Synopsis
A well meaning but burned-out high school teacher tries to maintain order against the backdrop of a pending lawsuit against his school district when it comes to light they gave a diploma to an illiterate student.
Scores
Overall Score
53.5
Popularity Percentile (Year)
33.7%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
77.7%
Review Aggregate
55.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 58% of 26 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, coming of age, suspenseful. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
funnycoming of agesuspensefulsatiricalrealisticcharacter-driven
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Nolte | 1984 | $433,000 | $1,308,000 | (est) |
| JoBeth Williams | 1984 | $267,000 | $805,000 | (est) |
| Judd Hirsch | 1984 | $201,000 | $606,000 | (est) |
| Ralph Macchio | 1984 | $164,000 | $496,000 | (est) |
| Allen Garfield | 1984 | $140,000 | $424,000 | (est) |
| Lee Grant | 1984 | $124,000 | $373,000 | (est) |
| Richard Mulligan | 1984 | $111,000 | $335,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score61.0
RT critic review count33
Rotten Tomatoes audience score46.0
RT audience rating count1,000
IMDb rating6.1
IMDb votes4,893
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1984 | $27,774,236 | $83,857,344 |
| International | 1984 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1984 | $27,774,236 | $83,857,344 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1984 | $13,887,118 | $41,928,672 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1984 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1984 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1984 | $12,501,000 | $37,743,636 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1984 | $6,654,000 | $20,090,085 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1984 | $6,943,559 | $20,964,336 |
| Total Revenues | 1984 | $39,985,677 | $120,726,729 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1984 | $9,000,000 | $27,173,244 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1984 | $4,382,000 (est) | $13,230,351 (est) |
| Participations | 1984 | $1,599,000 | $4,827,780 |
| Residuals ? | 1984 | $1,742,000 | $5,259,532 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1984 | $1,800,000 | $5,434,649 |
| Total Expenses | 1984 | $18,523,000 | $55,925,556 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1984 | $21,462,677 | $64,801,174 |
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