Remixed teen formula scores a 1450

'Breakfast Club' knockoff occasionally dabbles in cheesiness, but still entertains

By Nathan Hathaway

Good news. “The Breakfast Club” hits theaters today. But it’s got a different name—“The Perfect Score.”

A group of high schoolers in a coming-of-age story that takes place in a high-pressure environment. But this time it’s not detention. It’s a crazy scheme to hijack the answers to the SAT.

A group of students who, under any other circumstances, would never even bother smiling at each other are serendipitously brought together to complete the ultimate high-school heist.

The super athlete. The 4.0 student with overly rigid parents. The aspiring kid who has to get into his dream school. The pothead/closet genius/really cool guy. The cryptic, dark, pretty-ugly girl.

“ The Perfect Score” director Brian Robbins had to have been inspired by John Hughes’ 1985 hit. The 1980s’ famous “Brat Pack” (Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Emilio Estevez) stars as five kids from totally different backgrounds caught in detention who become friends after nearly killing each other while locked up in the school library.

“ The Perfect Score” has the same elements. But this time, instead of detention in the library, it’s a complex plan to break into ETS, where the answer key to the SAT is held.

Ten minutes into the movie, after he’s rejected by the University of Maryland, Matty (Bryan Greenberg) inexplicably suggests to his best friend Kyle (Chris Evans), who desperately wants to get into Cornell, that they steal the answers to the SAT, a somewhat over-the-top proposal for a couple of kids who scored fairly well the last time they took it (more than 1,000). Plus it comes out of nowhere. Knowing the premise of the movie, it’s obvious the idea had to pop up somehow, but it wasn’t done well. Too abrupt.

Kyle buys into it because he’s convinced the standardized test isn’t fair for a non-standardized population. He’s convinced the SAT is ruining their lives.

“ When you walk into this room,” the movie’s narrator says, “It’s not about who you are; it’s about who you will become.”

Once the scheme takes flight, it’s all high-tension, meticulously planned action.

As it all goes down, of course, the seeds of romances are sown and lives change. During the time frame of the group actually being in the building, the movie throws you a curve or two, but for the most part it is entirely too readable. And it draws dangerously close to the point of cheesiness.

NBA star Darius Miles, in his feature film acting debut, seems a little rigid and only looks natural on screen when he’s—surprise!—playing basketball. Scarlett Johansson, Hollywood’s new darling, does very well as Francesca, the dark personality who ends up being quite lovable. And little-known Leonardo Nam turns in an excellent, and extremely funny, performance as the perma-stoned Roy.