Brendan Fraser was supposed to be the big star.
Coming off of fun films like Encino Man, Airheads, and even cameos in some Paulie Shore films, Brendan was also able to prove himself in drama like Gods and Monsters, action flicks like The Mummy, and today’s choice, School Ties. In this film, written by Law and Order creator Dick Wolf (supposedly based on his time spent in a preparatory school) Fraser plays David Greene, a talented quarterback from a small Pennsylvania town who gets a chance to play his senior year of football at an elite school that will likely get him into Harvard. The opportunity seems too good to be true, as it gives David a chance he would’ve never had back home. Unfortunately, the anit-semetism that he dealt with in Pennsylvania is also present in the hallowed halls of academia, so for the majority of the film David is forced to hide his religion in order to fit in. The choice weighs heavily on him, but he knows this opportunity is too good to pass up so he does his best to just keep his head down and his secret kept.
He likely would’ve gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those damn meddling kids.
Among his classmates are Golden Globe nominee Chris O’Donnell, future OBIE award winner Anthony Rapp (best known for his performance in Rent), Academy Award winner Ben Affleck in a smaller role, and the young man who would eventually do him in, Academy Award winner Matt Damon.
Damon, having only appeared in Mystic Pizza prior to this in any substantial role, plays Charlie Dillon, a young rich heir apparent to the Dillon name whose expectations are heavily weighing on him. In the hands of a lesser actor, Dillon would’ve been easy to hate, as he is anti-semetic, cocky, handsome, and an all-around prick. But for the majority of the film, Damon plays him with some sympathy and charm, so we feel for him and all that he loses with David’s arrival. Before David hit the campus, Damon was in line to be the quarterback,had the beautiful Sally on his arm, and was an all around “big deal” on campus. That all crumbles when David starts scoring touchdowns and winning the big games.
He tries his best to be David’s friend, and they share a particularly effective and touching scene on a boat dock, but after overhearing some wealthy alumni discuss David’s religion at a gathering, he quickly uses the information to turn the majority of the student body, and Sally, against David. A wave of anti-semetism scorches the school, complete with taunts and an appearance of a swastika. And if that wasn’t enough to hate Damon, he also cheats on a test and attempts to place the blame at David’s feet.
Much like Dead Poets Society before it, School Ties is a film with a message, mostly about young white men with every opportunity in the world to succeed, but it showcases that even among the privileged, there are those who want to take you down and ruin your life. With lesser actors it could’ve been easily forgettable, but Hollywood was smart enough to recognize Damon’s talent and start casting him in prestige films like Courage Under Fire, Saving Private Ryan, and giving him a chance to carry films on his own beginning with Good Will Hunting. Before the end of the decade, that megawatt smile was everywhere.
Brendan Fraser might have been the big name at the time, but it was Damon who walked away with the bigger career.
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
