School Ties (1992) User Reviews

Low key but poignant film

[rosscinema · 7/10 · 1 June 2004]

One of the things that this film does so well is point out how people make ethnic jokes totally unaware that some of the people around them may be of the same ethnicity. This gives the central character the opportunity to get a good look at what type of person that they really are and how to react to it. Story takes place in the 1950's and is about David Greene (Brendan Fraser) who is Jewish and from Scranton and and he gets a scholarship to a good prep school in the New England area and he decides not to tell anyone about his being Jewish. He's recruited to be the new quarterback on the football team and once he arrives he meets some of his new dorm buddies. His roommate is Chris Reece (Chris O'Donnell) and the person he is replacing at quarterback is Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon) who likes to tell people that he is going steady with the beautiful Sally Wheeler (Amy Locane). David does well in his studies and becomes a star on the team and gets along with everyone but once he meets Sally sparks fly.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Both David and Sally like each other instantly and soon Charlie discovers what is going on and becomes furious. Charlie looks at David as the person who took not only his position on the team but also the guy who took his girl. Then he overhears from a former alumni that David is Jewish and he uses this to try and get even. David now has to hear ugly racist jokes and find Nazi slogans tacked up in his room but he also loses Sally who could never date a Jew. While taking a final in one of his classes he notices Charlie cheating and later the teacher finds the cheat notes on the floor and he tells the students that they must find the culprit themselves or they all flunk. David tells Charlie to tell the truth but he uses this to tell everyone that it was in fact David who cheated.

This film is directed by Robert Mandel and the screenplay is written by Dick Wolf who bases this story on his own exploits as a young man in prep school. We have all seen films dealing with racism before and while this doesn't have anything to say that you haven't heard before it does do a splendid job of pointing out how racism can exist even when it's meant as a harmless joke or gesture. But things do get ugly in this film after David's true identity is revealed and here he learns that some of the people he thought were friends are really just bigots. Another good thing that this film brings to a familiar story is a cast of young actors that breath freshness into their roles. Fraser is particularly good in the lead role and while he has been blasted by some for some of the films he has made he does pop up in a good role every so often and this was his first really impressive performance. Damon also gives a good performance and his character really becomes a disgusting jerk later in the film but this also marks the first film that Damon and Ben Affleck appear in together. This is a well made film with a poignant script that in it's own low key manner is quite effective in what it wants to say and the performances by these young and talented actors are all impressive.

More thoughtful than preachy.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 8/10 · 26 October 2009]

What is it about Jews that so many people hate them? From as far back as the Old Testament, to the weekly ramblings of Pat Buchanan and the fanatical Iranian president, Jews just can't seem to catch a break. What is it they've done that's so bad? They murdered Jesus, did they? And the Romans had nothing to do with that?

Anyway, this is a better film than I expected. Not only does it give us an interesting protagonist, but it allows us to feel like the outsider he is when he arrives at the elite prep school. Regardless of their religion, few people ever get a chance to attend such a ritzy school. Brendan Fraser plays David Green, a working-class Jewish kid who gets a football scholarship to St. Matthews for his senior year. The school is filled with smart and athletic young men destined for Ivy League schools and eventual seats at the head table of our society. The other boys David quickly befriends are played by a who's who of young acting talent just before they became huge stars. Chris O'Donnell, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck are all on display. Matt Damon's Charlie Dillion character is a real jerk. All the guys crack little Jewish jokes here and there, but once Damon learns the new kid's secret. He cranks the Anti-semitism level to really ugly levels.

Luckily for these guys, David Green knows that he has a great chance of getting into Harvard if he just ignores their jokes as long as they don't find out he's a Jew. Green is a tough kid who's had to fight for everything he has, and he could easily beat the snot out of any of them. Once the secret is out, the boys he thought were his new friends suddenly become either indifferent to him, or his enemies. The new girlfriend from a nearby school who adored him also turns her back once she learns his religion. The film could have stopped there and just been a pro-tolerance kind of exercise, but luckily there are other things going on. One of the boys is caught cheating, but the faculty doesn't know who. Unless the boy comes forward, the entire history class will be flunked for breaking the honor code. Green becomes a suspect because he initially hid his religious identity. Will he to take a fall for the guy who cheated?? The film is thoughtful and has interesting characters where it could have just given us closed-minded bigots. Even though we know these guys are ant-Semites, we at least see them as real people with complex problems and motivations of their own. The film boasts some beautiful and realistic locations in most scenes. There are some subplots not fully motivated or fleshed out. What exactly happens to the boy who bolts from his French exam? What became of him after his nervous breakdown? And why did this film feel the need to recylce a gag from the movie Real Genius about putting an intellectual's car inside his dorm room?? Still a very good movie that might make you think twice about cracking ethnic jokes around people you don't know that well. 8 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

A touching reference to racial segregation in 1950's America

[camrik505 · 8/10 · 31 May 2006]

A brilliant 'coming-of-age' style film, in the tradition of "Dead Poet's Society". Starring a bevy of familiar faces during their up-and-coming phase: Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, Cole Hauser and Amy Locane, this brilliant flick explores the challenges of a young, Jewish hopeful, David Greene (Fraser) who hides his religion from a group of bigots upon entering a prestigious preparatory school. Unaware of his identity, the students welcome him into the fold, until a prejudiced student (Damon) discloses his identity after discovering a romantic friendship developing between his own girlfriend (Amy Locane) and Greene. When one of the students cheats on his final exam - and Greene is accused - the class is requested to deliberate on a verdict, forcing them to choose between their own personal prejudices and the struggle to be impartial. Brilliantly acted and directed. Add this one to your collection!

"Is it worth breaking tradition"?

[Shapster11 · 6 August 2003]

It's a line the headmaster of the school asks the star quarterback David Greene when he catches him praying at church after curfew but praying in observance of the Jewish new year. Greene's reply to the Headmaster of this Christian Prep Academy is..."mine or yours". This is the essence of the storyline. A Christian Prep Academy in New England is tired of mediocrity in football and losing to their arch rival so they compromise their admission standards by recruiting a brilliant student athlete from Pa. The problem isn't that David Greene doesn't measure up academically, it is that he is Jewish.

Soon after coming to school Greene realizes his classmates disdain and ridicule for Jews. They scorn them and make stereotype remarks that bother Greene but he is determined to fit in. Eventually his classmates and friends discover his secret and this is as far as I go. See the movie and see how David and his friends handle the situation.

Fine performances are put in by Brendan Fraser, as David Greene. You'll be astonished at the youthful talent in the movie as really good performances are put in by Matt Damon, his real life buddy Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donnell, and all the others. I really enjoyed the story, the time setting, and the substance of the message.

Top notch story about antisemitism with great performances by then very young actors who made it big

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 12 January 2015]

I think this film, in regards to antisemitism, is second only to Gregory Peck's "Gentleman's Agreement". The setting is very different here -- a prep school, but the message is similar.

Aside from the topic itself, the cast is interesting to watch -- Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck -- all very, very early in their film careers.

The story is rather simple -- a very WASPish prep school with a losing football team, but a demanding alumni group with deep pockets, recruits a gifted high school quarterback (Fraser). There's just one problem -- he's Jewish, but that can be kept a secret. After he steals the spotlight and the girl from the former primary quarterback (Damon), the secret does what most secrets do -- it slips out. And suddenly the star quarterback who was just one of the guys now isn't one of the guys at all. Then there's a cheating scandal, and it's all dumped on the Jewish guy...after all, cheating is the kind of things that "dirty Jews" do. Right? But, as you might expect, it's Damon who maneuvers the situation. And how will it all end? The (then) young actors do amazing jobs here, although Affleck has one of the smaller roles. Fraser and Damon are terrific, as is the girl friend -- Amy Locane.

The one criticism I have is of the scene where in about 30 minutes they dismantle are car and reassemble it in an "evil" house father's room. No, just not possible...at least in that amount of time.

But aside from that frivolity, if you like serious movies, this is a very good one!

1 in 10,000

[mylucylumpkins · 7/10 · 29 May 2014]

One in ten thousand films concerning discrimination against Jewish people that did not end tragically. Unfortunately it is also about one in ten thousand films of the sort that is not based directly on actual events. The question then becomes is it better to have an unlikely story that ends happily or a truthful one that ends tragically, it is up to the individual viewer to decide. Personally I love a great victory story, the oppressed gaining ground over the regime which oppresses it, no matter how unlikely. It presents a sobering message cloaked in the guise a coming of age story filled with the up and coming actors of the time, making it all the more accessible to various audiences and thereby spreading the message of equality further than other related films due to the seriousness of the subject matter. There were plenty of great zingers and the spot on acting of the main cast makes many scenes of the film memorable.

where is the connection?

[gufi-04429 · 6/10 · 23 May 2019]

Okay, I admit, I chose this movie only because I wanted to watch something like Dead Poets Society again. Well, it wasn't anything like that but not in the bad way. I enjoyed the originality of the plot and I liked that the movie is focused on discrimination based on racism. Also the acting game was good. But although many things in this movie were great, some were not. The biggest minus for me was the lack of connection between the beginning and the end of the movie. Let me explain what I mean. After the first hour of the film (where mostly we see how the main character David makes friends and even has a relationship with a girl) his secret is revealed (he is a jew!). So in the next hour we see the racism and the injustice directed towards him. Finally, justice triumphs and everyone gets what they deserved. But the main character is left alone. We do not see what happens to the relationship between his roomate (who was one of the few people that stood up for him) and we don't see how the other students that were his friends initially react (How did Sally react to the news that Charlie is expelled?). A lot of things that we saw in the first part of the movie remain unfinished in the end. My point is, why would we, the viewers, want to watch the first hour of the movie if we don't see what happens with all the information we had (because of that first part) in the end?! For me, what I explained just now affected the movie's potential to be something really great and outstanding. It's not bad but it could have been much better.

Brendan Fraser is an incredibly underrated actor...

[mbellas · 10/10 · 27 January 1999]

The performance of Mr. Fraser is incredible he plays his role with a passion and precision I have seldom seen in other actors short of the Jack Nicholson's and Robert De Nero's of the world. It is a story of teenage troubles with "fitting in" and the search for identity mixed with the horrors of prejudice. The film does not get bogged down in useless scenes and dialog to dive home its point. It is an "issue" movie that is subtle enough that you may not even realize it was an "issue" movie until after it is over. The story line never slows down there is always something going on that is both attention grabbing and pertinent to the plots development. Without the use of blatant sex and violence this film showcases the talent of three rising young stars (Chris O'Donnell and Matt Damon also star) as actors, not the big box office stars or teen heartthrobs, that they all went on to become. This is a well written, beautifully directed and phenomenally acted film that anyone can enjoy and relate too.

Incredible, but basic

[joshconradson · 7/10 · 13 October 2015]

This movie has its comical points like how in the beginning David, played by Brendan Fraser, makes a crack about a bikers sister. However the film takes too much time to get to the main problem and it seemed as though the director had to wrap it up really quick due to the extensive amount of time spent opening the story and building up the friendship of the main characters. Then at the end many people hate the character of Rip for not speaking up to defend David at the student hearing despite having seen Charles, played by Matt Damon, cheat and laying the blame on David. But despite these issues I still enjoyed the film and plot as a whole but the ending could have easily been done better.

I've Been There

[juniortragedy-2 · 9/10 · 9 September 2000]

I am a huge fan of Fraser, and I own most of his movies. I have always enjoyed School Ties, although I never really appreciated it until I spent my first week in college. Feeling completely different and alone, I put the video in my TV/VCR combo and hermitted for two hours. I may not of faced the harshness that Greene felt, and I was not the victim of some anti-ethnic group, but I was pressured into doing a lot of stuff that I didn't feel comfortable doing, just like Fraser's character. They way he handled it made me realize that I shouldn't give in to anyone....I love you Brendan, you are my hero. Even if it was just a role.

Concealed Identity

[sol- · 6/10 · 23 July 2016]

Given a scholarship to an exclusive protestant boarding school in desperate need of a star quarterback, a Jewish athlete is instructed to conceal his religion with grave consequences in this drama set during the 1950s. Brendan Fraser provides an earnest turn as the internally conflicted young man in question, however, the movie takes an inordinate amount of time to warm up. The main dynamic driving the film, after all, is how all of Fraser's peers react after inevitably finding out the truth, and yet this does not occur until around halfway in with little else driving the plot. A fascinating subplot involves Zeljko Ivanek as a pedantic French teacher who causes one of Fraser's peers to have a mental breakdown. There are also some memorable dialogue exchanges as the students discuss the pressures and expectations placed upon them. Additionally, there is a curious dynamic at play with the school "using" Fraser for football and Fraser in turn using the school as a platform for college. That said, the vast majority of the film revolves around anti-Semitism, which is unfortunately never quite as interesting as kids cracking under pressure or a school manipulating its students. The anti-Semitism angles is not totally uninteresting though, especially as the boys discuss how few Jews they have actually known and come to realise that a lot of the stereotypes they have come to know might just be stereotypes, but the film could have easily been about so much more. Fraser is really good in any case, and same goes for Matt Damon as the student who most aggressively antagonises him.

I loved This Movie

[michaelbchadwick · 9/10 · 13 September 2013]

It was well written, inspiring, revealing, and a reminder that we are still in 2013 only 60 years away from a time of great hatred and prejudice in America. Generations of bigotry are still yet to be undone. We need to create dialog and not make assumptions about any segment of society or pass judgement simply because they are different.

The film begins painting a picture, setting the stage, identifying the key players, there was inciting action, and the pacing was excellent. Moment by moment I was gently lead from one scene to the next, often with great suspense. In the end my own prejudices were re-examined and I began to think not just about anti antisemitism, but other forms of hate speech and discriminatory language that I might not even be aware of.

I also feel that the writers accurately portrayed their point of view with sensitivity and shared a beautiful story with the world . I'd highly recommend.

Really got to me.

[quineaar · 7/10 · 12 October 2015]

In the drama, School Ties a young Jewish man is faced with concealing his religious identity in order to "fit in" at the extremely expensive private school that he has been awarded a football scholarship to. I enjoyed the first half of the movie, it was filled with laughs and good fun with all the boys at the school. Things were looking up for the young man but it all went south as soon as his classmates discovered who he really was. The fact that somebody could befriend someone and then totally betray them just because of their religion disgusts me, there were some scenes in the film that really got to me and made me quite upset. Although it does show people how real anti Semitism is in our world. In the society we live in people are raised to be an anti Semitist even if they are not meant to be. All in all I would have to say the film was alright but I think they could of used more explanation as to what happens at the end.

A Jew in the Campus Closet...dramatically, the moment his secret's revealed is all we have to wait for

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 16 September 2011]

"School Ties", written by Dick Wolf and Darryl Ponicsan from Wolf's story, seems as if it must be a remake of something (possibly with Sal Mineo or James MacArthur in the lead). Athletic, handsome young man in the mid-1950s, the son of a blue-collar railroad worker in Pennsylvania, receives a scholarship to play football at prestigious boys' prep school in Boston. He's Jewish but keeps his religion under-wraps, and for good reason: the other lads swap anti-Semitic gossip in the locker room (right before the Senior Mixer!) and another boy confidentially tells our hero that one must go along with the curriculum if he wants to succeed. This is the kind of movie that might have been extended from a short; the first hour's set-up is practically irrelevant. The screenwriters lazily stack the deck against Brendan Fraser's well-meaning protagonist, even giving prejudiced-pal Matt Damon a reason to expose the Jew: he stole his girl! The '50s atmosphere is laid on thickly, what with an opening rumble between the ducktails and the bikers in an alley; we aren't even spared the proverbial prank on the snooty French teacher (who caused a student to have the same classroom breakdown that Natalie Wood suffered in "Splendor in the Grass"). It's a ridiculous picture, only notable now for the array of young talent in the cast. ** from ****

How can we miss the import of casual "joking"?

[AEEd · 12 January 2003]

I've read the first 30 comments about this movie. Not once did anyone comment on the reasons why Greene (Fraser) never mentioned his religion -- the casual "joking" and "common knowledge" comments heard in the bathroom. Is it any less a matter of prejudice to use the phrase "I jewed him down" than it would be to use the term "kike"? Is telling a derogatory joke about homosexuals any more offensive than calling us "fag"? This is the only movie I can think of right off-hand other than "The Laramie Project" that makes the point that casual speech can be used as a form of maintaining prejudice. For this reason alone, "School Ties" is an important film. As a survivor of a 1964 prep school much like the one in the movie, I can tell you that the scenes and attitudes are accurately presented. I found the characters to be a little one-sided, yes. It's rare to meet any person who is as totally focused and determined as the Greene presented here. Nor is any prejudiced person or group normally so totally open in expression as the "good old boys" we see in this production. But, that's the most impressive way to show the public just how bad it is to be bigoted or to be the target of bigotry. For the production and acting values I'd give this film 6 on a scale of 10. For the "pre-star" status performances of Fraser, O'Donell, Damon, and, yes, even Affleck, I'd give it a 7.5 on a scale of 10. For the message I'd give it 9.5 on that same scale. "School Ties" is a movie that can be enjoyed by anyone who sees it. For "star followers", it has a cool four New Idols in "pre-star" roles to add to their tape collections. For the activists in the world it is a stark and dramatic example of how prevalent unrecognised bigotry is in our society.

"You used me for football, now I'm going to use you to get into Harvard"

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 14 June 2023]

I really liked this one.

There's something romanticized about prep schools in coming-of-age movies, despite their being breeding grounds for insular elitism. Reminds me of "Dead Poets Society"; I wouldn't last a day in these places, but their settings make for memorable movies. In the case of "School Ties", it's anti-Semitism when Brendan Fraser, the star quarterback, is outed and summarily scorned. The irony here is he's the most honorable student in an institution that won't shut up about integrity.

It's a well-written film and features an all-star cast of future stars (capably fronted by Fraser) and it didn't take long to pull me in and keep me invested for the duration. Things become grim in the third act, and with this time period and subject matter, you just know a swastika is going to turn up eventually; it does and it still stings.

The movie seems to telegraph the resolution (and it really got under my skin) but the end pleasantly surprised me. Yeah, it's Hollywood, but it's a quality movie with a compelling story and great performances. Well worth your time.

In the 50s being a Jew not so good ...

[mloessel · 6/10 · 30 November 2021]

'School Ties' takes the viewer on a trip back to the 50s to an elite Ivy League Prep School where the students are getting academically ready for the next level of learning (i.e., Harvard or Princeton). The movie focuses on David Green a Jewish student who is given a football scholarship (quaterback) to St Matthews Prep School in Massachusetts. When he first arrives he's immediately liked by all the guys and catches the eye of a pretty girl named Sally (aka Amy Locane). He becomes a hero of students and parents alike when he helps win a football game vs the school's rival. Mid way through the movie everything changes when one of his classmates (played by Matt Damon) learns that David is Jewish. This is the 50s and Jewish and protestants don't mix. Protestants consider Jews dirty and are not shy about saying it. The movie shifts to a lower gear when David observes Damon's character cheating during a history test.

In the end David's Jewish faith is accepted and he'll complete his senior year knowing admission to an Ivy league school awaits him.

Well Conceived

[jace_the_film_guy · 6/10 · 9 July 2021]

The premise and story were well conceived. The ending left me a little surprised with Greene still being ostracized by the majority of his class and not reconciling with Sally. In the end, Greene's response to Dillon (as well as the headmaster) seemed petty. I would have liked to see him take the high road with a final comment of "And I'm proud of it!" It just seems that the concept of Jews being inferior was never fully overcome. Honestly, still enjoyed the film, the cast, the score and the overall feel of the film.

Jewish middle-class boy gets into elite-highschool, and gets into trouble when he hides the fact that he's jewish.

[flickaddict · 9/10 · 7 August 1999]

Great drama with even greater performances from the relatively young and unknown cast. Especially Brendan Fraser's acting is really intense. One of his first roles, and in my opinion his best. He was not yet as famous as he is now ( after, for example, a film as 'the Mummy' ), but I think that his acting never had the intensity and credibility of that part.(In fact, I was shocked when I discovered that it was in fact Fraser in the horrible " George of the jungle' ! How could a fine actor like him accept such a terrible role ? ) Also Matt Damon (also an unknown actor at that time )and the other young actors are great. A terrific, subtle drama !

9 out of 10 !

"Pretty Good Drama!"

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 2 October 2015]

Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Chris O'Donnell and Amy Locane star in this 1992 drama. This takes place in the 1950's and Fraser (The Mummy) plays David, a young man who gets into a religious Prep School, St. Matthews on a football scholarship. He tries keeping his Jewish religion a secret when he befriends and blends in with his classmates. Soon, he's unable to when they learn his secret. Dillon (The Bourne Identity) plays Charlie, David's new pal who eventually exposes his secret, O'Donnell (Batman Forever) plays David's roommate, Chris and Locane (Airheads) plays Sally, a girl David finds romance with. Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, Anthony Rapp and Randall Batinkoff also appear. This is a pretty good film with a good cast and Maurice Jarre's score is great as usual. I recommend this.

The Tie that Binds- School Ties ****

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 2 February 2007]

Anti-semitism was alive and functioning quite well in America in the 1950s.

Our film takes place in 1955. At the local Roxie Theater, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, "Rebel Without A Cause" is playing. What an appropriate title. In this film, our "rebel," Brendan Fraser, does have a cause.

At first, I laughed. Brendan Fraser playing a young Jewish guy. The laugh is on me. He comes across in a wonderful performance as a typical American young man who happens to be Jewish.

Scouted by an elite Catholic prep school, Fraser takes the challenge by transferring to the Boston school. It is here that we see that anti-semitism is rampant among the supposed elite of the young students attending there. The Jewish people are stereotyped in the usual ways that we have been denounced through the ages. It must be said that Christian people are negatively stereotyped here as well.

Warned by the scout to keep it quiet that he is Jewish, Fraser seems to assimilate among the other students. His winning ways at a football game get him endeared with the rest of the guys.

In fact, he falls for the girl that fellow student Matt Damon likes. Naturally, via a slip it comes out that Fraser is Jewish and he is subjected to the worst torments by the rest of the students. His girlfriend, in addition, now rejects him because her grandmother would turn over in her grave if she ever

she heard that she was dating a Jewish boy.

Here is a school that prides itself on its honor codes. They know full well what is going on. Talk of honor at this bastion of bigotry? This is hypocrisy at its worst.

The film also deals with pressures of student life-getting good grades so as to get into the Ivy League Schools.

As I'm not one of the most optimistic people, for me, the picture ended well. Green (Fraser) tells the headmaster off. "You used me to improve the football team and I will use you to get into Harvard."

