The Perfect Score Plot
Best friends Kyle (Chris Evans) and Matty (Bryan Greenberg) aren’t exactly looking forward to taking their SATS. Kyle is good in class, but there is no way his scores will get him into his dream school Cornell. Matty needs to get into Mary’s, because his girlfriend Sandy is there, but it doesn’t look possible.
Still, when first Matty suggests stealing the exam answers, Kyle isn’t on board. But when he realizes that SAT is a big profit machine to everyone involved, and nobody seems to care that it is affecting the lives of the students so dramatically. This makes Kyle angry enough to want to steal the answers, but they will definitely need the help of the rebel daughter (Francesca-played by Scarlett Johansson) of the owner of the building where results are kept.
Matty would rather keep the team a trio, but Kyle has already mentioned this to the honor student Anna (Erika Christensen), who just can’t seem to get near her desired score for Brown. And when the pot-smoking weirdo Roy overhears the conversation and Anna brings in the basketball player Desmond who needs the answers as badly as they do, they finally have a team of 6 where the members don’t necessarily trust each other.
Still, Kyle manages to come up with the perfect plan, and the application of the plan brings members closer. But have they really thought everything through? Can they really pull it off?
*
FUN ENOUGH TO WATCH
The Perfect Score is a lovely heist comedy with some action, romance and interesting characters. Roy has been a little overused and his presence can get a bit annoying, but it all blends into the fun relationships and moments of the movie.
It is nostalgic to see Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg and Scarlett Johansson in high school roles-especially since the last time I saw Evans he was Captain America, Bryan was the jerk doctor in Friends with Benefits and Scarlett was once again Black Widow, this time for The Avengers.
It is not hilarious, but it is very enjoyable and highly entertaining. I have to say anyone who rated it below 6 doesn’t just remember what it was to be a high school senior under all that pressure. Granted, we didn’t try to steal the answers, but surely many fantasized about finding a way to bypass the ridiculous exam(s) that determine our future.
And The Perfect Score is just that: a fun fantasy with fun characters, where two of its actors really scored big time in Hollywood. Worth watching, especially if you agree SAT should stand for suck-a** test….(not a name I came up with.: )
Fun note:
Matthew Lillard plays Kyle’s older loser brother who lives above his parents’ garage and thinks it is cool to play Smoke on the Water with the help of the dryer buzzing.