ⓘ Details

Movie TitleBack to School

Release DateJune 13, 1986

TaglineHe enrolled in college for the pursuit of finer things... like co-eds, shapely professors, fun and rock and roll.

Runtime96 minutes

DirectorAlan Metter

Screenplay Written BySteven Kampmann, Will Porter, Peter Torokvei, Harold Ramis, Rodney Dangerfield, Greg Fields & Dennis Snee

Based OnOriginal screenplay

Is It a Remake?No. Back to School is an original campus comedy.

BudgetApproximately $11 million

Box OfficeApprox. $91.3 million domestic / worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Rodney DangerfieldThornton Melon

Sally KellermanDr. Diane Turner

Burt YoungLou

Keith GordonJason Melon

Robert Downey Jr.Derek Lutz

Paxton WhiteheadDr. Phillip Barbay

Terry FarrellValerie Desmond

William ZabkaChas Osborne

Ned BeattyDean David Martin

Sam KinisonProfessor Terguson

Adrienne BarbeauVanessa

M. Emmet WalshCoach Turnbull

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🏆 Awards

⭐ American Comedy Awards Nominee — Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture, Rodney Dangerfield

⭐ MTV Video Music Awards Nominee — Best Video from a Film, “Twist and Shout”

⭐ IMDb lists the film with 1 win and 2 nominations total.

⭐ No Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, or Saturn Award nominations were verified for the film.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Thornton Melon, a wealthy but uneducated businessman, enrolls at Grand Lakes University after learning that his son Jason is miserable and thinking about dropping out. Thornton’s money, parties, and big personality make him an instant campus celebrity, but his shortcut approach to college creates chaos for Jason, the faculty, and Thornton himself. To earn his son’s respect, Thornton must prove he can do more than buy his way through school.

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❝ Key Quotes

“I got no class.” — Thornton Melon

“Call me sometime when you have no class.” — Thornton Melon

“You’re perfect.” — Thornton Melon

“It means you’re ready for the final exam.” — Dr. Diane Turner

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💡 Trivia

Director

Back to School was directed by Alan Metter.
Metter had previously directed Rodney Dangerfield’s music-video project Rappin’ Rodney.
The screenplay has a large credited writing team, including Harold Ramis and Rodney Dangerfield.
The movie’s structure is built around Dangerfield’s persona, giving him room for rapid-fire one-liners inside a campus comedy plot.

Cast / Casting

Rodney Dangerfield stars as Thornton Melon, a self-made millionaire who enrolls in college to support his son.
Keith Gordon plays Jason Melon, Thornton’s son, whose college struggles pull Thornton back into school life.
Robert Downey Jr. appears in an early role as Jason’s offbeat friend Derek Lutz.
Sam Kinison plays the explosive Professor Terguson, giving the film one of its loudest classroom scenes.
Kurt Vonnegut appears as himself in a memorable cameo tied to Thornton’s literature assignment.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Danny Elfman.
Oingo Boingo appears in the film performing “Dead Man’s Party.”
The soundtrack includes Rodney Dangerfield’s version of “Twist and Shout.”
IMDb’s soundtrack listing credits Danny Elfman as writer, producer, and performer on “Dead Man’s Party,” with Steve Bartek also producing.

Location

The fictional school in the film is Grand Lakes University.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison was used as a backdrop for the movie’s college setting.
The diving scenes were filmed at the Industry Hills Aquatic Club in the City of Industry, California.
The campus setting lets the film mix frat parties, lectures, sports, romance, and academic fraud into one big Rodney Dangerfield playground.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was released by Orion Pictures on June 13, 1986.
Its reported budget was approximately $11 million.
The Numbers lists the domestic box office at approximately $91.3 million, making it a major comedy hit of 1986.
Before the end credits, the movie includes the dedication “For ESTELLE Thanks For So Much,” honoring Dangerfield’s longtime manager Estelle Endler.

Nostalgia

Back to School is one of Rodney Dangerfield’s signature starring vehicles.
The “Triple Lindy” diving sequence became one of the film’s most memorable set pieces.
For 1980s comedy fans, the movie is remembered for mixing Dangerfield’s stand-up rhythm with college-movie excess.
Robert Downey Jr.’s early supporting role adds extra rewatch value for viewers revisiting the movie decades later.

Easter Eggs

Kurt Vonnegut’s cameo pays off Thornton’s attempt to outsource his own paper on Vonnegut.
The Oingo Boingo party performance doubles as both soundtrack promotion and peak 1980s campus chaos.
The Grand Lakes University setting lets the movie parody college traditions from literature assignments to diving competitions.
The title works as both a literal plot description and a joke about Thornton never really having completed school in the first place.

Misc.

Back to School is rated PG-13 and runs 96 minutes.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus says the film gives Rodney Dangerfield plenty of room to riff while supporting him with enough story between punchlines.
The film was one of the highest-grossing domestic releases of 1986.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 251, with Don rating it 2.75, Ken rating it 2.50, Jon rating it 2.50, and an overall rating of 2.58.

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