by Zack Roddy
Bobby Funke (Reece Thompson) is a rookie newspaper reporter at his Catholic high school that fancies himself to a modern day gumshoe. Assigned by his editor in chief (Melonie Diaz) to interview the school president Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor), Bobby shows up just in time break the case when Paul is caught stealing the high school’s completed SAT exams.
Outright determined in his belief that Paul was framed and is innocent, Bobby begins to investigate further, attempting to narrow down his suspects, who prove to be far larger than he could have imagined. With the help of Paul’s sexy and popular ex-girlfriend (and this film’s femme fatale), Vanessa (Mischa Barton), Bobby digs deep into the underbelly of his school, having spats with his many suspects, who include Michael Rapaport as a gym coach, Josh Pais as a gaudy Spanish teacher, and Bruce Willis as a military obsessed principal.
Directed with a steady hand by Brett Simon with an hilarious script by Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski, Assassination of a High School President is a film of infinite comedic elements, using the idea of film noir in high school to up the ante of hilarious situations. The film boasts an exceptionally talented cast, including Reece Thompson of last year’s Rocket Science as its titular main character. Mischa Barton has gotten the role of the popular girl down, having had years of practice on The OC, and Bruce Willis is also hilarious as the intense school principal. The film is one that you will have to see many times due to its plethora of quotable lines, and is well worth a second viewing.
