It's doubtful there was a comic publisher more controversial than William Gaines. As the head of EC Comics he started a line of horror books in the 50's that, to this day, are still looked back upon as influential and before their time. Titles such as "Tales from the Crypt" and "The Vault of Horror" have both seen films made under their banner (and an HBO series in the case of the former). But Gaines also, in 1952, started one of the most popular humour magazines with the creation of "Mad". A collection of parodies and comic strips, it took until 1980 before the publication, unlike its more adult-themed rival "National Lampoon", would lend its name to a film. That film: Robert Downey's Military-themed Up the Academy.

When all is said and done, the inclusion of the Mad Magazine name doesn't lend anything to the film apart from a marketing push and a rubbery-masked take on their mascot, Alfred E. Neuman. Taken apart from these ties, Up the Academy is just your basic lowbrow comedy about a group of misfits who get into all sorts of wacky situations while fighting against authority figures.

Set at the Weinberg Military Academy, the script by Tom Patchett (who wrote for "The Bob Newhart Show" and also created pop culture sitcom "Alf") and his frequent co-writer Jay Tarses gathers together your typical batch of wildly stereotypical teenagers: There's mob kid Cooch (Ralph Macchio), street hustler Eisenhower (Wendell Brown), kleptomaniac Arabian Prince Hash (Tom Citera), and Mayor's son Oliver (J. Hutchison). They're all sent to Weinberg to try and straighten-up their behaviour but, of course, it doesn't happen when they all band together to get into various mishaps while getting under the skin of Major "Liceman" (Harry Teinowitz).

Up the Academy isn't a Hell of a lot different from other comedies of its era even treading a lot of familiar ground during set pieces like when the guys sneak onto the grounds of the neighbouring academy for girls and a finale set at a mixer with a dopey dance sequence. It also piles on the expected bodily function humour while lots of out-of-place songs litter the soundtrack. But that doesn't mean there isn't a good share of mild jokes on hand that will give you a few chuckles - with the best laugh coming during b-movie regular, and Playboy model, Barbara Bach's class on weaponry. I just feel that Patchett and Tarses don't take things to a raunchy enough level. For the type of movie it is, I was expecting a bit more of the tasteless humour and skin I've come to expect.

While none of the young cast are real standouts, this does benefit from having a cast filled with familiar faces and is notable for being co-star Macchio's film debut before gaining fame as The Karate Kid. Also on hand is Tom Poston (best known for playing handyman George on popular sitcom "Newhart") as the over-the-top homosexual instructor and the incredibly cute Stacey Nelkin (who I most remember for co-starring with Tom Atkins in Halloween III: Season of the Witch) playing Oliver's girlfriend. But the show is stolen, much like G.W. Bailey did in Police Academy, by Teinowitz and his constant demands of "Say it again!" to his charters.

Even though Up the Academy is one of director Downey's lesser comedies, it's not even close to being his worst - that title belongs to Too Much Sun, which so-starred his real-life son, Robert Downey, Jr. He handles his young cast fine here, and does get a few smirks out of you, but this is really nothing special and only worthwhile for fans of this sub-genre desiring to see them all. (Chris Hartley, 9/27/09)

Directed By: Robert Downey.
Written By: Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses.

Starring: Wendell Brown, Tom Citera, J. Hutchison, Ralph Macchio.