--- title: "Back to School" year: 1986 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/back-to-school" fi1m_id: "back-to-school" imdb_id: "tt0090685" tmdb_id: 15596 wikidata_id: "Q598633" fi1m_score: 72 critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-10-04T19:38:29.660730+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T19:38:29.947919+00:00" region: "RO" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Back to School (1986) Directed by Alan Metter · 1h 36m · Comedy ## Identity Back to School - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/back-to-school - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** back-to-school - **IMDb ID:** tt0090685 - **TMDB ID:** 15596 - **Wikidata ID:** Q598633 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090685/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/15596, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q598633 **Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 69 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Rodney Dangerfield is the main reason to attend this college, which may concern the teaching staff > Rodney Dangerfield makes *Back to School* worth the evening through timing, nerve and a dependable supply of one-liners. The college comedy around him is predictable and occasionally clumsy, but Sally Kellerman helps keep it companionable. ## Synopsis Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) enrols in college, where coursework has competition from female students, professors, fun and rock and roll. His idea of an education leaves room for all of them. Jason Melon (Keith Gordon), Diane (Sally Kellerman) and Derek (Robert Downey Jr.) are among those around him, alongside Phillip Barbay (Paxton Whitehead) and Chas (William Zabka). The college company also includes Dean Martin (Ned Beatty) and Coach Turnbull (M. Emmet Walsh). Thornton approaches his return to education with academic achievement only one of the attractions. ## Review *Back to School* is a good vehicle for Rodney Dangerfield, with enough warmth to make its bluntness agreeable. Alan Metter directs a college comedy whose premise gives the star plenty of excuses to be interested in anything except coursework. The pleasure is in the one-liners and the confidence with which they arrive. We would not choose it for an ingenious story, and the film is sensible enough to keep offering jokes. Rodney Dangerfield makes Thornton Melon funny without requiring us to think every remark deserves the laugh it gets. His timing is persuasive even when the joke itself is ordinary: he seems to know precisely how little ceremony it needs. We laughed at his brusque one-liners, often because he had already moved on before we had quite caught up. That briskness helps the coarser material, though it cannot rescue every gag. The performance also has enough warmth to keep the character from becoming merely exhausting. Sally Kellerman’s Diane is the most welcome supporting presence, bringing an ease that makes the comedy feel less insistent. Her contribution matters in a film that can otherwise seem determined to fill every available space with another gag. Keith Gordon, as Jason Melon, has a less immediately rewarding comic assignment, while Robert Downey Jr.’s Derek adds to the liveliness of the company. Sally Kellerman’s scenes are among the most enjoyable, and we could comfortably have spent longer in her company. The screenplay is credited to Harold Ramis, PJ Torokvei, Steven Kampmann and William Porter, and its strength is the individual line. The story is considerably more predictable, with too little surprise in how situations develop. There is enough good material to carry the familiar stretches, although some gags are pushed harder than their modest rewards justify. Alan Metter is better at letting a performer make a joke work than at making the surrounding comedy feel fresh. Thomas E. Ackerman’s cinematography is clear and undistracting, though we found little visual pleasure separate from watching the actors. David L. Snyder’s production design gives the college comedy an adequate setting without adding many comic pleasures of its own. David Rawlins’s editing works best around the one-liners, allowing Rodney Dangerfield’s timing to make its point. Across whole scenes, the rhythm can feel more dutiful. Danny Elfman’s music is agreeable enough, but rarely seems necessary when the star can set the pace so firmly himself. As a college comedy, the film is content with familiar appetites and familiar targets. The interest in female students and attractive professors is explicit in the premise, and there are limits to how much comedy that can provide. Its coarseness will be a barrier for some, yet the amiability of the performances keeps it from becoming tiresome. The gentler moments help, even when the writing has not done much to earn them. At 96 minutes, it does not demand an unreasonable commitment, although the predictability still tells. Our recommendation comes with a simple condition: an appetite for Rodney Dangerfield’s delivery is essential, because much of the pleasure depends on it. If that sounds like thin provision for an evening, choose something else. We would stay for another line. *Fi1m score 72, published 4 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Back to School worth watching?