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Movies / On DVD / Higher Learning
Higher Learning

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Higher Learning (1994)

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48 %
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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:14

Rotten:15

Average Rating:5.1/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 19 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: The third installment in John Singleton's trilogy about South Central Los Angeles, HIGHER LEARNING examines mid-1990s university politics from racial, sexual, and economic standpoints. At fictional... The third installment in John Singleton's trilogy about South Central Los Angeles, HIGHER LEARNING examines mid-1990s university politics from racial, sexual, and economic standpoints. At fictional Columbus University (where a statue of the explorer stands witness to the dominant culture's supremacy), three freshman arrive to find a campus ready to explode. Malik (Omar Epps) wavers among the influences of revolution-preaching super-senior Fudge (Ice Cube), no-excuses Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), and his motivated girlfriend Deja (Tyra Banks). Kristen (Kristy Swanson), another neophyte, is thrown into sexual confusion when she meets a charismatic lesbian, while the socially inept Remy (Michael Rapaport) can only fit in with the local skinheads. The storylines cross and complicate as each character tries to discover what's right, but the potential for violence grows with every wrong choice they make. Singleton recruited an emsemble of considerable talent to flesh out the complex plot, which allows him to deal efficiently with a breadth of concerns without preaching. [More]

Starring: Kristy Swanson, Omar Epps, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly

Starring: Kristy Swanson, Omar Epps, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly, Ice Cube, Tyra Banks, Laurence Fishburne, Busta Rhymes, Regina King, Cole Hauser

Director: John Singleton

Director: John Singleton
Screenwriter: John Singleton
Producer: John Singleton, Paul Hall, Dwight Williams
Composer: Stanley Clarke

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Higher Learning

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

For anyone who's been to USC, it's a pretty hilarious parody of life there. If you take it as presented, however, it's over-dramatic and unbelievable.

comment Comment
11/03/05
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Another tour-de-force for Singleton

comment Comment
03/23/05
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

No review available.

comment Comment
07/18/04
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Apollo Guide

John Singleton at his most pretentious and preachy.

comment Comment
01/27/04
Blake Davis
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News

No review available.

comment Comment
01/24/04
Spence D.
Spence D.
IGN Movies

...John Singleton's third (and best) film.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Flawed but often arresting drama

comment Comment
06/04/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Neil Martin
Neil Martin
Palo Alto Weekly

Almost unwatchable.

comment Comment
03/04/03
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat

A flawed endeavor... but still an entertaining and thought-provoking film.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
05/25/02
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/12/02
Globe and Mail

Singleton deserves praise for shining the spotlight on some of today’s biggest social issues; it’s just unfortunate that the laws of cinema ultimately blunt some of his messages.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
09/10/01
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
Apollo Guide

The plot would all mean something if Singleton offered his characters any engaging conflicts--they all seem recycled from movies of the week.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/12/01
Pete Croatto
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com

Higher Learning is often clichéd, unfocused and didactic. But Singleton has a goal most of his contemporaries have given up on: He wants to make a movie that makes a difference.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/12/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Latest News for Higher Learning

December 08, 2005: Singleton to Drive Paramount's "Convoy"
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of director John Singleton's next project, an auto-intensive action thriller called "Convoy." More...

August 11, 2005: Critical Consensus: Brotherly Love, A Not So Great “Raid,” A Skeletal “Key,” and Schneider’s Latest
This week at the movies gives us four brothers with vigilante justice on their minds, a woman who discovers the frightening secrets of an old house on the bayou, a band of... More...

See All

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