Ambitious look at race and class issues on a college campus
In “Higher Learning,” the fictional Columbus University serves as a microcosm of America and its multi-ethnic, multicultural diversity. Columbus is a progressive institution that draws together young men and women from all walks of life, and racial tensions often simmer, sometimes boiling over into conflict. With students trying to find their way in life and developing a sense of identity, the campus is the scene of cultural clashes, confusion, and volatility.<br /><br />Malik (Omar Epps), a runner on partial sports scholarship, struggles academically and feels his worth is equated with his athletic performance. Kristen (Kristy Swanson), date-raped by a frat boy, is dealing with sexual ambiguity. Remy (Michael Rapaport), a loner from Idaho, tries to fit in but finds students hang out in their own cliques. Political science teacher Prof. Phipps (Laurence Fishburne) is a stern educator who fails to sympathize with Malik’s feeling of victimization. Fudge (Ice Cube), the unofficial leader of the black students, sees examples of inequality on campus and refuses to accept them.<br /><br />Writer/director John Singleton (“Boyz N the Hood”) sets the location and takes time introducing its atmosphere and main characters. This is not your sit-com college, but one in which real-life problems occur. Though Singleton exaggerates the tensions for dramatic effect, they ring true. He addresses several customarily taboo subjects without sidestepping or sweetening them. By limiting the action to a college campus, he can single out a few individuals with diverse stories at a pivotal point in their lives, representing a wider universe.<br /><br />Performances are uniformly first-rate. Epps is a stand-out as the conflicted Malik, who learns that succeeding in life takes more than making good time on the track. He conveys an arrogance that gradually softens as Prof. Phipps refuses to accept his “world is against me” tale of woe and wisely counsels him on how to fulfill his potential. Later, Malik becomes incensed when he sees how blacks are marginalized on campus and refuses to let the indignities slide.<br /><br />Rapaport, in an early role, conveys his character’s hick rube persona, eliciting sympathy, since all Remy wants is to find a place for himself but consistently fails. Though we’re horrified that he takes up with a neo-Nazi faction, we understand. It’s the only organization that has embraced him. Hate groups didn’t rank as major threats on campus when the film was made (1995), so that plot thread seems prescient in the wake of Charlottesville.<br /><br />Ms. Swenson’s performance is especially timely because of recent news reports of campus date rape following heavy drinking. The depiction is graphic and brutal.<br /><br />There’s a lot going on in “Higher Learning.” Maybe too much. In his eagerness to paint a picture of the problems that arise when diverse groups are thrown together, he tends to sensationalize. The tone of the film lacks balance. The scenes with Malik and his professor are beautifully written and acted and feel authentic, and Kristen’s traumatic rape is handled sympathetically without making rape less than horrific. But a scene in which a group of black students march to a frat house to confront its members because one of them referred to a black student on the telephone with an insulting tirade, appears contrived. We get that they are upset by the indignity, but the sequence has a theatrical flavor.<br /><br />The only bonus feature on the Blu-ray release is the Director’s Commentary.
The movie title "Higher Learning [Blu-ray]," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.7 from 1737 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Featured Categories, Blu-ray and Drama. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Drama", "Format": "Widescreen", "Contributor": "John Singleton, Michael Rapaport, Kristy Swanson, Omar Epps, Jennifer Connelly", "Language": "English", "Runtime": "2 hours and 7 minutes", "MPAA rating": "R (Restricted)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.05 Ounces", "Director": "John Singleton", "Media Format": "Widescreen", "Run time": "2 hours and 7 minutes", "Release date": "February 5, 2019", "Actors": "Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly", "Studio": "Sony", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson and Michael Rapaport star as first-term freshmen who get a crash course in diversity, identity and sexuality in writer/director John Singleton's bold look at contemporary college life. Also starring Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes, Jennifer Connelly and Tyra Banks..