''Cheats'' is a 2002 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

about four friends that have been cheating their way through

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, and have to face new challenges to avoid getting caught before going to

college A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

. The lead roles are played by Trevor Fehrman,

Matthew Lawrence Matthew William Lawrence (born February 11, 1980) is an American actor and singer, known for his roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Boy Meets World''. Lawrence also starred in the series '' Brotherly Love'' with his real-life brothers Joey and An ...

, and

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...

. The original title of the movie was ''Cheaters'' but was that thought likely to be confused with the 2000 movie '' Cheaters'' starring

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

Plot

While other kids at the elite North Point Academy spend countless hours studying, Handsome Davis sees it as nothing more than a system of control over one's mind. That's why Handsome and his three best friends, Sammy, Victor and the cribsheet genius Applebee, have banded together and found ways to cheat on their tests all through their school years. Everything had been going along smoothly until the gang entered their final year of high school and the stakes were upped by the school's principal, Mrs. Stark. If they get caught cheating again Stark will make a note in their permanent records and possibly kill their chances of getting into college. But can Handsome convince his pals to pull off one last great cheat with him, outsmarting Stark and the system, even if it means possibly destroying their friendships?

Release

The film was scheduled to be released in 2001, but was delayed until September 20, 2002. It was released on DVD and VHS in 2003.

Documentary

On the DVD edition there is an 18-minute documentary, showing people on whose real life events the story is based, more than 10 years earlier. The real Jonathan Applebee refused to take part in the special feature documentary based on the actual Cheats, so his name had to be censored whenever used.

Main cast

* Trevor Fehrman as Handsome Davis * Elden Henson as Sammy Green *

as Victor Barone * Martin Starr as Jonathan Applebee *

as Mrs. Stark, Principal, North Point Academy * Maggie Lawson as Julie Merkel *

Babz Chula Babz Chula (born Barbara Ellen Zuckerman; circa 1946 – May 7, 2010) was an American-born Canadian actress. Chula spent her early childhood in the working-class neighbourhood of Jamaica, N.Y., but her widowed mother, Abby Zuckerman, a booking ...

as Mrs. Rosengarden * David Krumholtz as Evan Rosengarden *Dixon Cohee as Greedy Herman * Griffin Dunne as Mr. Davis, Handsome's father * Morris Panych as Mr. Alex Harkin *Will Sanderson as Rexler *

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the Fox television series '' Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its spin-off theatrical film ''Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on S ...

as Teddy Blue * Bill Switzer as Garret *

Tseng Chang Tseng Chang (; 18 May 1930 – 25 January 2021) was a Chinese actor. He participated in the films '' Xiang xi shi Wang'', '' Yu ya gon wu'' and ''2012'', with John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet and Thandiwe Newton. On 25 January 2021, ...

as Marty * Barbara Tyson as Mrs. Herman *

Kathryn Anderson Kathryn Dorothy Duncan Anderson (born 1939) is a British-American pediatric surgeon. She was the first woman to hold office in the American College of Surgeons and the first woman president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association. She was ...

as 2nd Grade Teacher * Brett Kelly as Young Sammy *Casey Dubois as Handsome (2nd Grade / Kindergarten) *Leonie Haworth as Julie (2nd Grade)

References

External links

* 2002 films 2002 comedy films 2000s high school films 2000s teen comedy films American high school films American teen comedy films New Line Cinema films Films about academic scandals 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{comedy-film-stub