Detention (2012)

31% of critics liked it
(32 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(7,180 ratings)

An apocalyptic fantasy, horror, science fiction, action- thriller, body swapping, time-traveling teen romantic comedy starring Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook and Shanley Caswell, Detention follows the local students of Grizzly Lake as they survive their final year of high school. Bringing even more… More An apocalyptic fantasy, horror, science fiction, action- thriller, body swapping, time-traveling teen romantic comedy starring Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook and Shanley Caswell, Detention follows the local students of Grizzly Lake as they survive their final year of high school. Bringing even more angst to student life, a slasher killer has chosen their high school as his new home of slaughter. It becomes a race against time to stop the killer, which will in turn save the world - if only they can get out of detention. -- (C) Sony Pictures

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Joseph Kahn
Written By: Joseph Kahn, Mark Palermo
Genres: Horror, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 13, 2012 Limited
Studio: IDP Distribution

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Neither good enough to impress as a meta mashup of horror and comedy, nor bad enough to hoot and throw popcorn at, it slides into a gray area of unfocused ideas and unrealized potential.
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com
Tries way, way, way too hard. A directorial drum solo that quickly wears out its welcome.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
There will be young moviegoers who proclaim this genius, and more stodgy audience members who find it torturous. If you're not tweeting and texting a combined 50 times or more per day, you're probably in the latter camp.
Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post
Here's another sardonic look at the hell of the American high school, where countless American filmmakers believe our souls are locked no matter how long it's been since we graduated.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Exhausting before its first few minutes of whip-pans, smash cuts, coarsely self-referential jokes and on-screen text visuals is over...
Nicolas Rapold, New York Times
In this universe people seem composed of 1 percent water and 99 percent '90s references and genre expectations.
Paul Chambers, CNNRadio
The story makes little sense, but the rapid-fire jokes are amusing at times. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. Just keep plugging away and the audience may laugh a time or two.
Brent Simon, Shockya.com
An over-the-top film of boundless energy and if not empty voice then at least wholly scattershot imagination; full of robust but scrupulously manufactured eccentricities.
Fred Topel, Crave Online
If you're a film lover who watches movies all the time, it's nice to have a film or two out there that elevates the craft of watching a movie. I know I need to go to the next level sometimes.
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
A migraine-inducing endurance test.
Adam Fendelman, HollywoodChicago.com
Kahn's fast-paced, Aaron Sorkin-like "Detention" deserves cult-hit status. Just as "The Social Network" embodies our Facebook culture, this SXSW film-festival favorite rewrites today's high school movie bible.
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
Bloody teen slasher ridicules genre's many stereotypes.
Ethan Alter, Television Without Pity
Once you get past the movie's rough beginnings and adjust to its goofy spirit and episodic randomness, Detention becomes a good deal of fun.
Michael C. Walsh, Boston Phoenix
Sort of like The Breakfast Club meets Donnie Darko, except without a hint of subtlety.
Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
It's as if someone vomited pastel-hued nostalgia. I must apologize for that statement: Pastel vomit would take some effort to produce.
Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com
This is a film with enough ideas to fuel five different movies and not a single one of them is any good.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
Resembles a movie less than it suggests an evening of determined, incoherent channel-hopping - with the help of a remote control that's apparently stuck on "random."

Read all 17 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tyler C

Felt like an offspring of Diablo Cody and Edgar Wright, and portrayed high school as if it were on speed and acid. Yet, I really enjoyed it for its meta-ness, countless pop-culture references, and never caring for how it hardly ever makes sense. Bound to be one of the biggest cult… More
Felt like an offspring of Diablo Cody and Edgar Wright, and portrayed high school as if it were on speed and acid. Yet, I really enjoyed it for its meta-ness, countless pop-culture references, and never caring for how it hardly ever makes sense. Bound to be one of the biggest cult hits of this year!

Cast

            Josh Hutcherson as Clapton Davis

            Shanley Caswell as Riley Jones

            Spencer Locke as Ione

            Aaron David Johnson as Sander Sanderson

            Dane Cook as Principal Verge

            Walter Perez as Elliot Fink

            Erica Shaffer as Sloan

            Parker Bagley as Billy Nolan

            Alison Woods as Taylor Fisher

            Logan Stalarow as Taylor's Little Brother

            Julie Dolan as Taylor's Mom

            Daniel Negreanu as Male News Reporter

            Will Wallace as Riley's Dad/Doug Jones

            Joshua Breeding as Hipster Thief

            Mario Garcia as Janitor

            Mickey Jury as Punk

            Jesse Heiman as Nerd

            Joe Keane as Metro

            Percy Daggs III as Jock Kid

            Mason Richardson as Toby T

            Mike Esperanza as Pedro

            Lindsey Marie Morgan as Alexis Spenser

            J.R. Osbourne as Truman

            Jonathan "Dumbfoundead" Park as Toshiba

            Tiffany Boone as Mimi

            Sophia Zach as Round Teen Girl

            Yves Bright as Mr. Kendall

            James Black as Mr. Cooper

            Jessica Lee as Cheerleader

            Travis Fleetwood as Gord

            Ilana Cohn as Officer Marge McNally

            Harry Shelley as Officer Randy Randazzo

            Amanda Leatherman as Monica Lafontaine

            Tammy Minoff as Wendy

            Carrie Wiita as Cinderhella

            Eliot Bitting as Young Billy Nolan

            Richard Brake as Billy Nolan's Dad

            Nicolai Dorian as Sophomore Chump

            Bobbie Knockers as Riley Double

            Ryan Heinke as Dork

            Brian Guest as Clapton's Shaman

            Patrick Babbitt as Uber Nerd

            Franck Jean Elie as Wrestler

            Bryan East as Wrestler

            Jeff Olen as Mr. Kendall's Boyfriend

            Yimmy Yim as Angry Dudette

            Jay Brian Winnick as Principal Woodruff

            Tyler Sean Palmer as Burnout Kid

            Aaron Albert as Young Principal Verge

            John Reha as 1992 Nerd

            Pierangelo Buonamici as Reject

            Aaron Perilo as Male Student #1

            Alison Paige as Female Student #1

            Matthew Albrecht as Greg/Slashing Beauty

            Brooke Haven as Female Beauty Beast Victim

            Clayton Reaser as Male Student #2

            Melanie Abramoff as Lollapalooza Girl

            Erich Lane as Young Doug Jones

            Arthur Darbinyan as Dr. Murdoch

            Justin Smith as Red

            Alexandros S. Potter as Indian Clerk

            Kate Kelton as Madison

            Marque Richardson
            
See full cast