Oxford Blues (1984)

This film in my opinion shows Rob Lowe for teenager fans. The rest lacks of script, hooks, actings, even the history is plain and uninspired. The nice guy travel to England to know the girl of his dreams and the British despised him (In Oxford) but he succeed. Also the British characters are boring, tedious, predictable. I don't want to spoil but it's only a film to remember the eighties and Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy (Maybe the strongest point). The rest can't be much more accomplished and has some real flaws... specially on the script aspect. The scenes of rowing towards the river and competitions are the best of this movie. Only for fundamentalists of Rob.

A condescending hustler is in love with a woman he's never met. He cons his way into enrolling at Oxford, to meet Lady Victoria. Because of his exceptional rowing skills, he joins the rowing team with one chance only. He is heartbroken to learn that Lady Victoria has a fiancé (Julian Sands) His arrogance gets him into trouble, but with the help of his friend Rona (Ally Sheedy) he may reach his potential after all. I suppose this was an OK movie, albeit, a tad on the mundane side at times. Your enjoyment of this film may depend on how much you can tolerate the 80's coming of age story formula and all the clichés that come along with it. I usually love the 80 clichés, but this one succumbs to tedium a little bit too often for my liking. This had a lot of potential to be a memorable coming of age film, the talent was certainly there. I did enjoy some of the intense training scenes from Rob Lowe, along with the hi-jinks that you would often see at this stage. I'm not really into rowing very much, it ranks as one of the dullest sports next to Curling. The rowing race at the end is very well done and I have to give it credit. Rob Lowe isn't very good in this movie. He comes across like a poor man's Tom Cruise without the charisma to pull off the likable arrogance. In fact, he's plain unlikable for most of the movie. His obtuse personality isn't very easy to get behind, and I didn't find much redeeming about him. Another problem is that you know where Lowe's character is heading. When his character shows maturity it is far too late to care. His romance storyline with both Sheedy & Amanda Pays is rushed and not given enough time to be as effective as it wants. I like Rob Lowe. He is very talented when he wants to be, but not in this one. Ally Sheedy's character is supposed to be vital, but it sure didn't feel that way. She comes across as somewhat awkward and unsure on how to portray the role. She's cute to look at, but the script doesn't give her much to work with. As a result, she comes off as slightly inconsequential. Julian Sands's character is a bit ambiguous. He's neither a good guy or a bad guy, falling in the middle. Carry Elwes has a small roll as well. Final Thoughts: I didn't hate it or even dislike it, it just isn't that good of a film. You can do better when it comes to coming of age films from the 80's. You won't regret watching it, but it isn't worth seeking out5.4/10

During his career Rob Lowe has been compared as the Brat Pack throwback to some of the matinée idols of the Studio era. That comparison was sealed when he did Oxford Blues a more suggestive remake of the MGM classic A Yank At Oxford which did so well for Robert Taylor back in the day.The same basic plot is retained for Oxford Blues from the original film. Rob with a little help from computer hacker brother Chad in an unbilled part, gets himself a transfer from the University of Nevada to matriculate. Funds for the trip and the tuition is won at the Las Vegas crap tables. And Rob even gets a Ferrari, courtesy of divorcée Gail Strickland, most satisfied with the extras that Rob provides for her when he's not parking cars. Stuff back in the day MGM would not show with Robert Taylor.If you thought Taylor was a fish out of water at Oxford back in the Thirties, he's nothing compared to Lowe here. Oxford is a place steeped in tradition and Lowe's casual attitude really irks a lot of people from head man Michael Gough on down.Worse than that he's got a casual attitude towards his sport of rowing. There even in their suits and gowns, the rowers are the jocks that rule in that place.Though there are certain things that don't change. When Lowe is challenged to a 'sconcing' contest, he knows what chugfest is all about.Like in the original Rob's caught between two women, matriculating student Ally Sheedy, fellow brat packer from America and Lady Amanda Pays who's well known nobility who occasionally winds up on the gossip pages. She's got a fiancé in the person of Julian Sands, but that doesn't deter Lowe one bit.Another good role in Oxford Blues is that of Julian Firth who plays Lowe's roommate and a person who is in some wonder of Lowe's casual American ways. Farther down the cast list in a minor part as another Oxford student is Cary Elwes who would be a movie name in a couple of years.Like the previous film when MGM filmed A Yank At Oxford on location there, Oxford Blues is also filmed at Oxford and I must say the place doesn't look like it changed much in almost fifty years. Then again a place steeped in tradition like Oxford isn't expected to change. Not even for Rob Lowe.As for Rob himself, he carries off the part of Nick DeAngelo in the best hero/heel tradition of that other matinée idol of yore, Tyrone Power.

Rob Lowe is a hot but obnoxious Oxford-bound student who wants to meet a beautiful girl enrolled there and also row his way to a championship if he has the time.When wreck-less Rob gets his cute little red sports-car wedged between two stone walls at Oxford, it becomes in his best interest to redeem himself with the school, though he fails miserably by showing up late for classes and acting like a royal pain in the butt. It seems Rob will decide to behave and row as long as his crew-mates let him wear his black leather jacket so he can stand out above everyone else.Amanda Pays and Ally Sheedy co-star in this remake of 'A Yank at Oxford'.