School Ties

PG-13

Released Sep 18, 1992

1 hr. 47 min.

Drama

List

60%

40 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When David Greene (Brendan Fraser) receives a football scholarship to a prestigious prep school in the 1950s, he feels pressure to hide the fact that he is Jewish from his classmates and teachers, fearing that they may be anti-Semitic. He quickly becomes the big man on campus thanks to his football skills, but when his Jewish background is discovered, his worst fears are realized and his friends (Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell) turn on him with violent threats and public ridicule.

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Critics Consensus

Led by an A+ cast, the road to School Ties is paved with good intentions that are somewhat marred by the honorable yet heavy-handed message against intolerance.

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Nick S

Great cast with a good setting and interesting and worthy plot/message. It was an engaging movie that became a minor classic over time. Recommended.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

Leo G

✅79% Checked this one out for Brendan Fraser. It was wayyy better than I thought it would be. This is an amazing cast of (at the time) newcomers. Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donnell are all great here. Their chemistry is key for the movie to work and it's great. They really seemed like just a bunch of friends hanging out. The message the movie wants to pass is incredible and really relevant to the time (and even nowadays). And even with the story going where you think it will, it works the message very well and shows how people change when they're stuck to their prejudicious moral codes. It shows how privileges can be overlooked by those who have it, but don't deserve it. That's encapsulated perfectly in the incredible last scene that shows that David Greene, a jewish guy in the middle of a bunch of non-jewish people, just blends in. The movie makes you engage with Brendan Fraser's character and care for him, and when something (that you expect will happen) happens, Brendan brings his all and shows his character's moral conflicts and different emotions perfectly. He really is one of my favorite actors, and this is his first role ever! The story is formulaic, predictable and extremely cheesy. You know whats's going to happen, and there is a character that is a bit forgotten in the middle chunk. Plus, the love interest storyline is good (mostly because of Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser and Amy Locane's chemistry), but it's also very cheesy. Last thing, the score is incredible! Incredible!!! Emotional, simple and it has a great running theme that caps off the film perfectly. School Ties is truly a work of its time, but if you watch it already knowing that, I'm sure you'll have a good time, and appreciate its great cast, characters, and worthy message. "- I'm still going to get into Harvard. In 10 years, nobody's going to remember any of this. But you'll still be a goddamn jew.  - And you'll still be a prick."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Do we keep our school ties or end up cutting them out of our lives? Especially when it comes to our religion A very young Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O' Donnell star as best buds/classmates in the year 1959 Fraser is David Greene attending an elite preparatory school and becomes quite the star quarterback of the football team Unfortunately the only thing holding him back from joining the blue bloods at Harvard is that he's Jewish The rest of his former teammates particularly Charlie who becomes jealous of his success not to mention David dating a girl named Sally do not take kindly to this and they start displaying hostility and resentment associating him with Communists even defacing his dorm room with anti-Semitic remarks In the middle of a cheating scandal his determination to fit in and battle their prejudice intensifies He's also accused of violating the Honor Code facing expulsion Sometimes we have to be determined, breaking tradition has to be worth it to achieve what we want, we hide a part of ourselves all the time, not only do we lie to others but to us as well, we will always be who we are born to be The movie’s setting is at a time when antisemitism was running rampant and the fact that someone has to hide their identity lest have their friendships destroyed as well as their chances for educational opportunities is quite intimidating Fraser is amazing here as well as upcoming talents as Damon and Affleck Not only do they face their futures but also testing friendships and manhood The drama is really engrossing willing to push the right buttons even if good intentions that are somewhat marred by the honorable yet heavy-handed message against intolerance Lacks a lot of depth and some plot threads are dropped entirely but fine performances shine through

