School Ties

Moral of this story: the children of Israel are moral, tough, upstanding and courageous while anyone who attends a prep school is a cowardly, sneaky bigot. The scene where someone hangs a swastika over David's bed is so incredibly stupid and anachronistic that my mind simply won't wrap around it. As if American teens in the 1950s would use NAZI symbolism to convey their dislike. These are the kids whose big brothers fought the war against the "dirty Krauts," and here we see them hanging Nazi flags. Likely? No. And then, of course, all his enemies get theirs because THEY are the ones who are the REAL cheats. Get it? The BIGOTS are projecting! Meanwhile, I'm projectile vomiting. So, yeah. This movie is awful. Fun things to watch for: lame football scenes, car in the house, young Damon whateverhisnameis.

It's a line the headmaster of the school asks the star quarterback David Greene when he catches him praying at church after curfew but praying in observance of the Jewish new year. Greene's reply to the Headmaster of this Christian Prep Academy is..."mine or yours". This is the essence of the storyline. A Christian Prep Academy in New England is tired of mediocrity in football and losing to their arch rival so they compromise their admission standards by recruiting a brilliant student athlete from Pa. The problem isn't that David Greene doesn't measure up academically, it is that he is Jewish. Soon after coming to school Greene realizes his classmates disdain and ridicule for Jews. They scorn them and make stereotype remarks that bother Greene but he is determined to fit in. Eventually his classmates and friends discover his secret and this is as far as I go. See the movie and see how David and his friends handle the situation. Fine performances are put in by Brendan Fraser, as David Greene. You'll be astonished at the youthful talent in the movie as really good performances are put in by Matt Damon, his real life buddy Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donnell, and all the others. I really enjoyed the story, the time setting, and the substance of the message.

This film SHOULD make you think what it was, and still is like for Jewish people to be discriminated against on a daily basis. Brendan Frazier plays his character perfectly in this film. Supporting cast (all in Good Will Hunting, another favorite of mine) are Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Cole Hauser. Everyone likes and is drawn to the character of David Green until he exposed for being a Jew. It's absolutely ridiculous as the Jewish religion doesn't have a history of terrorism like their neighbors do. The only thing Jews are guilty of(besides being cheap) is entertaining us throughout Hollywood. You really find yourself pulling for David Green in this movie as he shows grace and character toughness throughout while being slandered by all his fellow classmates. They definitely don't make movies like this anymore. Just my two cents.

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

I wanted to point out another "goof" in the movie. There is a scene which takes place in the French class of Mr. Cleary. He is grilling Mr. McGivern over his French recitation. Cleary sits down and uncaps a ballpoint pen and begins to write on a pad. The pen he uncaps is a Cross fountain pen in a black matte finish. Cross did not begin making writing instruments in black matte finish until the late 1970's or early 1980s'. I am not even sure Cross was making fountain pens in the time period this movie was set in. Schaffer and Parker were the most popular brands of that era. In another scene, where they are taking the history exam, one of the boys is writing with a Schaffer fountain pen, which appears more consistent with the setting.

First of all, I would like to say that I enjoyed the film and the opportunity to see today's stars in an early film together. However, there were a couple of things that "got to me" during the film: One: why wasn't the issue of anti-semitism amongst the school's teachers addressed? It was apparent in the school's pupils and alumni. Two: I wasn't particularly satisfied with the ending/climax. Someone cheats in a test. David is accused for obvious reasons. Bad guy expelled. The end. Maybe seeing David battling through the anti-semitism all the way into Harvard would have been a better idea. Anyway, like I said previously, a nice, undemanding opportunity to see today's current crop of stars in their youth.

This is one of the best movies I have seen. It addresses a topic that has been around for generations and is still with us today(l-l6-2003). I think this movie should be used in America's school system civics classes a learning tool. It is a shame this movie was never considered a commercial success, had it been a box office hit more people could have been educated about judging people. I would like to the the industry produce more good films like School Ties. This film shows that judging people without getting to know them is wrong. I have seen this up close and personal in Nebraska, Iowa, West Virginia and other places. The fact it was not a box office hit aside, it did produce some of the best talent in the industry today. If you have not seen this movie you should.

Main parts of the movie are not believable. If Matt Damon wasn't angry at Brendan Fraser for taking his girlfriend, would he tell classmates that David was Jewish? David helped them win. So, it's not clear at all. The headmaster, the coach, a few alumni knew that David was Jewish. They decided to enroll David. If kids don't like it, too bad. My favorite part is when David puts Magen David back on after kids find out he is Jewish. It's a great lesson. Don't try to blend in. Whenever Jews try to blend in, eventually they suffer. Obviously, it's hard for a high school senior to understand. Especially, when there are so many incentives to do so.