He walks off the campus a determined but yet a bitter young man. Great to see a film end like this rather than we all sat down and lived happily ever after. I might be sounding bitter but the theme here is not exactly "Mary Poppins." I liked this film so much because it depicts that upper class Americans went to church and then practiced hatred for the rest of the week. May I also state that Matt Damon is terrific in a supporting role as a bigot. He conveys the twisted and tormented hate that is so anti-American as well as anti-human. It's sad that the Oscar-winning film "Gentleman's Agreement" conveyed this in 1947. The unrelenting hatred goes on and on.

love one scene most

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 14 March 2016]

David Green (Brendan Fraser) is a star quarterback from working class Scranton, Pennsylvania in the 50's. He's Jewish and gets into fights for that. He gets a scholarship to an exclusive prep school for the senior year aiming to get into Harvard. His coach suggests keeping his Jewish heritage a secret. He is befriended by nice roommate Chris Reece (Chris O'Donnell), Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon) who wants to be the quarterback, Jack Connors (Cole Hauser) and others. After winning a big game, he falls for Sally Wheeler (Amy Locane) whom Dillon also likes. Dillon is embarrassed on the field. He discovers Green's Jewish heritage and unleashes anti-semantic feelings among the students.

Something bugged me throughout this movie. They're supposed to be high school seniors but everybody looks like they're twentysomethings. It's standard Hollywood operating procedure and I won't nick it too much. It's very earnest in its portrayal of racism. O'Donnell is the one who has to play the middle. It's all very standard but then there is a great "Twelve Angry Men" section. I really like that scene. It allows the characters to have deep interactions. It's a great scene and makes this standard movie something better.

Film has major elements of accuracy

[bkd9999 · 9/10 · 5 January 2005]

I grew up in a New England town with a very famous private school, a feeder for Harvard. My mother tried (pre- Civil Rights Act of 1966) enrolling me in this school. The admisssions committee told her "the Jewish quota is filled" and turned her down. The "quota" was a quota of one. It was filled by my best friend, who literally became the token Jew at this private prep school. He went to Harvard, and was by far the smartest boy in his graduating class.

The prejudice displayed in this film is watered down compared to what was happening in real life, and which still happen. The script is not "lame". It reflects the reality as it existed, and still exists in some quarters of the U.S. today against Jews, having witnessed this both as a child, and as an adult.

Review of reviews

[mtloans · 6/10 · 25 February 2016]

I was at (3) elite Prep Schools at the same time: 1958 -1965 beginning in 7th grade. There were Jewish kids at the schools and a few black kids. I don't buy all the discrimination whatsoever - there wasn't any.

Funny, at one school I went to we recruited an ethnic Catholic kid and we were a Protestant School. That kid eventually played in the NFL. No problems at all.

Another school I went to was the best football team in the state and the stars were mostly Jewish and no one thought anything of it.

So, be careful when you watch what B.S. lines Hollywood wants to feed you. They mostly voted for Obama who has shown himself as a total racist 100% of the time after promising "healing". What a liar.

great drama with so many great actors making there debuts.

[LittleRascal-15 · 13 January 2000]

I see this movie every once and a while on USA or TNT, I never watch all of it, but a few days ago I finally did and it was absolutely wonderful. It makes you wanna watch it again. Though some parts were slightly disturbing, the movie was still excellent. "School Ties" is set in the late 50s early 60s i do believe and a jewish kid goes to a basic prep school, all white, all Christian. He is a successful football player and makes many friends and is quite popular. But has to keep his religion in secret in fear of mockery and torment of his fellow classmates. Starring this wonderful cast, Brendan Fraser in his first major role, Matt Damon & Ben Affleck back when they were young and innocent. Before they had Oscar nominations starring in low-budget dramas. This movie is excellent, I give "School Ties" 10/10!