Watch Summer School

Summer School is an 80s comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, starring Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley, and Courtney Thorne-Smith, among others. The story revolves around an easy-going, laid-back high school teacher, Freddy Shoop (Harmon), who, after having been tricked into teaching remedial English in summer school, is determined to get his students back to regular classes by the end of the summer.

The movie opens with Mr. Shoop, an upcoming California high school teacher, planning his summer vacation with his girlfriend, who is going on a trip to Hawaii without him. Meanwhile, his colleague and best friend, Roger (Dean Cameron), convinces him to take on a summer teaching gig, promising him extra money and a chance to teach the school's gifted students in a program called "Chips." However, things don't go quite as planned when Mr. Shoop arrives at the school on the first day of summer school and finds out that the only available teaching position is with a group of misfits who failed remedial English.

To make matters worse, Mr. Shoop is also informed that if his students don't pass the final exam at the end of summer school, he will be fired. Determined to do his best and motivated by the prospect of scoring with his sexy and quirky co-teacher, Ms. Robin Bishop (Alley), Shoop takes on the challenging task of educating the unruly students.

The students in Mr. Shoop's class, at first glance, seem hopeless, each struggling with their own set of problems. Kevin, played by Patrick Labyorteaux, is the class clown, always cracking jokes and making snide remarks. He's also struggling with dyslexia, making reading and writing difficult for him. The class jock, Larry, played by Gary Riley, only cares about sports and girls, while the shy and studious Pam, played by Thorne-Smith, has a secret crush on the poet and musician, Chainsaw, played by the late Richard Steven Horvitz. Dave, the overweight and self-conscious student who is bullied by the others, is played by Ken Olandt. Rhonda, played by Shawnee Smith, is the punk rocker who has a chip on her shoulder and a talent for art. And finally, there's the surfer dude, Francis, played by Courtney Gains, who is smart but lazy and spends most of his time daydreaming about surfing waves.

Despite the many adversities they face, both students and teachers learn valuable lessons about themselves and each other during the course of summer school. They bond over pranks, pool parties, tutoring sessions, and a field trip to a museum, and slowly begin to reveal their true selves to each other. Mr. Shoop discovers that he enjoys teaching and is good at it, developing a rapport with his students and even defending them when the principal, played by Francis X. McCarthy, threatens to expel them for a prank they pull. Ms. Bishop, who is portrayed as uptight and strictly professional in the beginning, also learns to loosen up and have fun, eventually falling for Mr. Shoop's charms.

One of the themes explored in the movie is the struggle of students who have a hard time fitting in or keeping up with their peers. The students in Mr. Shoop's class are shown as having diverse backgrounds, personalities, and academic abilities, but all share the experience of feeling like outcasts or failures. Their struggles are treated with respect and empathy, and the movie portrays them as human beings with potential, rather than as mere stereotypes or punchlines.

The humor in the movie is a mix of slapstick, wordplay, and satire, often relying on the contrast between Mr. Shoop's laid-back attitude and the students' antics. The movie pokes fun at various aspects of American culture, such as youth fashion, pop music, consumerism, and bureaucracy, and features several memorable scenes, such as a dream sequence where Mr. Shoop imagines his class as zombies or the final exam, which involves a hilarious parody of The Breakfast Club.

Overall, Summer School is a funny and heartwarming movie that manages to balance its zany humor with its earnest message about the importance of education and mutual understanding. While it may not have the most original premise or the most sophisticated humor, it succeeds at creating a likable cast of characters who are easy to root for and relate to. It's the kind of movie that is perfect for a lazy summer day, when you just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy a good laugh.

Summer School is a 2013 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes.