Sean’s movie thoughts

Back to School is a classic with Rodney Dangerfeild playing a rich man named Thornton Mellon, who goes back to college and reconnects with his son. It is his best movie. It is driven by a subplot about a professor who doesn’t think Thorton belongs in college and Thornton’s belief that the professor is naive. Life of the Party, which wisely does not use the classic song of the same name, is not as good as Back to School. (That is a sad song.) I could be biased, I really liked Rodney as a comedian and as an actor. I have seen the movie several times over the years, I could be overlooking its faults. Melissa McCarthy stars as a woman who goes back to college after a divorce. Her ex-husband seems in a rush to get married to another woman. McCarthy’s character  has some misadventures adjusting to life on campus, including dating a guy half her age and dealing with mean girls, but the plot isn’t as strong as Back to School. Also I feel like I know who Thornton Mellon was and I don’...

Melissa McCarthy’s Life of the Party movie was compared to the classic Back to School (both are about older people who go to college) and I started to think about Back to School. I think Back to School might really be a classic. I think there are three reasons Back to School holds up. One is Dangerfeild was never better in a lead role than he was as Thornton Mellon. He is really likeable in the role but there is some sadness in the role too. Another reason the movie holds up is there is a strong conflict between Thornton and one of his professors. Thornton bought his way into college and a business professor resents that. Thornton thinks the business professor is naive or too idealistic  and unwisely says so at times. This increases the conflict between the two. The relationship Thornton has with his son, Jason, is the third reason the movie holds up.  Thornton and Jason are a bit estranged at the start of the movie and their relationship develops over the movie. Back ...