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''Higher Learning'' is a 1995 American
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
written and directed by
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
and starring an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (
Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. He has been awarded nine NAACP Image Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Movie Award, one Black Reel Award, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. Epps's film r ...
), a track star who struggles with academics; Kristen Connor (
Kristy Swanson Kristen Noel Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and appeared in the 1996 film ''The Phantom''. Her first starring role w ...
), a shy and naive girl; and Remy (
Michael Rapaport Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. His film roles include ''True Romance'' (1993), '' Higher Learning ...
), a lonely and confused man seemingly out of place in his new environment. The film also featured
Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first Africa ...
' first performance in a theatrical film.
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...
won an
NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture";
Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
was also nominated for the award. This was the last film appearance of
Dedrick D. Gobert Dedrick Dwayne Gobert (November 25, 1971 – November 19, 1994) was an American film actor best known for his supporting role as Dooky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. Career Gobert made his film debut in the 1991 John Singleton film ''Boy ...
, who was shot dead in 1994 prior to the film's release. The exterior shots and outdoor scenes were shot on the campus of
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
(UCLA) while the interiors were shot at
Sony Pictures Studios The Sony Pictures Studios is an American television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard (south), Washington Boulevard (north), Overland Avenue (west) and ...
.


Plot

Three incoming freshmen at fictional Columbus University are introduced: Kristen Connor, a friendly but naive white girl; Remy, a quiet young white man; and Malik Williams, a black high-school track-star attending college on an athletic scholarship. Kristen's roommate Monet and Malik attend a
dorm A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
party hosted by Remy's militantly Afrocentric roommate Fudge White, a senior. Upset at the loud
rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
being played so late as he attempts to study, Remy contacts campus police to break up the party. Fudge complains that the white police officers severely punish the black students yet ignore the room down the hall playing equally-loud "
hillbilly Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...
" music. En route back to her dorm, Kristen meets Taryn, an openly-
lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
junior, who warns her about walking alone late at night and invites her to a student group. Malik and Kristen's introductory
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
class is taught by Professor Maurice Phipps, a conservative black man from the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
, who challenges the class to determine their own identity rather than letting others categorize them. Fudge and his friend Dreads play loud music, which disrupts Remy's studying. When Remy complains, Fudge just threatens him. Remy moves out and gets a new roommate David, who is Jewish. Later, Remy loses at a video game to Malik who further mocks him. Frat boy Billy rapes a drunken Kristen. Monet finds Kristen crying on her bed then fields a call from Billy who uses a racial slur when she does not let him speak to Kristen. Angered, Monet turns to Fudge who recruits his friends to confront Billy at a frat party. Kristen points out Billy to the black students who pull him outside and force him to apologize to Monet (unaware that he raped Kristen). Kristen joins Taryn's student group on harmony between different races and cliques, eventually opening up to her about her rape. Taryn urges Kristen to report the rape while attempting to console her. As days pass, Kristen becomes increasingly attracted to Taryn. Becoming increasingly isolated, Remy is treated to a drink by
white supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
and
neo-Nazi skinhead White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white nationalist organizations and ...
Scott Moss, eventually befriending Scott's skinhead friends Erik, James, and hulking weight-lifter Knocko. Malik confronts Phipps about a paper, arguing for a better grade. When Phipps explains the various spelling and grammar errors, Malik calls him a sellout for the "white establishment". Phipps angrily responds that the world owes Malik nothing and that Malik must work for himself to make a difference in the world. When Malik's teammates confront him over a poor performance at a track meet, he responds with Fudge's militant Afrocentric ideology. He walks away and flirts with fellow runner Deja, who becomes his girlfriend and shows him how to write a better essay. Remy increasingly spends time with Scott and his gang. Scott, preaching his racist beliefs, gradually convinces the troubled Remy that "the white man is endangered". After shaving his head, Remy is welcomed into Scott's group. After attending a rape awareness rally with Taryn, Kristen asks to spend the night. Taryn rebuffs her, wanting Kristen to be sure. Kristen eventually starts separate relationships with Wayne and Taryn who are unaware that Kristen is sleeping with both of them. After confronting Malik with racial slurs, Remy later pulls a handgun on Malik and David, hurling racial slurs at them both as he packs his belongings and drops out of the university. Again, Sergeant Bradley assumes Malik is at fault and lets Remy escape. Malik moves in with Fudge and his fellow roommates, while Remy moves in with Scott and his fellow Neo-Nazis. Fudge's gang wins a rumble against Scott's. Scott convinces Remy not to drop out of Columbus because the white supremacists need not only soldiers, but also educated people, such as lawyers, to fight for their cause. Yet Remy, intimidated by Malik, considers violence to be inevitable and therefore the only answer. When Remy insists that he is "for real", Scott shows him a collection of guns, including a
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
, which he keeps hidden in his dorm. Scott challenges Remy to kill for the
white race White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as " ...
. Kristen and Monet organize a peace festival for their fellow students, with Malik and Deja attending. Remy opens fire, with Scott's rifle, from a rooftop. Deja is hit and dies in Malik's arms. Malik intercepts Remy and tries to strangle him to avenge Deja's death, but the campus police prevent him from doing this, and viciously beat Malik while Remy suffers a nervous breakdown. Remy tearfully apologizes for all that he has done and then turns his gun on himself before Sergeant Bradley can stop him, and commits suicide. Shortly after, Moss and his gang hear the news about Remy's actions and death and start chanting neonazi mottos. A few days later, Malik and Phipps discuss his future at the university. Phipps displays his trust in Malik's judgment. Later, Malik and Kristen - who is also taking Phipps' course but has never spent time with Malik until today - chat near a statue of
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
which has been converted into a memorial site. Kristen feels responsible for Deja's death because it was Monet's and her Peace Fest, but Malik insists she's not. Fudge and Taryn (among others) graduate from Columbus University, with the CU flag girls performing for their commencement-ceremony. The film's closing shot finds Phipps strolling from his office underneath the United States flag fluttering in the wind; the caption "unlearn" is typewritten over the flag.


