Cutting Class

Summary

“That’s just a rock.”

In 1989, Cutting Class was released direct-to-video by Republic Pictures. The film was the first and only picture to be directed by Rospo Pallenberg. Pallenberg was being watched closely because he had worked on the film Deliverance as a creative associate and he wrote the screenplay for Excalibur. Cutting Class was written by Steve Slavkin, whose only credit at that point was an episode of The Magical World of Disney. He would go on to create the children’s television show Salute Your Shorts which aired on Nickelodeon and was religiously watched by six years olds (like me) at the time. If you have seen Cutting Class, you probably can guess why this was the last film that Rospo Pallenberg was ever given a chance to direct. The film is wildly funny when it attempts to be serious, and misses the mark completely when it tries to be funny. This comment comes from a loving place. My sister and I watched the movie the other night and we were laughing hysterically at all of the inscrutable choices made by the film’s screenwriter and director. I am not alone in finding Cutting Class extremely entertaining. Vinegar Syndrome released Cutting Class on Blu-ray in 2018. That Blu-ray quickly sold out of its slipcovered edition. There were five variant slipcovers for the release, which also shows there was a real market for Cutting Class. Now MVD has given the film a 4K UHD release.

High school student Paula (Jill Schoelen) is going to be home alone for a few days. her district attorney father Bill (Martin Mull) is planning to go hunting nearby. He reminds her to do her homework and keep boys out of the house. Most importantly, he reminds her to not cut class. In a newspaper that Paula brings inside her house, the headline reads “Boy who killed father released from Mental Asylum.” Bill drives to a swamp and begins his hunt. He has no idea that someone is hunting him. He is hit by an arrow and falls to the ground. High school teenager and all around cool guy Dwight (Brad Pitt) narrowly avoids two car crashes on his way to school. He arrives in class late. He is teased by a student after missing a chemistry question from Mr. Conklin. Later that day, Paula and her closest friend Colleen are taking out some gym equipment. Paula notices a leaf on one of the arrows next to the bows. In gym class, the shy loner Brian (Donovan Leitch,) recently released from the asylum, is told to climb a rope by the gym teacher. Dwight pulls the rope which causes Brian to fall. The gym teacher doesn’t appreciate their shenanigans. After school, at a hot dog stand, Colleen, Paula, and Colleen’s boyfriend Gary wait on Dwight. Brian tries to hang out with the group and Colleen insults him while pointing out Brian’s crush on Paula. Dwight shows up and buys Paula a hot dog, but Brian has already grabbed her a hot dog. Dwight makes it clear that he has no plans for them to ever be friends again and to stay away from Paula. There is more to their relationship from before Brian’s dad died and Brian was committed. That night, Dwight goes over to Paula’s house and wears her dad’s clothes. She rejects his  attempts to woo her. The next day, the terrible teachers and students begin to get killed off by an unknown killer. Could it be Dwight or is it the recently released Brian?

Cutting Class will definitely not appeal to every film lover. It could easily be argued that the film is a complete disaster. Some plot points that are teed up in the script never pay off. Certain characters that seem like they should meet demise – especially very pervy adult characters – seemingly face no consequences whatsoever for their actions. The jokes that the film intentionally tells land with a thud. The film has so many inexplicable moments. It is hard to keep track of how many moments in the script simply seem thrown into the picture with no purpose. For example, two different men decide to put on Bill’s clothes while talking to Paula. The film is consistently unintentionally (?) hilarious to the point that it eventually crosses into the territory of becoming something else completely. The film’s failings became its greatest strengths until my sister and I both agreed that we both loved it. I have no apologies to give when I say that this movie made me laugh out loud and made me fall in love with its complete lack of reason. The storyline for Martin Mull’s character stands out as one of the most surprising and hilarious that I have ever seen in a slasher.

