Such a frustrating disappointment

Charming and brutal

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Blistering performances.

Within 5 minutes of this teenage romp we see a shaggy hair blonde kid scribbling in his notebook under the bedroom lamp, dream sequences about Porn-actresses being photographed by sleazy men and the same young man and his friend smoking a joint at their lockers while subsequently ogling half naked girls through a door vent. When a movie starts out this cheesy you are immediately forewarned of what you are getting into or what one might think they hope to donate their precious time to, a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, Homework doesn't get any better. Joan Collins, as the tigress who allures young Michael, ends up looking shoddy and lascivious instead of the wise seductress she is meant to be. This movie is filled with 3rd rate acting and the directing is what one would expect from a novice High School student directing his first movie. The film looks so bad that you could easily mistake this for 16mm or even 8mm. Usually I can laugh and enjoy these old teen movies for the freak value and nostalgic curios they offer. But not this one. Oddly enough, the movie ends on a strangely sad note with the two male friends walking down Hollywood Boulevard whereupon they strike up a conversation about the possibility of making it in motion pictures. The credits roll and this moody ballad about trying to be a star ends this horrible picture. Are we supposed to feel morose? Happy? Inspired? More like ripped off.

first, a few warnings: 1 - do not go into this film looking for Joan Collins' sex amazingness. frankly, what year is this and why am i watching movies with Joan Collins' middle aged hoping for steamy steamy? 2 - who cares when this movie was released. it is sincerely a product of its time (1979) and just because it couldn't find a distributor until 1982 is more the fault of the people dumb enough not to green light this sucker into theatres. 3 - prepare to be blown away if cultural artifacts that nail their subject matter are at all yr thing.okay. let's be honest. we're watching a teen movie from the late seventies hoping that it'll be good. and my god, it is great.judging by the cover and the things i had heard about this film i was expecting sort of a lower rent My Tutor (an amazing film released by one of the all time greats, Crown Internation) but instead what I got was a lovely, less pat and trite, smarter, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That film was more showy and less involved with the concerns of young people growing up and trying to find their place in the world while dealing with all the perfect teen concerns: VD, Sex, Fame, Love, Sex, Ambition, Sex, and hangin' out. But it is all done with a subtle hand that never blatantly exploits any of the feelings of its characters. Although it does exploit sexual fantasies par excellance but who can honestly complain about nudity? I mean, the rock star fantasy had with girls undressing the lead singer of the super rock star high school group? If I went to a show like that they would automatically be my new favourite band.It captures the era in LA absolutely marvelously. The kind prostitutes, the teenage dreams of fame that seem so easy to achieve, the sassy venereal disease clinic nurses, the feathered los angeles surfer hair, the aching for it bored suburban moms, and the theatres showing Ecstasy Girls(!!!). Homework is like no other film, book, or song (maybe not song, but oh they're so short aren't they?) in encapsulating a certain time, place, and feeling. If you're up for some escapism, into a simpler more gentle time, then check this'n out.Also, the outdated sexual awareness 16mm that they show in class is easily worth the price of admission. Who knew that slang for gonorrhea comprises of such terms as "Gleen" and "Old Joe" as well as many other bits of insanity that I'm sad I've never had in my vocabulary.In case my excitement over this movie wasn't apparent enough, consider it so. God love this film and can someone please tell me why James Beshears never made another film? Sheesh. Must have been those wretched eighties. Haha.

This movie was billed as the next best thing to "Private Lessons". The movie was marketed on the misperceived sex goddess status of Joan Collins. She never goes Mary Kay LeTourneau. All you get to see is a really weak teen soap opera. My sister, her fiancé,and I went to this movie and left it with the same reaction we had to Porkies; a triumph of marketing for not a lot of movie. Joan Collins does some flashbacks of her youth and then she was an active participant in romance; it was a low level rip off of the Graduate. The teen band sequence was a bad version of the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland OK kids, let's put on a show. The end was not even very climactic; the two male leads walking out of a movie theater and talking of trying to make a movie just like when they started a band.

It wasn't perfect, and that's why it's so cool. Lots of emotion, and you can tell it's from a true story. And catch Betty Thomas! I saw it on Showtime a long time ago but I just rented it and it really brought back memories. Joan Collins' role is short but bitchin.