were judged more harshly, School Ties really speaks of the fear and degradation one might face for being "different", and tells of the strength and courage that comes with being "different". Some might say that the movie is too harsh with its message of bigotry, but that was a time when it was very real and it must embraced in order to learn from it and not have it happen again.