The Perfect Score

The Breakfast Club meets Rififi in this dismal adolescent wish-fulfillment fantasy about six high school seniors who band together to steal the answers to the SAT test that is so vital to their futures in college. The unlikely sextet--ordinary joe schmo, best buddy who wants to go to the same school as his girlfriend, brilliant princess who wilts under pressure, basketball star who's skated by on the sufferance of teachers, rebellious punk chick, and drugged-out jokester/computer whiz--are all played by actors too old for their parts (none would even be carded at the local bar), and despite what the screenplay would have us believe, they're actually a pretty dumb lot. To wit: even though their plan is based on two happy coincidences--1) they just happen to live in Princeton, New Jersey, where the Educational Testing Service is headquartered, and 2) the punk girl's father owns the building where the firm is located--they still manage to screw it up. To make matters worse, the action halts periodically so each student can deliver a sappy monologue on his or her personal problems. The Perfect Score wants to argue that young people should be judged as individuals rather than statistics, but with its cardboard characters and by-the-numbers plot, this film definitely gets a failing grade. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Brian Robbins and writer Mark Schwahn, a 21-minute “making of” featurette, and trailers. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)