Higher Learning

Directed by John Singleton, Higher Learning details the exploits of several college students, including Kristy Swanson’s Kristen, Omar Epps’ Malik, and Michael Rapaport’s Remy, over the course of a few exceedingly eventful months. The movie’s emphasis on a myriad of characters ultimately ensures that it remains quite watchable even through its sporadic less-than-enthralling stretches, and it’s clear, certainly, that Singleton does an effective job of wringing compelling work out of his impressively stacked cast – with the strong efforts of the aforementioned performers matched (and then some) by scene-stealing costars like Ice Cube, Jennifer Connelly, and Laurence Fishburne. (The latter, playing a perpetually wise professor, ultimately (and predictably, perhaps) delivers a stirring, scene-stealing turn that confirms his place as the film’s most valuable player.) There’s little doubt, however, that Higher Learning has been infused with a decidedly far-from-subtle sensibility that does diminish the impact of its positive attributes, as writer/director Singleton’s decidedly didactic approach to the material prevents certain sequences and happenings from packing the visceral, emotional punch one might’ve anticipated – with this particularly true of the picture’s violent climax. The end result is a predominantly watchable yet undeniably erratic drama that probably could’ve benefited from a trimmed-down narrative, although, in fairness, the emphasis on a multitude of stories goes a long way towards ensuring the picture remains palatable throughout (ie these are, for the most part, all interesting, compelling figures).

**1/2 out of ****