This film is notable for being one of Brad Pitt’s earliest lead roles. He would become a household name two years later in a notable role in Thelma and Louise. It is a lot of fun to see him in such a goofy role before he exploded into superstardom. The lead actress Jill Schoelen is likable and well cast as Paula. She has naturally pretty looks and I am surprised that she didn’t have a bigger break after Cutting Class. As a brief aside, she and Brad Pitt had chemistry offscreen and were momentarily engaged. Donovan Leitch Jr. is fun to watch as the loner Brian. I got a laugh out of his styling which made him look like he had been in a New Wave band. Martin Mull is freaking hilarious in the movie. It may be the best role for Martin Mull ever. Brenda James is well cast as an attractive friend of Paula. Roddy McDowall shows up in the film as a perverted principal of the school. I have no idea why he accepted this role, but every scene with him made me laugh. Robert Glaudini is memorable as the eccentric janitor Shultz. Dirk Blocker is also very memorable as Coach Harris. It would be difficult to say that the acting in this film is “good,” but the net result of the numerous personalities onscreen worked for me.

The last thing I want to say about Cutting Class is that I am not alone in my affection for this movie. It also inspired Eli Roth to write a sequence for one of his films. You will know it when you see it. For those who can find the humor in a certain type of film failure, Cutting Class is a wealth of riches.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, Cutting Class earns more than a passing grade in MVD Visual’s new UHD presentation. More than likely this new 4K presentation is culled from Vinegar Syndrome’s prior 4K transfer from the 35mm original color negative. A lot of effort has been out into the transfer with well considered color reproduction and well resolved grain. The color palette of the film is a product of its time and a little reserved. Considering the financial limitations of the production, this 4K UHD presentation is likely to be the best that the film will ever look. While it may not be a visual powerhouse in 4K like some films, I can’t imagine a single fan of the film being less than pleased with this 4K presentation.

Audio

MVD Visual has presented Cutting Class with a LPCM Mono 2.0 track that is true to the film’s original sound design. Dialogue comes across clearly and the soundtrack by Jill Fraser sounds good enough. A Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is also offered. 

Supplements:

4K UHD Disc

• Trailer

1080 Disc

• R-Rated Cut
• Un-Cutting Class – in this interview with Jill Schoelen from the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray, the actress is very candid in expressing her dislike of the film, the script, and the experience itself. It is very funny and wonderful.
• Donovan Makes the Cut –  in this interview with Donovan Leitch from the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray, the actor reminisces on the fun times had making the film and what it was like to work with a young Brad Pitt. He has a good self deprecating sense of humor about the whole thing.
• Find the Killer VHS Contest – this marketing ploy by Republic Pictures Home Video is a lot of fun – and basically spoils the whole movie.
• Kill Comparisons – compares the murder sequences in the unrated and R rated versions.
• Trailers

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.25/5 

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Cutting Class is not going to be for everyone. In fact, many times while watching the film with my sister, we asked one another “what was the point of that?” or, “who were they trying to appeal to in that scene?” The joy in watching Cutting Class is in examining its numerous unintentionally hilarious moments and its numerous inexplicable ideas. The film is truly inscrutable in a lot of ways. Plot points that are teed up never pan out in a meaningful way. The core mystery of the film is not much of a mystery. Jokes land with a thud… constantly. There are so many sequences that struck my sister and I as bizarre or without merit that the film became its own unique thing. So, I have to admit, I loved it. We had an absolute blast watching this movie.

MVD Visual has given fans of the film an excellent reason to revisit the picture. Cutting Class has never looked or sounded better than it does now in this 4K UHD presentation. The transfer, which is likely taken from Vinegar Syndrome’s 4K scan of the original color negative from 2018, looks great. Grain is well resolved and the color reproduction is solid. That said, expectations must be set according to the budgetary limitations and era of the movie’s creation. The archival supplements on the Blu-ray are of high quality and are only missing a couple interesting supplements from the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray. That said, it also comes with the R-rated version of the picture, which is not included on Vinegar Syndrome’s release. Fans of the picture should definitely pick up the 4K edition.