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Rodney Dangerfield stars as a corporate tycoon who enrolls in college to help inspire his son (Christine's Keith Gordon) to stay in school. Now, I'm hard on comedies and I honestly don't like very many of them -- but I really enjoyed Back to School. It's a terrific vehicle for Dangerfield and his direct, throw-away sensibility. When a stand-up comic is featured in a narrative film, the formulaic plot usually ends up constraining the talent and strangling all the fun out of the movie. But Back to School keeps things loose enough for Dangerfield to shine. It even allows him to keep his balls after the obligatory third-act character catharsis. (Learning lessons can be so castrating.)

The briskly-paced script is littered with one-liners and there’s a goofy sweetness underlying all the shenanigans, including Dangerfield’s relationship with his literature professor, played by Sally Kellerman (Oscar nominee for MASH). I usually hate tacked-on romantic relationships in movies, but this time some of my favorite scenes involve the ‘lovers’. It’s refreshing to see two adults fall in love without pretense, coyness, guilt, or remorse — especially in a comedy that really can’t bear the distraction. Back to School nails the lovey-dovey shit like few other comedies do.

The supporting cast are all having a good time, too — including Ned Beatty, Burt Young, Robert Downey Jr, and Sam Kinison. Danny Elfman provides a bouncy score and appears in the film alongside the other members of Oingo Boingo. Look for a cameo appearance by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in one of the film’s best gags.