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Heaven Help Us
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Directed by Michael Dinner
Charles Purpura scribed this semi-autobiographical tale about his experiences in a Brooklyn Catholic school of 1965 which suffers from the film's inability to decide whether it wants to be a sketch of the Catholic school experience or another version of Animal House. The film focuses on several Catholic school boys who get into ever increasing amounts of trouble with the presiding priests of the Catholic school, St. Basil's. Andrew McCarthy plays Michael Dunn, a newly arrived student who latches onto the class egghead Caesar (Malcolm Danare), who is constantly picked on by the class bully Rooney (Kevin Dillon). Rooney intimidates Michael and Caesar to become his erstwhile chums and, along with a few other quiet students, they receive corporal punishment for minor infractions, disrupting communion and confession and, ultimately, their antics inspire changes in the strict school hierarchy. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
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Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
lost interest.
Michael Dinner's Heaven Help Us looks like just another '80s high-school romp, but it actually has some deeper thoughts and feelings running through it. While the teenagers and clergy members are, for the most part, written as stereotypes, the talented cast helps smooth over the more obvious moments and hit home runs with the smartest sections of the script. Andrew McCarthy is appealing as the newcomer learning to negotiate his way through the school; John Heard embodies the teacher/guidance counselor/father figure anybody would want; and Malcom Danare and Yeardley Smith share a very funny moment of attraction as two nerdy high-school kids who discuss Freud's explanation of phallic symbols. These people balance out the more obvious characters -- the physically abusive Catholic school teacher (Jay Patterson in a menacing, but one-note performance), Kevin Dillon's wiseass student, the devout mother -- making for a pleasant viewing experience with more charm and warmth than one might expect. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
 

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