Cast

*
Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. He has been awarded nine NAACP Image Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Movie Award, one Black Reel Award, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. Epps's film r ...
as Malik Williams *
Kristy Swanson Kristen Noel Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and appeared in the 1996 film ''The Phantom''. Her first starring role w ...
as Kristen Connor *
Michael Rapaport Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. His film roles include ''True Romance'' (1993), '' Higher Learning ...
as Remy *
Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
as "Fudge" White *
Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After having worked as a model for several year ...
as Taryn *
Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first Africa ...
as Deja *
Regina King Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, ''Time'' magazine named her one ...
as Monet *
Jason Wiles Jason Austin Wiles (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor known for his role in the NBC procedural drama series ''Third Watch'' from 1999 to 2005. Early life Wiles was born in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., and raised in Lenexa, Kansas, where ...
as Wayne *
Cole Hauser Cole Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for film roles in ''Higher Learning'', '' School Ties'', '' Dazed and Confused'', ''Good Will Hunting'', '' Pitch Black'', '' Tigerland'', '' Hart's War'', '' Tears of the Sun'' ...
as Scott Moss *
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
as "Dreads" *
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...
as Professor Maurice Phipps *
Bradford English Bradford English (born 1943) is an American character actor known for his roles in film and television. He is best known in the horror film community for his role in the 1995 horror movie ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' as John Strode ...
as Officer Bradley *
Jay R. Ferguson Jay R. Ferguson (born July 25, 1974) is an American actor, known as Taylor Newton in '' Evening Shade'' (1990–1994), Stan Rizzo in ''Mad Men'' (2010–2015), and Ben Olinsky in '' The Conners'' (2018–present). Biography In 1990 Ferguson pla ...
as Billy * Andrew Bryniarski as Knocko *
Trevor St. John Trevor Marshall St. John (born September 3, 1971) is an American actor. He portrayed Todd Manning/Victor Lord Jr. on the ABC daytime drama ''One Life to Live'', and has starred in various primetime shows and films. He is known for his performanc ...
as James * Talbert Morton as Erik *
Adam Goldberg Adam Charles Goldberg (born October 25, 1970) is an American character actor, filmmaker, musician, and photographer. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as '' Dazed and Confused'', ''Saving ...
as David Isaacs *
Bridgette Wilson Bridgette Leann Wilson Sampras (born September 25, 1973) is a former American actress, singer, model, and Miss Teen USA award winner. Wilson began her career as an actress after being crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990, playing the character of L ...
as Nicole *
Kari Wuhrer Kari Samantha Wuhrer (born April 28, 1967) is an American actress, model, and singer. Wuhrer began her career as a teenager, and is best known for her time as a cast member on MTV's ''Remote Control'', as well as her roles as Maggie Beckett in t ...
as Claudia *
Randall Batinkoff Randall Matthew Batinkoff (born October 16, 1968) is an American actor, known for his roles in the films '' For Keeps'', '' School Ties'', and ''Higher Learning''. Early life and education Batinkoff was born in Monticello, New York, the son of Ba ...
as Chad Shadowhill *
Dedrick D. Gobert Dedrick Dwayne Gobert (November 25, 1971 – November 19, 1994) was an American film actor best known for his supporting role as Dooky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. Career Gobert made his film debut in the 1991 John Singleton film ''Boy ...
as Fudge's Homie * Malcolm Norrington as Cory *
Morris Chestnut Morris Lamont Chestnut (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. He has appeared in feature films and on television series, including the starring role of ...
as Track Anchor (uncredited) * Jeanette Bolden as Deja Track Coach (uncredited) The band
Eve's Plum Eve's Plum was an American New York City-based rock band, active in the 1990s. The band was fronted by Colleen Fitzpatrick, who was later known by the stage name Vitamin C. Eve's Plum released two albums and seven singles on 550 Music/ Epic Record ...
performs, as Themselves, at the Peace Fest.


