Class Rank (2017)

Class Rank: Directed by Eric Stoltz. With Olivia Holt, Eric Stoltz, Kristin Chenoweth, Skyler Gisondo. Two high school outsiders join forces in an attempt to overtake the local school board. Guided by their families, they enter the perilous word of politics and, in the process, learn a thing or two about love.

“Veronica Krauss (Olivia Holt) is an uptight, overachieving high school student who lives with her divorced mom Janet (Kristin Chenoweth) in Livingston, New Jersey. She is horrified to be ranked second in her class with her chances at Yale diminishing. She appeals to the school board to abandon class ranking and is rejected. Her final option is to get the equally awkward classmate Bernard Flannigan (Skyler Gisondo) elected to the school board. Bernard has been going to the board meetings since his late grandmother sat as a member. Heu0026#39;s an orphan living with his grandfather Oswald Flannigan (Bruce Dern).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot is a familiar high school outsider rom-com. Both characters are dorky overachieving loners. Skyler fits the role well but Olivia cannot help her pageant beauty looks. She canu0026#39;t escape the cheerleader trope. They fail to even darken and grease up her hair or simply put on a pair of bottle rim glasses. Itu0026#39;s telling that she asks, u0026quot;Whou0026#39;s the prettiest in class?u0026quot; The question is tinged with a sense of vanity. It would be more poignant if she asks, u0026quot;Am I pretty?u0026quot; but thatu0026#39;s a given for her. Anybody with eyes can see that sheu0026#39;s pretty. Honestly, the boys would have asked her out over the years at school. This is a troubling oversight by actor turned director Eric Stoltz. Heu0026#39;s seen enough to know the high school tropes. Itu0026#39;s not like this is trying to break out of the genre. Maybe she could be compared to Tracy Flick in Election but Tracy would never ask if sheu0026#39;s pretty. They should either pick another actress or deal with her beauty in the script. I do like calling them Virgin-ica and Barf-nard. There is some fun and some charm to the kids. That helps to give this movie some appeal but this is no classic.”