** *Back to School* is worth watching for Rodney Dangerfield’s brisk one-liners and warm comic presence, and we score it 72 out of 100. The college story is predictable and some gags labour their point, but Sally Kellerman helps keep it companionable; we recommend it chiefly to those who enjoy Dangerfield’s delivery. **How long is Back to School, and what is it rated?** *Back to School* runs 1h 36m. It is a comedy film. **Where can I watch Back to School in Romania?** *Back to School* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Romania, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from lei 10.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Back to School, and is it suitable for children?** *Back to School* has a US parental-guidance rating cautioning about suitability for children under 13, and we would be cautious about choosing it for younger children. The concerns we flag are its coarse jokes and Thornton’s interest in female students and attractive professors; the rating alone does not establish how much violence or frightening material it contains. **How does Back to School compare to Educating Rita?** *Back to School* is our choice for brisk one-liners, while we favour [*Educating Rita*](https://film.one/film/educating-rita) for sharper feeling beneath its adult-student comedy. Dangerfield carries a predictable college romp; Julie Walters and Michael Caine make Rita’s wish to learn matter, despite plodding direction and thin lessons. We recommend the latter if emotional involvement matters more than a steady supply of gags. **What should I watch after Back to School?** After *Back to School*, try [*Educating Rita*](https://film.one/film/educating-rita) (1983, Fi1m 71): Another adult student unsettles academic routines, with sharper feeling beneath the comedy. Then [*School of Rock*](https://film.one/film/the-school-of-rock) (2003, Fi1m 84): A disruptive adult discovers teaching, while the children get some excellent jokes; and [*Legally Blonde*](https://film.one/film/legally-blonde) (2001, Fi1m 78): An underestimated student takes on academic snobbery with cheerfully determined comic purpose. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (85/100, inferred): Newman calls the comedy far better than expected and nearly a masterpiece. He praises Rodney Dangerfield’s comic timing and the script’s one-liners, while singling out the supporting cast’s funny performances. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/back-school-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kevin Thomas (85/100, inferred): Thomas finds the comedy exuberant and unusually thoughtful, praising how it gives Dangerfield’s boisterous character a meaningful reckoning. He especially singles out Dangerfield’s heartfelt performance of Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into the Night.” [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-12-ca-10340-story.html) - **Time Out** (70/100, inferred): The excerpt suggests a positive verdict on the comedy. It singles out Rodney Dangerfield, urging readers to give the performer respect. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/back-to-school) - **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (64/100, inferred): The issue archive confirms that Kael reviewed the film, but this page does not reveal her verdict. It provides no details about what she praised or criticized. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1986/07/28) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (2/5): Parkinson finds the comedy ham-fisted and its gags unsubtle. He singles out the English teacher as a standout. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tufsrk/back-to-school/) ## Details - **Director:** Alan Metter - **Director:** Alan Metter - **Screenplay:** William Porter, Harold Ramis, PJ Torokvei, Steven Kampmann - **Story:** Dennis Snee, Rodney Dangerfield, Greg Fields - **Cinematography:** Thomas E. Ackerman - **Editor:** David Rawlins - **Music:** Danny Elfman - **Production design:** David L. Snyder - **Costume design:** Durinda Wood - **Producer:** Chuck Russell - **Cast:** Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton Melon; Sally Kellerman as Diane; Burt Young as Lou; Keith Gordon as Jason Melon; Robert Downey Jr. as Derek; William Zabka as Chas; Paxton Whitehead as Phillip Barbay; Adrienne Barbeau as Vanessa - **Runtime:** 1h 36m - **First release (the US):** 13 June 1986 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Budget:** $11 million - **Box office:** $91 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drpmyHAChWw ## Where to watch in Romania - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent lei 10.00, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy lei 30.00, hd *Checked 2026-10-04.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Educating Rita* (1983), Fi1m 71: Another adult student unsettles academic routines, with sharper feeling beneath the comedy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/educating-rita.md) - *The Freshman* (1925): College status anxiety supplies physical comedy, with an outsider worth cheering. - *School of Rock* (2003), Fi1m 84: A disruptive adult discovers teaching, while the children get some excellent jokes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-school-of-rock.md) - *Good Morning* (1959): Small acts of rebellion trouble respectable adults in this patient Japanese comedy. - *Legally Blonde* (2001), Fi1m 78: An underestimated student takes on academic snobbery with cheerfully determined comic purpose. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/legally-blonde.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/back-to-school