April Films, 1989
starring:  Jill Schoelen, Brad Pitt, Donovan Leitch and Martin Mull
directed by: Rospo Pallenberg

the plot: All Paula Carson (Schoelen) wants to do is study and be a stellar high school student, but so many obstacles stand in her way. The first is her perpetually horny boyfriend, Dwight (Pitt), who tries to convince Paula to put aside her books and give up her virginity. The most pressing impediment to Paula’s high school career is Brian (Leitch), who was recently released from a mental institution for allegedly killing his father. Now, back in school, Brian uses every chance he gets to be close to Paula. But Brian’s motives are suspect, and not just because he has a penchant for creepily hiding behind bushes and in dumpsters. Paula’s father (Mull) is the local district attorney who helped put Brian away for so many years. Brian seems harmless enough, at first, until dead bodies start turning up around the school. Meanwhile, Dwight is acting suspicious, as well, and Paula finds herself on the run from both boys, fending for her life.

why it’s good: In the distant future, when many other more worthy films have been forgotten, “Cutting Class” still will be remembered, if only because it features Brad Pitt in his first major role. But how Pitt managed to get any roles after “Cutting Class” will forever remain a mystery. As debuts go, this is as inauspicious as it gets, and it seems downright impossible that anyone would have sat through the entire movie and thought, “We’ve got to get that Brad Pitt in some more movies!” “Class” is a failure across the board, a spectacularly un-thrilling thriller that makes some awkward, lame attempts at being a comedy. It’s as though writer Steve Slavkin saw “Student Bodies,” the 1981 slasher spoof, and decided to rewrite that movie, but without the jokes, gags or anything that might be construed as funny. That’s why characters get to say things like, “I’m the custodian of your fucking destiny!” with a straight face and no hint of a smile. When it comes to the scares, “Class” is even less adept, and the various murders are so incidental and inconsequential that half the time, Paula, Dwight and the other characters don’t even comment on them. Not even Paula, who must fend off the advances of Dwight and the creepy behavior of Brian, seems all that concerned, even when she’s trying to save Dwight from some rogue power tools. For an honor student, she’s awfully lazy—and not all that bright, as the mystery killer in “Class” is so obvious and un-mysterious that your only shock will be at the lameness of the final reveal. Whenever you find yourself jealous of Brad Pitt and his millions of dollars and his sexy cyborg of a wife, take comfort in the fact that you don’t have “Cutting Class” on your resumé.

why you should own it: Even the most serious Brad Pitt fans should probably skip out on “Cutting Class.” It’s about as inessential and forgettable as any film can be, and it’s sort of surprising that Pitt hasn’t used his personal fortune to purchase and destroy every copy of the film.