Cutting Class: Unrated Version – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

Available at Amazon.com

Director

Rospo Pallenberg

Cast

Brad Pitt………Dwight Ingalls
Donovan Leitch………Brian Woods
Jill Schoelen………Paula Carson
Roddy McDowell………Mr. Dante
Martin Mull………William Carson III

DVD Release Date: October 23, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 91 Minutes

The Movie

Paula’s father is a successful district attorney who needs to get away from work for a while so he’s decided to go on a hunting trip. Upon arriving at his (obviously not so far away) destination, he turns out to be the one hunted and is shot with an arrow. That is only the beginning of the torment that is to be unleashed on the town of…err, they never quite say.

Paula and Dwight are high school sweethearts at umm in high school. Again we never are told the name of their high school so let’s just go from there. They are typical students just trying to have fun and pass algebra. But things have gotten a bit shaken up at school as the old/new kid Brian has been released from his mental hospital and come back to class. Everyone knows that he killed his father so they are always weary of him.

Soon things begin to get weird and dangerous as people are dying off one by one. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student, teacher, parent, or janitor; no-one is safe. Those same groups of people are also the same ones that show an interest in Paula. Seems even though she is a good kid in school, everyone has eyes for her. Perhaps one of those admirers is willing to do anything to be with her, even commit murder.

Cutting Class is a bad film. And I don’t just mean almost twenty years old bad; I mean its bad even by eighties standards. The filmmakers tried to make it half slasher flick and half cheesy eighties comedy but failed at both of them. Whenever a murder happens, it’s rather unbelievable. For some reason no-one seems to even notice that people are missing or dead until the fifth victim bites it. Even then, Paula doesn’t seem the least bit worried that her best friend isn’t around. Then there’s the humor aspect of it all that isn’t even funny in a corny way but just stupid.

Brad Pitt’s acting is extremely laughable though as is most everyone’s in the film. They just didn’t know what they were doing and tried to tiptoe their way through it but fell all over themselves. When I read the DVD cover and saw Martin Mull was in it, I figured there would at least be some comedic moments but he wasn’t in it enough to make one decent laugh. The few moments he was in it were even wasted with idiotic dialogue. One thing I can suggest if you do decide to brave watching Cutting Class is to make a game out of it. Try and spot how many completely insane things happen as you watch like people appearing in two different places that they had no access to or weren’t even near. Or count how many tools and things turn on by themselves in the auto shop when a single power switch is thrown. It’s the only way to make it through this, I’m telling you.

The Video

The film is shown in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and for a film from the eighties; it looks like a film from the eighties. Everyone is wearing bright colored clothing that looks alright. On screen that is. The blood is a nice shade of red, but the film as a whole shows its age.

The Audio

The film is heard in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound and is nothing much to write home about, but for a film such as Cutting Class, it’s appropriate enough. Music and dialogue can be heard well enough so not much else is necessary.

Special Features

TrailersCaptivity, Night Of The Living Dead 3D, Acts Of Death, Holla, and Gamebox 1.0

The Inside Pulse

You do have other options for eighties films to watch here that are so much better then Cutting Class and I highly recommend you choose them. If you’re looking for a teenage slaughter fest then try April Fool’s Day or Deadly Friend. For some eighties laughs there’s Can’t Buy Me Love, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, and a host of others. I’m not really sure why this DVD was released at all and I certainly don’t know how this is the unrated version. Having never seen the film before, I can only guess that the extra shots of blood are what make it unrated. Other then that, Cutting Class should have been left on the cutting room floor.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Cutting Class
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

1.5
THE VIDEO

6
THE AUDIO

6
THE EXTRAS

.5
REPLAY VALUE

0
OVERALL
1
(NOT AN AVERAGE)