What makes it different from others?

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

This film in my opinion shows Rob Lowe for teenager fans. The rest lacks of script, hooks, actings, even the history is plain and uninspired. The nice guy travel to England to know the girl of his dreams and the British despised him (In Oxford) but he succeed. Also the British characters are boring, tedious, predictable. I don't want to spoil but it's only a film to remember the eighties and Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy (Maybe the strongest point). The rest can't be much more accomplished and has some real flaws... specially on the script aspect. The scenes of rowing towards the river and competitions are the best of this movie. Only for fundamentalists of Rob.

A condescending hustler is in love with a woman he's never met. He cons his way into enrolling at Oxford, to meet Lady Victoria. Because of his exceptional rowing skills, he joins the rowing team with one chance only. He is heartbroken to learn that Lady Victoria has a fiancé (Julian Sands) His arrogance gets him into trouble, but with the help of his friend Rona (Ally Sheedy) he may reach his potential after all. I suppose this was an OK movie, albeit, a tad on the mundane side at times. Your enjoyment of this film may depend on how much you can tolerate the 80's coming of age story formula and all the clichés that come along with it. I usually love the 80 clichés, but this one succumbs to tedium a little bit too often for my liking. This had a lot of potential to be a memorable coming of age film, the talent was certainly there. I did enjoy some of the intense training scenes from Rob Lowe, along with the hi-jinks that you would often see at this stage. I'm not really into rowing very much, it ranks as one of the dullest sports next to Curling. The rowing race at the end is very well done and I have to give it credit. Rob Lowe isn't very good in this movie. He comes across like a poor man's Tom Cruise without the charisma to pull off the likable arrogance. In fact, he's plain unlikable for most of the movie. His obtuse personality isn't very easy to get behind, and I didn't find much redeeming about him. Another problem is that you know where Lowe's character is heading. When his character shows maturity it is far too late to care. His romance storyline with both Sheedy & Amanda Pays is rushed and not given enough time to be as effective as it wants. I like Rob Lowe. He is very talented when he wants to be, but not in this one. Ally Sheedy's character is supposed to be vital, but it sure didn't feel that way. She comes across as somewhat awkward and unsure on how to portray the role. She's cute to look at, but the script doesn't give her much to work with. As a result, she comes off as slightly inconsequential. Julian Sands's character is a bit ambiguous. He's neither a good guy or a bad guy, falling in the middle. Carry Elwes has a small roll as well. Final Thoughts: I didn't hate it or even dislike it, it just isn't that good of a film. You can do better when it comes to coming of age films from the 80's. You won't regret watching it, but it isn't worth seeking out5.4/10

I really liked this movie when it was fresh. But that was 25 years ago. And when it popped up online I had to watch it. Despite the years I was surprised at the things I remembered from "No more second chances, no more second chances" to "I think you're being paged, Lionel".But that was 25 years ago. Now, the only redeeming value this movie has is a rather interesting perspective of Oxford. The plot premise is rather stupid: some kid from Las Vegas transfers to Oxford so he can date a Lady. He then acts like a complete bull in a china shop and for some reason manages to not so much win the heart of the Lady but at least get in her pants?? Bottomline, the characterizations are basically stereotypes, the plot is vapid, and he wins the race in the end. Oops! Spoiler!OK, now that is has been several months since I watched this again following a 25 year hiatus, I can't get the movie out of my mind. I keep thinking about it. It has the same spell it had 25 years ago. Weird.

This is one of the better "coming of age" movies I have seen. It's about an immature young man who makes up his mind to go to college at Oxford (long before he ever sees and falls for Amanda Pays) and then gets there. When he falls for Amanda's character and becomes a member of the Oxford rowing team, he learns a lot about integrity and honor and just being a man.I found this movie much more deeply thought provoking than just the simple surface comedy (BTW, I never thought it was a comedy) about a brash American in a foreign country. Lowe plays the character perfectly, as a street-wise, intelligent, middle class young man with a desire to improve his lot in life.His membership on the Oxford Rowing Team provides an interesting and realistic setting for him to learn about being part of a community and making a contribution to his team. His relationship with Amanda's character is a good platform for watching him learn about the difference between brazen boldness and real culture.Through a series of mishaps and missteps, he learns the value of character, integrity, and honor. His passage from adolescent immaturity to valued adult friend and teammate makes this an interesting movie from start to finish. This is a great character study.