Pump up the Volume poster & wallpaper

Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Scott Paulin

Mark (Christian Slater) runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.

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81% liked it

31,394 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

29 critics

R, 105 min.

Directed by: Allan Moyle

Release Date: August 22, 1990

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DVD Release Date: December 21, 1999

Stats: 1,373 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,373)

  • puffchunk
    October 16, 2009
    puffchunk
    As much as I love Slayter, I must equally hate 80's kids and radio.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    In 1990 this was the coolest film ever made.
  • KhrisP
    September 5, 2008
    KhrisP
    This was an excellent movie!!!!!

    The ultimate teenage rebellion, angst and outspoken movie ever. Forget American Pie and all those other poser teen movies, this is the definitive rebel yell from one of the most rebellious Hollywood stars.

    You have to love the soundtrack to the ...( read more)movie, it rocks hardcore. And so does the local pirate DJ, who happens to be a discreet, shy teen suffering in the prison which his life has become, and opens his mind and attitude to others in a literal "call to arms" to take back their lives, their identity, against a totalitarian school bent on eradicating their very souls.

    Its a hard hitting, yet funny look at the repressed teens of our society and the unity of kids against their school, parents and government for limiting them, turning them into the opposites of what they really feel, what they really want.

    Cause in the end, as the message goes, to be a teenager, to have a life, to have your own mind, to have an open minded education, to have the ability to think for yourself.... its a God given right to be YOU.



    ENJOY!
  • crackingdanio
    August 14, 2008
    crackingdanio
    Effortlessly cool, as Ebert would say two thumbs up
  • thmtsang
    April 12, 2008
    thmtsang
    Christian runs a pirate radio station and causes chaos. Cool teen flick.
  • rickrudge
    September 30, 2009
    rickrudge
    Pump Up The Volume (1990)

    In the boring New Mexican suburbs all of the teens are listening to a nightly pirate radio broadcast put on by an anonymous student. Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is a shy new kid at Hubert Humphrey High School. His Dad moved the family from New York...( read more) to be a school board administrator.

    At night Mark takes on the persona of mouthy Hard Harry during the broadcasts and has a way of telling it like it is. He's unaware of how much the student body admires and respects what he has to say.

    Nora Diniro (played by beautiful, fun-sized Samantha Mathis) is the sexy student librarian who tries to find out who this Hard Harry is. Naturally, like in all teen movies, the adults and teachers are the enemy, and they're trying to go after Mark and his rap music with a vengeance.

    I've always enjoyed Christian Slater movies, who always seemed to play a younger version of Jack Nicholson. He's always got a smart-assed remark. He also plays those ultra-shy stalker guys that some girls seem to love. In this film, he gets to play both characters to the hilt. It's amazing how a bookworm, electronics nerd can develop a washboard stomach.

    I believe that this is Samantha Mathis's first movie too. Seth Green also makes an appearance in a bit part. I'm not sure whether he's related to Ellen Green who plays Jan Emerson in the movie.
  • wallflowersperk
    June 26, 2009
    wallflowersperk
    Christian Slater as a Pirate DJ? Yeaaaah!
  • exoticbrillance
    June 21, 2009
    exoticbrillance
    I still have this soundtrack, and listen to it reliogiously
  • wrems
    June 19, 2009
    wrems
    Stay hard Harry!!
    Mathis is such a easy hoe in this lol
  • eanda4ever
    June 15, 2009
    eanda4ever
    LOVED THIS MOVIE AS A TEENAGER.

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Comments

  • codylicious69
    October 4, 2009
    codylicious69
    How do i actually watch it. I love this movie but all that comes up is a 33 second trailer
  • Spicecats
    September 20, 2006
    Spicecats
    Christan Slater W00TS!!!!!!!
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Pump up the Volume Trivia

  • Which movie did Christian Slater get sick during because of all the smoking he was doing?  Answer »
  • What 1990 film featuring Christain Slater features the phrase "Talk Hard"?   Answer »
  • In which movie did Christian Slater say: "Eat your cereal with a fork and do your homework in the dark."  Answer »
  • "i know you, not your name but your game, i know the true you. Come to me, or ill come to you." What movie is this line from?  Answer »
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