CINEMA
‘Higher Learning1 fails to make the grade
Greg Hamilton
for rve rV'ffgrv'T 0i*.'> f
Ai (he age of 23, John S ^gieton startled
the world with his tyuta’ urban vs on (toys n
the Hood F hod wrtn vivd characters and a
powerful message Singleton six>vmd m n-s
directorial dobut. lor whch he received an
Oscar nomination, that youth >s a force to in
reckoned with
Unfortunately, youth is a so subject to de
aiistic behavior and questionable decisions
On the surface th>s may appear altruistic
but m the end it*s sometimes plagued with
structural problems and basic oversights
To make a tong story short Singleton's lat
est effort, Higher Learning, reflects this
youthful problem by trying to dig deep into
issues of socal conscience but tamng to get
past the surface for lack of a good shove
The spmt is w iling, but h r; toots are weak
(inter Columbus University, a thriving col
lege campus that reeks of diversity (sound
familiar7) and harbors the usual pack of
social and ethical struggles It >s the hub of
knowledge and ignorance a point that Sm
gieton brings down on the aude'u o wth tt<o
subtlety of a hydrogen bomb
This jackhammer mentality carries over to
the cast, a mishmash of 20-nothmgs who
bear social crosses of every shape and size,
who have no problem letting everyone know
about them
There's Malik (Omar Fpps, Juice) .in
African-American athlete who thinks h<s ath
letic prowess and his race should allow him
to gi.de through college with ease
There's Kristen (Kristy Swanson. Butty the
Vampire Slayer), who is raped at her firs: trat
party and subsequently flirts with lesbianism
And men there s Homy (Mark Rapoport
true Romance), an Idaho hayseed who's so
SOC'.i’ty inept (and Obv’Ou'Siy angry) that you
Know he'd w-n<j up on top o> a t». <1 ‘ -j with
a rrtie. which he does over .< he didn't Hook
up a !h a band o' ski- • *>ad w*- to sup'oryi
c>sts. wr»ch he also does
M • !-ese three a" ,i • ••• o' »*.i'e a’ ,!
gone supporting characters, stir m a tangle
of d©otog<es a-ong with a pi rich ol por a
correctness and you have the txow that
fuels Higher Learning
Higher Learning
Omar I pjn, he Cube, lawrtm
Fishbume, Kristy Swanson
Di rti tor:Jehu Si ngledm
fUttil R
★ ★
1.1
i! a
b'ew >! is
StnQfe
ion's
vision
blows
pasi r®*»
ly and
seeks IN*
wtxsl
l U3tf SUB
nano tor virtuu!!y everything Instead o*
dealing with the insidious and silent racism
that students expenenco on a daily basis.
Singleton injects extreme swastika-toting
SK.nheads -nto the pit ‘are thereby nvt ng
the (antijclffnatic (mate ot violence and over
the-too melodrama
Singleton's characters also suffer from th>s
oxtreme perspective Kristen and Hetny
experience violent personality changes that
occur before we even know w’xn they am
Swanson and FTapoport don't help things
much with the>r acting sk •» as both ;»•••■ •»
re wholly f
The only memorable roles in this picture
are turned m by two of the periphery , •mm,
ters Fudge White, played by the g;.e u*!y
cool ice Cube, is the six year supe' senior
sago who's got the white man an figured out
v ,i‘, .i ••«■■■ vx I '■ M.i - ijiv y !*>,»
jr«M. V i - -,Mf the uwdow*' on m\i
ng h>s bsc * tify m a wh-te man's world
’* SO m-'v fo help ed jcafe M.i '* pr ..>'**••
■"'r M.t ,• «• Ph 1 ■•;•-*, P ,ly»Ml i ‘V'.v'i rgly py
.lucence f *shbume Phipps >s a hard-ass
who doesn't take excuses and thinks even
ess of favoritism based on color Hts acad
,■ ,r.' •••. a " M.I t f."
ua'iy selves to make him a better student as
we» as teach him some soft-re! anco
Unfortunately. trie audair'ce doesn t ijot
much further than fo surface in these reta
onshtps be* ause they are just an example
>t the many subpiots that are ott hanging
and undoves >ped by Singleton Instead ot
aking these sma« gems and polishing them,
hey art* bur:(Hi wi|htn an overbearing pile of
s>m»!ar unpolished items Tin* -iimpie lac t is.
Higher Looming b>tes off <va/ more than it
a- Chevy attempting to address every last
not issue it c if' pawn ott on the audience
:'V do- -.} •* . M i * I 1 p-e rest >’ tf'e ••
porting cast end up as social billboards
■other than engaging characters
8 writing
i <d awkward if ! *■ ■■ • re .
. iiches and stereotypes to explain tnat
actions .mc1 motivations of a character Sup
posedty serious moments become tough
able, creating great gaps of credibility that
■ ghi eavo the viewer thi - g •• are
things gong to get reap*
rhe fVf.f ■ **o f y is. trvey won ! Its unfodn
■site bee a ..so this could have been- a power
lui film, much nko Boyz m the Hood was If
Singleton had focused more on the people
bong affected by social issues rather than
!'ymg to luggto everything at once Might*/
Learning might have made the grade As it
is. Smg eton needs to hit the books
****************
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