Underclassman

Police detective Tre Stokes (Nick Cannon) goes undercover at an upper class private school to infiltrate a car-thieving ring and find out who murdered one of the students, but he soon finds that this sort of school environment is very different from the streets of L.A.

The premise is very thin and unoriginal so the strength of the film is entirely up to Nick Cannon. Unfortunately, Nick Cannon doesn't deliver. He tries way too hard to be funny and he only manages to make a couple of jokes work. I think he has some potential but he needs to pick better scripts. Also, he should start off as a supporting actor since he doesn't really have what it takes to be a leading man, in my opinion. The main problem with the film is the script since it's very lame and offensive. Most of the jokes are racist and derivative so there's another problem. Screenwriters David Wagner and Brent Goldberg come up with a bunch of annoying clichés that don't work out. They don't seem to be trying at all which isn't surprising since they are responsible for My Baby's Daddy.

After Nick Cannon, the supporting actors aren't any better and this is clearly a paycheck movie for everyone involved. Shawn Ashmore is okay as Iceman but his performance isn't very good here. Cheech Marin doesn't really do anything special and he ends up being bland. Kelly Hu and Ian Gomez both play detectives and they just look bored throughout the entire film. Roselyn Sanchez is sadly underused in her role.

Director Marcos Siega does an okay job behind the camera. He at least tries to keep things interesting with a few car sequences that should wake up the viewer. Besides for that and a few jokes, the film is a dud. The romance between Cannon and Sanchez is unbelievable and forced. Most of the supporting characters are one dimensional and they are props for Cannon's insults. The film is also pretty offensive with its racial stereotyping and outdated jokes. Underclassman could have been an enjoyable, harmless film even if it isn't original. However, the offensive script kills that opportunity and the movie ends up being below average. In the end, unless you're a big fan of Nick Cannon, skip this film. Rating 4/10

Tracy "Trey" Stokes is a twenty-three-year-old undercover cop, who, after his latest his escape lands him in hot water, must attend the wealthy private school Westbury Academy to investigate the death of a student. Trey immerses himself in the environment quite awkwardly, bringing looser, unrestricted elements of coolness to the school, while everyone around him operates with a sense of incorruptible seriousness. Trey befriends Rob Donovan (Shawn Ashmore), and begins to uncover more illegal actions on campus, this time involving stolen vehicles at parties. Now, Trey must rely on his street-smart ways and quick-witted senses to prove to his superior officer (Cheech Marin) he is indeed capable of handling tough, rugged crime sprees and doesn't become crushed under pressure.

Trey is played by Nick Cannon, the once wildly popular teen-star, famous for his many appearances on MTV shows, discography, among several other endeavors. Underclassman was the pitiful and lackluster attempt to continue Cannon's long-running success with the Television medium, and functions as one of those subpar star-vehicles we were used to watching in the nineties. Cannon isn't a contemptible screen-presence, but a manufactured one, spouting lingo we are supposed to perceive is cool because he says it in a time where formality is required.

Not to mention, he functions in a role that has been dominated by superior talent. Without even hesitating, Cannon's Trey brings to mind Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop and the young teenagers of the TV series 21 Jump Street. Between these two examples, it already brings to mind the more intriguing and thoughtful things that were done to the rebellious, undercover cop character than how it has been cut and pasted into a film erected more off of clichés and action set pieces than anything else. Admittedly, the opening sequence is fun to watch, showing an energetic Cannon attempt to stop a van of drug-dealers by chasing them through the beaches of Malibu on an all-terrain vehicle. This scene, as derivative as it is, is entertaining because of its clear direction and reason; it is photographed and illustrated clearly, thanks to director Marcos Siega, and doesn't feel gratuitous.

The remaining ninety-five minutes of Underclassman, however, feel much too gratuitous, stockpiled with clichés, emphasizing action and sloganeering over any reasonable character development, and monotonous all the more. Cannon may possess the ability to dazzle with his goofiness and his over-the-top actions, but, given such a mediocre script and a redundant, familiar plot line, has little to exercise within the confines of the writing. In addition, the personality is all in the action sequences, leaving the characters without a trait of identifiable humanity. Given the film's incredibly low gross and the poor critical reception, it just seems that nobody bought what Underclassman was selling and Nick Cannon, who proved to be immensely talented in his earlier picture Drumline, suffered as a result.

Starring: Nick Cannon, Shawn Ashmore, Roselyn Sánchez, Kelly Hu, Hugh Bonneville, and Cheech Marin. Directed by: Marcos Siega.

Nick Cannon is not exactly the kind of person I'd send undercover to an exclusive prep school if I wanted to solve a murder and bust up some illegal activities going on there, still he does get the job done in Underclassman.

Sad to say that this film could not make up its mind whether it was a serious drama or a satire of such things as Mod Squad and 21 Jump Street. There was potential here for this to be a really funny comedy, but it just isn't realized.

Nick Cannon, Cheech Marin who plays his captain and the rest of the cast really give this one a try, but the aimless script and direction defeats them. When we find the identity of the perpetrator behind all the bad stuff it should have been a lot funnier than it was.

For fans of Nick Cannon only.

I was very skeptical about this movie: low rating, bad review but i really liked it!!! This is probably the most underrated movie ever!!!! I saw a lot of crappy movie made in 2005, some very bad, but they had always higher score than this!!!!!! why??? This is a nice adventure,cop, comedy movie.... OK this movie will not be a cult movie or a potential Oscar winner but it still worth watching. Absolutely not as bad as people say. So, if you are searching for a nice comedy,adv,cop,teen movie without deep plot and some laugh this is a good 90 minutes to spend in front of your TV!!! Don't believe the low rating!!!

From Miramax, the company that brought you Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and Good Will Hunting, comes Underclassman. To quote a classic Sesame Street song, "Which of these things is not like the other, which of these things does not belong?" The answer is – Underclassman. Why did they make this movie? I don't know who Nick Cannon is, I don't know what he does, but he must have some powerful connections (or be a Freemason) for Miramax to allow him to write, star, and executive produce this hackneyed piece of over-used Hollywood clichés. Cannon plays a young and reckless rookie cop who goes undercover as a high school senior to catch a murderer in an affluent (think Westlake High) white high school. Prepare yourself for a deep sociological study of the differences between black and white people…not really.

Instead, prepare for the inevitable warehouse bust, car chase down busy highway, boat chase, and hostage situation with the woman he loves. The only funny line in the film is when the dorky white guy gets rejected by two hot chicks and says, "They probably had herpes anyways." That was funny. Nothing else was.