Reception

''Higher Learning'' grossed $38,290,723 in the United States, with $20,200,000 in rentals. It ranked #44 for yearly domestic gross and #17 amongst R-rated films in 1995. For their performances in ''Higher Learning'', Laurence Fishburne and Ice Cube were nominated for the 1996
Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Fishburne won.


Critical response

The film received mixed reviews.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
commended John Singleton's direction of the film: "He sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by fashionable ideologies. His movies are thought-provoking because he uses familiar kinds of characters and then asks hard questions about them." He awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars. '' Time Out'' wrote: "a stylish, intelligent film-maker, Singleton interweaves the threads of his demographic tapestry with assurance, passion and a welcome awareness of the complexities of the college community's contradictory impulses towards integration and separatism." Writing in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'',
Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
felt that the movie fell short of its goal, saying it "turns out to be an inadvertent example of the same small-mindedness it deplores". ''Reel Film Reviews'' wrote that the film is "consistently entertaining and well-acted all around. While it's not a perfect movie – Cube's character disappears for a 30-minute stretch and Singleton's approach often veers into heavy-handedness – it is nevertheless an intriguing look at the differences between races and how such differences can clash", and awarded it 3.5 stars out of 4. ''Higher Learning'' holds a 45% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 5.20/10. The site's consensus states; "It's hard to fault ''Higher Learning''s goals; unfortunately, writer-director John Singleton too often struggles to fit his themes within a consistently engaging story." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, it has a score of 54% based on review from 20 critics. Singleton commented: "If you look at Higher Learning, which I was 25 years old making it, i'm like chock full of everything that would concern young people: lesbianism, and racism, and everything I could put in that movie. It was a great movie. A fun movie to do. But you could never get that movie made now. Never. The guy shoots everybody, know what I mean?"


Soundtrack

The
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
, containing hip hop, R&B, rock and jazz music, was released on January 3, 1995 by
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
's New Deal Music label through 550 Music/ Epic Soundtrax. It peaked at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 9 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
In addition to "Higher", performed by Ice Cube, the soundtrack includes original music by OutKast,
Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...
,
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
and
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...
.


Pop culture

The character Malik, played by the same actor, Omar Epps, appears in ''
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ''Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'' (or simply ''Don't Be a Menace'') is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Paris Barclay in his feature film directorial debut, and produced by Keenen Ivory Way ...
'', a comedy movie who parodied some known black movies of 1990s - a year later, after his mates graduation, Malik had returned to the university where he was shot and killed by a new Skinheads member, who also dealt with few others black activists, including fictional character
Radio Raheem Radio Raheem is a fictional character in the 1989 film ''Do the Right Thing'' produced, written and directed by Spike Lee. The character is played by Bill Nunn. Radio Raheem's name is a reference to the boombox that he carries wherever he goes. ...
.


References


External links

* * * {{John Singleton 1995 films 1995 crime drama films 1995 LGBT-related films 1995 romantic drama films American crime drama films American LGBT-related films American romantic drama films Female bisexuality in film Columbia Pictures films Films scored by Stanley Clarke Films about academia Films about race and ethnicity Films about racism in the United States Films about neo-Nazism Films directed by John Singleton Films set in universities and colleges Films shot in California Films shot in Los Angeles Lesbian-related films Films about rape in the United States Films with screenplays by John Singleton Skinhead films African-American films 1990s gang films 1990s American films