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Up the Academy

Play trailer Poster for Up the Academy R Released Jun 6, 1980 1h 29m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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0% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
The war-obsessed commandant of Weinberg Military Academy is no match for the troublesome brats enrolled there.
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Up the Academy

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Michael Blowen Boston Globe I can't remember anticipating the end of a film with such exuberance. Apr 28, 2018 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times Cheerfully and rudely haphazard. Rated: 2.5/5 May 30, 2007 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid In an attempt to follow National Lampoon, it was the first and only film produced by MAD Magazine. One viewing reveals why. Rated: 2/4 May 30, 2007 Full Review TV Guide Notable only because its star, Ron Liebman, sued the studio to have his name removed from the credits and advertising. Rated: 1/4 May 30, 2007 Full Review Scott Weinberg DVDTalk.com I can plainly understand why several involved parties lobbied to get their names removed from this film. Rated: 1.5/5 Feb 13, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (39) audience reviews
Steve D Not funny for a single moment. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review Devon B This movie was all-out enjoyable for the most part. This is Ralph Macchio's film debut and probably one that he sadly forgot about. I've seen the bad reviews of this movie and I have to say I don't understand the amount of hate that it gets. Although there are some parts that people would probably find offensive other than that the movie conveys such a humorous and raunchy take on military schools. The General in this movie plays out similarly to a mean headroom teacher at a boarding school. I also love the soundtrack. It's full of some incredible punk rock, new wave, and power pop from tons of different bands. The music itself sort of blends in with the movie with how it plays out they do something where they'd play half of a song and then another half later. But if had to critique it a little I'd probably have to say we don't see much of Ralph Macchio's character he doesn't get many stand-out scenes compared to the other cast mates but my only problem other than that Up The Academy is a Humorous and somewhat a before it's time film that deserves a second chance I give this movie 4 in a half stars. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/23/23 Full Review Audience Member I went into Up the Academy expecting one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I had heard the history that this movie was originally created under the banner of Mad Magazine but they were so embarrassed by it they paid to have their name taken off. And the star of the movie also petitioned to get his name out of the credits. That’s a lot of bad signs all rolled into one movie. I assumed it was going to be horrid, so I was surprised that it wasn’t all that bad. Don’t get me wrong, Up the Academy is terrible. It indulges in some awful racism, includes disturbing implied pedophilia, and most of the jokes are ineffective. But it’s not a worst-of-all-time contender. And what surprised me was how much it felt like a Mad Magazine product. These are the dorky jokes which are crass but not too vulgar that you will find in every issue. I would never suggest someone else watch Up the Academy, but at least it’s not painfully bad. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/25/18 Full Review Audience Member I gave this a spin on a cheapo DVD and thought it was fairly amusing for what it was, but I was surprised to see that the Mad Magazine people had later distanced themselves from the finished project. I mean, the movie doesn't exactly re-invent the wheel with its comedy, but it's not THAT BAD, y'know? Worth a rental at the very least. if you dig some prep school/military academy type of hijinx. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Could have been so much better, Even MAD Magazine sued to get their name off it! Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member (**): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] Some laughs but nothing really special here. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Up the Academy

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Movie Info

Synopsis The war-obsessed commandant of Weinberg Military Academy is no match for the troublesome brats enrolled there.
Director
Robert Downey Sr.
Producer
Marvin Worth, Danton Rissner
Screenwriter
Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 6, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
1h 29m
Sound Mix
Surround
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