“Private School”

By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
March 5, 2007

Take Animal House, throw in a dose of television’s Bosom Buddies and you get the Phoebe Cates/Matthew Modine sex farce Private School.  The 1983 film was shot one year after Cates won fame in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (thanks primarily to her little red bikini), and two years before Modine won rave reviews for his work in Vision Quest.

While neither star gives a stellar performance in Private School, both are appealing and likeable, even with the ridiculous premise. Chris (Cates) attends an all-girls private school, while horndog Jim (Modine) matriculates at the nearby all-boys school. In order to get close to her, Jim and his friend dress up like girls and befriend Chris and her hot posse.

When Chris’ sexy rival Jordan (Betsy Russell) tries to woo Jim away by riding a horse, Lady Godiva style, the stage is set for a catfight.  Throw in a guest appearance by Sylvia Kristel of Emmanuelle fame and double entendres abound.

The soundtrack is full of songs by ’80s staples such as Rick Springfield, Vanity Six, and Bow Wow Wow, whose “I Want Candy” is played throughout a peeping shower scene.  Though cheesy and intended for teenage boys, the film has an almost innocent charm compared to some of the current fare in theaters.