Making the Grade

"If you can't make it...fake it!"

1984 1h 45m EN

😐

5.1

MID

★5.1TMDB · 29

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Lazy preppie Palmer Woodrow hires street-smart Eddie Keaton to go to school for him while he lives it up in Europe. Eddie falls in love with preppie gal Tracey, upsetting Biff, the Hoover Academy bully. When his bookie from the old neighborhood, Dice, comes to collect on Eddie's gambling debts and Palmer returns early from Europe, the scheme slowly starts to unravel. Soon, Eddie can't even tell whose side he's really on.

“If you can't make it...fake it!”

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Cast

Judd Nelson
Eddie Keaton
Dana Olsen
Palmer Woodrow
Jonna Lee
Tracey Hoover
Gordon Jump
Mr. Harriman
Walter Olkewicz
Coach Wordman
Ronald Lacey
Nicky
Dan Schneider
Blimp
Andrew Dice Clay
Dice

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dorian Walker
Writers: Gene Quintano, Charles Gale
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Basil Poledouris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daniel Wetherbee shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Judd Nelson and Dana Olsen and Jonna Lee carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "If you can't make it...fake it!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087666 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 29 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dorian Walker directs. Basil Poledouris scores. Daniel Wetherbee cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Original score by Basil Poledouris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Daniel Wetherbee shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Judd Nelson and Dana Olsen and Jonna Lee carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "If you can't make it...fake it!".
7IMDB entry: tt0087666 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 29 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.