With Honors

1994
PG
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

Brendan Fraser, Joe Pesci, Patrick Dempsey, Josh Hamilton, and Moira Kelly in With Honors (1994)

Theatrical Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures

Play trailer2:04

1 Video

42 Photos

Comedy Drama

Convinced his thesis will have him graduate with honors from Harvard University, a stuffy student finds himself at the mercy of a homeless man's demands when he holds the papers hostage.Convinced his thesis will have him graduate with honors from Harvard University, a stuffy student finds himself at the mercy of a homeless man's demands when he holds the papers hostage.Convinced his thesis will have him graduate with honors from Harvard University, a stuffy student finds himself at the mercy of a homeless man's demands when he holds the papers hostage.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:04

With Honors

Photos42

+ 36

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Claudia Haro, who plays Marty (the girl who asks Simon to dance at the party), was married to Joe Pesci at the time.

Goofs
In the courtroom, Simon says he was not trespassing because Harvard is a Land-Grant School. Harvard is a private institution. The state's land-grant college is the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Quotes
Simon Wilder: You asked the question, sir, now let me answer it. The beauty of the Constitution is that it can always be changed. The beauty of the Constitution is that it makes no set law other than faith in the wisdom of ordinary people to govern themselves.
Proffesor Pitkannan: Faith in the wisdom of the people is exactly what makes the Constitution incomplete and crude.
Simon Wilder: Crude? No, sir. Our "founding parents" were pompous, white, middle-aged farmers, but they were also great men. Because they knew one thing that all great men should know: that they didn't know everything. Sure, they'd make mistakes, but they made sure to leave a way to correct them. The president is not an "elected king," no matter how many bombs he can drop. Because the "crude" Constitution doesn't trust him. He's just a bum, okay Mr. Pitkannan? He's just a bum.

Alternate versions
The Warner Bros. Pictures logo is plastered in the digital releases with the 2003 logo.

Connections
Featured in Madonna: I'll Remember (1994)

Soundtracks
She Sells Sanctuary
Written by Ian Astbury (as Ian Robert Astbury) and Billy Duffy (as William Henry Duffy)
Performed by The Cult
Courtesy of Sire Records/Beggars Banquet
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User reviews91

Featured review

A Film That Never Got the Credit it Deserved

With Honors (1994)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Brendan Fraser plays Monty, a Harvard student who believes that his thesis is going to send him into the perfect life with the perfect job. The only problem is that the papers fall into the hands of a homeless man named Simon (Joe Pesci) who plans on using them to get things that he needs.

WITH HONORS was released to some really horrible reviews and I still remember going to see it on its opening weekend and leaving the theater wondering what everyone had missed. The film took a real beating from critics and it didn't do too well at the box office but for my money it was one of the better movies released that year. Is it a masterpiece? Of course not but it's certainly a very good, heart-warming and funny picture.

One thing that the film deserves credit for is taking a serious look at being homeless. This includes how someone can become homeless and then it talks about the various issues that happens because of it. I thought the film was very intelligent when it came to the subject matter and unlike so many other movies this one here at least had something to say on its subject.

The best thing about the movie were the performances with Pesci leading the way in a very good role. Pesci was on a hot streak during this era as he was coming off the box office hit of HOME ALONE as well as an Oscar-win for GOODFELASS. He really makes a memorable character here as he can handle the drama and the laughs without any problem. Fraser is also very believable in his role and we get some nice support from Moira Kelly, Josh Hamilton and Patrick Dempsey.

The film certainly does a very good job at mixing the laughs with the drama and to me WITH HONORS remains a film that never got its due.