Underclassmanis a 2005 Americanaction comedy filmdirected byMarcos Siegaand starringNick Cannon,Shawn Ashmore,Roselyn Sánchez,Kelly Hu,Hugh Bonneville,andCheech Marin.It was released on September 2, 2005, had been originally set for a release in 2004. The film was a critical andbox office disaster,receiving only a 6% rating onRotten Tomatoesand grossing $5.6 million on a production budget of $25,000,000.
| Underclassman | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Marcos Siega |
| Written by | Brent Goldberg David Wagner |
| Produced by | Peter Abrams Robert L. Levy Andrew Panay |
| Starring | Nick Cannon Shawn Ashmore Roselyn Sánchez Kelly Hu Hugh Bonneville Cheech Marin |
| Cinematography | David Hennings |
| Edited by | Nicholas C. Smith |
| Music by | BT |
Production company | Tapestry Films |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[1] |
| Box office | $5.6 million[2] |
Plot
editTracy "Tre" Stokes (Nick Cannon) is a 23-year-old bike cop working for theLos Angeles Police Department.Tre dreams of being a police detective, like his late father, but his mentor Captain Delgado (Cheech Marin) believes he is not ready based on his reckless behavior. While playing basketball, Delgado is approached by a representative of the Mayor's office looking to place an undercover detective into the prestigious Westbury School after a student was killed at a party. Tre volunteers to go undercover, and Delgado reluctantly agrees to give him a chance.
Tre's mark is Rob Donovan (Shawn Ashmore), whose name was written on a piece of paper at the scene of the crime. Attempting to befriend Rob on the basketball court after school, Tre learns about a local basketball tournament, the Blacktop Battle, which Rob is captaining for Westbury. Tre arrives at the Blacktop Battle where Westbury is being handily defeated by their crosstown rival. Joining the game, Tre wins the game and impresses Rob, but antagonizing his friends with his selfish play. The next day Tre learns of a party at the marina that Rob routinely throws, and shows up with a borrowed jetski for a race. When a former student and rival of Rob's shows up at the party there is a fight and Tre and Rob are thrown in jail where they form a bond.
Tre soon discovers that at every high school party in the area a luxury car seems to be stolen. Tre plans a sting involving throwing his own party at Captain Delgado's home using the Captain's prized '65 Corvette Stingray, Juanita, as bait. Tre sees Rob steal the car, but allows him to escape instead of stopping him, resulting on him getting fired from the force. Continuing the investigation himself, Tre discovers that the cars have been housed at a warehouse on campus and that Rob and his friends have been forced to steal the cars against their will. Headmaster Felix Powers (Hugh Bonneville), realizing Tre is an undercover cop, enlists his co-conspirators to kidnap and murder Tre at the Blacktop Battle championship game. Tre is abducted along with Karen and they are brought to the campus warehouse to be killed while Powers goes to the docks to trade the stolen vehicles for drugs. Tre, with the help of backup, escapes and interrupts Powers’ drug deal and rescues Karen. Tre then kills Powers during a high speed boat chase in the harbor. In the end Tre graduates high school and is reinstated to the force.
Cast
edit- Nick Cannonas Tracy "Tre" Stokes
- Roselyn Sánchezas Karen Lopez
- Kelly Huas Lisa Brooks
- Ian Gomezas Det. Gallecki
- Shawn Ashmoreas Rob Donovan
- Hugh Bonnevilleas Headmaster Felix Powers
- Cheech Marinas Captain Victor Delgado
- Johnny Lewisas Alexander Jeffries
- Angelo Spizzirri as David Boscoe
- Vishiss as Edward Murdock
- Adrian Young as Jose
- Don McManusas Julian Reynolds
- Mary Pat Gleasonas Mrs. Hagerty
- Peter Bryantas Michael Barry
- Sam Eastonas Oliver Horn
- Kaylee DeFeras Des
- Terry Chenas Sleepy Morris
- Jamie Kaleras Beach Police Officer
- Ben Cottonas Raver
- Zak Santiagoas Anderson
- Dan Sheaas Weston
- Sarah Jane Morrisas Jamie (uncredited)
Production
editIn June 2003, music video director Marcos Siega was announced as director ofUnderclassman.[3]Shawn Ashmore joined the cast in August 2003.[4]
Reception
editBox office
editUnderclassmanwas released onLabor Dayweekend (September 2) in 2005, and performed poorly at the box office opening at number 11 with $3,393,610.[5]OverallUnderclassmanearned just $5,655,459 against a budget of $25 million in seven weeks of release.[1]
Critical response
editUnderclassmanreceived universal negative reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes,only 6% of the critics gave it positive write-ups with the consensus: "Despite the appealing presence of Nick Cannon,Underclassmanis a shopworn knockoff of bothBeverly Hills Copand21 Jump Street."[6]OnMetacriticthe film has received 20 poor and 5 medium reviews for an overall score of 19.[7]Underclassmanis currently the sixth worst reviewed film on Metacritic released in 2005.[8]
References
edit- ^ab"The Numbers".The Numbers.2018-06-03.Retrieved2018-06-03.
- ^UnderclassmanatBox Office Mojo
- ^"Vid helmer Siega enrolls for 'Underclassman' pic".Variety.RetrievedJune 29,2003.
- ^"Miramax casts Ashmore".Variety.RetrievedAugust 19,2003.
- ^"Box Office Mojo September 2-8 2005".Box Office Mojo.2018-06-03.Retrieved2018-06-03.
- ^"Underclassman (2004)".Rotten Tomatoes.2010-07-08.Retrieved2010-07-08.
- ^"Underclassman (2004)".Metacritic.2018-06-03.Retrieved2018-06-03.
- ^"Metacritic films of 2005".Metacritic.2018-06-03.Retrieved2018-06-03.