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

After watching ‘The Whale' I knew I needed to watch Brendan Frasier movies that I haven't watched yet. ‘School Ties' is a favorite of my grandparents so I decided to give it a watch and I'm so happy I decided to watch this. This was an incredible film from beginning to end. Brendan Frasier and Matt Damon give fantastic performances. I loved all of the characters and how they were written. Movies like these from the 90s are the type of movies I miss. I wish these types of movies were made nowadays. This was truly fantastic. There were a couple of flaws in this. I thought some of the dialogue was a bit cliche at points but it never really took away from anything. Also, there were a few subplots that felt a bit out of place. Overall, this movie was incredible and I was not expecting it to be this good. I took a look at the reviews before watching and noticed that they didn't have the best ratings. I saw people calling this "a bootleg Dead Poets Society". In my opinion, they are completely wrong. This movie stands on its own and is filled with incredible themes that aren't even close to Dead Poets Society.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

jon c

Do we keep our school ties or end up cutting them out of our lives? Especially when it comes to our religion A very young Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O' Donnell star as best buds/classmates in the year 1959 Fraser is David Greene attending an elite preparatory school and becomes quite the star quarterback of the football team Unfortunately the only thing holding him back from joining the blue bloods at Harvard is that he's Jewish The rest of his former teammates particularly Charlie who becomes jealous of his success not to mention David dating a girl named Sally do not take kindly to this and they start displaying hostility and resentment associating him with Communists even defacing his dorm room with anti-Semitic remarks In the middle of a cheating scandal his determination to fit in and battle their prejudice intensifies He's also accused of violating the Honor Code facing expulsion Sometimes we have to be determined, breaking tradition has to be worth it to achieve what we want, we hide a part of ourselves all the time, not only do we lie to others but to us as well, we will always be who we are born to be The movies setting is at a time when antisemitism was running rampant and the fact that someone has to hide their identity lest have their friendships destroyed as well as their chances for educational opportunities is quite intimidating Fraser is amazing here as well as upcoming talents as Damon and Affleck Not only do they face their futures but also testing friendships and manhood The drama is really engrossing willing to push the right buttons even if good intentions that are somewhat marred by the honorable yet heavy-handed message against intolerance Lacks a lot of depth and some plot threads are dropped entirely but fine performances shine through

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Damon gives an all time racist prick performance, a top tier entitled villain. Frasier was fun as well. Affleck was terrible and seemed like he had no clue what he was doing, which was funny. The film itself was mid in script/pacing. Enjoyed the ending.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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Robert Mandel

Director

Brendan Fraser

David Greene

Matt Damon

Charlie Dillon

Chris O'Donnell

Chris Reece

Randall Batinkoff

Rip Van Kelt

Andrew Lowery

McGivern

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School Ties: Official Clip - I Saw Dillon Cheat

2:13

School Ties: Official Clip - Nervous Breakdowns

2:09

School Ties: Official Clip - St. Matthews Wins

2:13

School Ties: Official Clip - Anti-Semitism

2:14

School Ties: Official Clip - I Saw You Cheat

2:12

School Ties: Official Clip - The Joke is on Us

2:14

School Ties: Official Clip - Take it to the Alley

1:28

School Ties: Official Clip - I'm the Same Guy

2:11

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Times

Well-meaning and earnest, "School Ties" (citywide) moves through its measured paces with dogged predictability.

Aug 21, 2019

Full Review

Matt Mueller

Empire Magazine

The boys put in fine performances but sadly the script lacks the depth of what could have been a challenging story.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 15, 2007

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

This is a bewildering mixture of fairly accomplished storytelling, awkward contrivances in the script, and lies in the overall conception so egregious they undercut any pretensions the film might have to social seriousness.

Oct 15, 2007

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

"School Ties" seems unlikely to capture the audience that made a hit of "Dead Poets Society."

Aug 21, 2019

Full Review

David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

But why did the filmmakers relegate their story to the 1950s, as if such attitudes weren't still alive and dangerous?

Aug 21, 2019

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Sure, it has a serious message, but it is put over with a grasp of reality that gives it a better-than-average chance of getting through

Rated: 3/5

Aug 21, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

When David Greene (Brendan Fraser) receives a football scholarship to a prestigious prep school in the 1950s, he feels pressure to hide the fact that he is Jewish from his classmates and teachers, fearing that they may be anti-Semitic. He quickly becomes the big man on campus thanks to his football skills, but when his Jewish background is discovered, his worst fears are realized and his friends (Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell) turn on him with violent threats and public ridicule.

Director: Robert Mandel
Executive Producer: Danton Rissner
Screenwriter: Dick Wolf, Darryl Ponicsan
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 1992, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 21, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.5M
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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