Featuring a cast of excellent young actors
“School Ties” takes place at a prestigious Eastern prep school where prejudice surfaces in sometimes subtle, often overt, ways when a new student is enrolled on a football scholarship. It is the 1950s, when casual anti-Semitism was common in certain circles.<br /><br />David Greene (Brendan Fraser, “The Mummy”), a working class Jewish kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania, is recruited by the football coach of St. Matthew’s boarding school to be its star quarterback. The coach (Kevin Tighe) and headmaster (Peter Donat) are aware that David is Jewish but their desire for building a winning team is a priority and David’s religion is kept under wraps. Before leaving home, David’s father advises him to blend in. On his arrival, the coach advises him to keep “certain things” to himself.<br /><br />Initially, David fits in easily among his classmates, sons of families of wealth and privilege. Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon, “Good Will Hunting”) expected to be the team’s quarterback and resents that David has been recruited for that position. For someone like Charlie, family expectations run high. If he doesn’t distinguish himself academically and athletically, he will let the family down, which causes him constant stress. Other new friends include David’s roommate, Chris Reece (Chris O’Donnell, “Batman and Robin”); Chesty Smith (Ben Affleck, “Argo”); Jack Connors (Cole Hauser, “Dazed and Confused”); and Richard “McGoo” Collins (Anthony Rapp, “Rent”).<br /><br />At a dance sponsored by a nearby girls’ school, David meets Charlie’s friend Sally Wheeler (Amy Locane, “Cry-Baby”). They fall for each other immediately and Sally invites David to an after-game party to meet her parents. Things are going smoothly for David until a drunken alum reveals his secret and the boy’s life changes. Off-handed insulting remarks about Jews that he’d been ignoring since his first day at the school give way to vicious jokes in the locker room, a violent fight with Dillon, and a banner with a painted swastika hung in his room.<br /><br />Back in 1947, the issue of anti-Semitism was the subject of “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” but that film centered on a reporter pretending to be Jewish in connection with research for an article. “School Ties” deals with the problem head-on by making its central character a Jew who is obliged to hide his heritage. As the school is exploiting him to win football games, he is using the school as a doorway into Harvard, knowing that few boys from public schools, and even fewer Jews, would be admitted to the prestigious university.<br /><br />The young cast is exceptional. Fraser conveys both masculinity and vulnerability as he struggles with having to look away when hurtful remarks are made. He conveys the likability and natural leadership qualities that allow David to fit in quickly, though his affluent classmates are surprised to see that he’s part of the waiter staff, a condition of his scholarship. Fraser has the ability to communicate David’s inner feelings without betraying them outwardly. A lot is at stake, and David remains cool under the pressure until a line is crossed.<br /><br />Damon turns in a standout performance as Dillon, who seems victimized by family tradition, personal and academic insecurity, and his own unapologetic arrogance. He effortlessly conveys Dillon’s charisma and pleasure at being a part of the in-crowd as well as the feelings of insecurity and inadequacy that amplify his casual antisemitism into viciousness against the Jew he perceives as a threat. Once David’s secret is out, Dillon never lets up in belittling and mocking him. Damon, in his first major screen role, shows the talent and screen presence that would propel him to stardom in the years ahead.<br /><br />The screen play by Dick Wolf and Darryl Ponicsan contains colloquial dialogue peppered with a few strong words teenage boys would use. Conversational and devoid of artifice, the dialogue nicely conveys the bond among the boys and later shows how labels can abruptly change attitudes. A climactic scene culminates in a test of the school’s honor system. A final speech by Dillon indicates that bigotry will be around for a long time. There are occasional Hollywoodisms, such as the requisite romantic subplot of David and Sally and the neatly tied up ending. It’s difficult not to compare “School Ties” with “Dead Poets Society,” made three years earlier and also featuring a group of boys at a prep school. Though the settings are similar, the two films explore different issues.<br /><br />Director Robert Mandel has elicited first-class performances from his young cast, nicely capturing the prep school milieu of decades past, including its traditions, academic rigor, and student camaraderie. Though most of the boys know how to have fun and assume their path to success is assured by family connections, they take their studies seriously. By contrast, David is a good student but his success on the football field is his only path into Harvard. Thematically, the film examines the traditions that count, as David deals with prejudice in a school tied to tradition and honor.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the PG-rated, All Region Blu-ray release include an audio commentary, interviews with cast members, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
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 {"MPAA rating": "Unrated (Not Rated)", "Package Dimensions": "6.77 x 5.43 x 0.75 inches; 3.74 Ounces", "Director": "Robert Mandel, Buddy Joe Hooker", "Media Format": "Import", "Run time": "107 minutes", "Release date": "December 16, 2022", "Actors": "Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff, Andrew Lowery", "Subtitles": "English", "Producers": "Danton Rissner, Sherry Lansing, Stanley Jaffe", "Language": "English (Dolby Digital 2.0)", "Studio": "Imprint", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : After receiving a scholarship to an exclusive prep school, working-class teen David Greene (Fraser) becomes a star athlete and wins the attention of a beautiful debutante (Amy Locane). But the ties of his newfound friendships are broken when a student reveals the secret David has tried to conceal - he is Jewish. Now David must take the most important stand of his life, one that will touch the lives of many and forever change the course of his future.Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle) leads an all-star cast including Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Ben Affleck (Chasing Amy and Shakespeare in Love) and Chris O'Donnell (Batman Forever) in this acclaimed coming-of-age drama.Starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck & Chris O'Donnell.Special Features and Technical Specs:High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentationNEW Audio commentary with filmmaker and film historian Jim HemphillMore features to be announcedTheatrical TrailerOriginal Aspect Ratio 1.78:1Audio English LPCM 2.0 / DTS-HD 5.1 audioEnglish subtitlesLimited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies with unique artwork..