Starring:
Nick Cannon as Tracy ‘Tre’ Stokes
Roselyn Sanchez as Karen Lopez
Shawn Ashmore as Rob Donovan
Angelo Spizzirri as David Boscoe
Hugh Bonneville as Headmaster Felix Powers
Cheech Marin as Captain Victor Delgado
Adrian Young as Jose
Art Bonilla as Cuervo
Bart McCarthy as Earl the Bum
Kelly Hu as Lisa Brooks
Ian Gomez as Detective Gallecki
Ryan Beil as Warren Williams
Peter Bryant as Michael Barry
Sam Easton as Oliver Horn
Mary Pat Gleason as Ms. Hagery
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
The Making Of Underclassman
Cast Auditions
Feature Commentary With Director Marcos Siega And Co-Writers David T. Wagner And Brent Goldberg
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French Language
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following text is from the DVD cover:
“This fast-paced action comedy stars Nick Cannon (Drumline, Roll Bounce) as a streetwise detective who goes undercover and ends up in over his head! Tracy “Tre” Stokes (Cannon) is a rookie bike cop who finally gets the kind of heavyweight assignment he’s been begging for: find the killer of a student at an elite private school! What he discovers is a plot more deadly than anyone imagined! With danger … and preppies everywhere, Tre will need his hip personality to fit in and his unorthodox style of investigation to crack the case! Packed with high-octane laughs and featuring Roselyn Sanchez (Rush Hour 2) and Kelly Hu (The Scorpion King), Underclassman delivers over-the-top entertainment!”
Underclassman is rated PG-13 violence, sexual references, drug material and some teen drinking.
The Movie:
Underclassman comes across as a rip off of Point Break, Beverly Hills Cop, and every movie ever made where cops pretend to be high school students. This film retreads every movie cliché in the book. You have the angry police chief yelling at our cocky hero (and eventually asking for his badge), a hot teacher that our cocky hero falls for, a car chase, and more. Oh yeah, and you have a cocky hero, too. Nick Cannon seems like he’s trying to channel Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, and Chris Tucker in this lame action comedy. The final result is a character that isn’t likable or interesting.
Fortunately, Nick Cannon has a good supporting cast. X-Men fans will be glad to see Shawn (Iceman) Ashmore as Rob Donovan and Kelly (Deathstryke) Hu as Lisa Brooks. They’re not given much to do, but they’re stronger in the film than Cannon. Cheech Marin is not used very well in the film as Captain Victor Delgado. And unfortunately Roselyn Sanchez, though beautiful, is completely wasted in the film as Karen Lopez. Her character has no purpose in the film other than to give Cannon a love interest besides Cheech.
The Extras:
You’ll find the following bonus features on this DVD:
Deleted Scenes There’s actually quite a few deleted scenes. The first is an alternate version of the opening bust scene where Cannon pretends to be a gang member. Other deleted scenes show more of Cannon flirting with Roselyn Sanchez. They even go on a romantic beach cleanup together. Other scenes show more of the principal from the film.
The Making Of Underclassman This is your standard “making of” video with interviews with the cast and crew, behind the scenes footage, and other such stuff. Cannon giggles a lot as he’s interviewed.
Cast Auditions All of the secondary cast members are shown auditioning for their roles in this movie.
Feature Commentary With Director Marcos Siega And Co-Writers David T. Wagner And Brent Goldberg Cannon executive produces this film, yet he doesn’t take part in the commentary? What up wit dat?
The Bottom Line:
I wouldn’t really recommend Underclassman to anyone other than Nick Cannon fans. Nobody else will probably be willing to stand this predictable, unoriginal mess.
