X
- 1990
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 42 m
- 1990
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 42 m
Summary A shy teen turns on the high school crowd when he broadcasts outrageous nightly monologues on a pirate radio station. (New Line Cinema)
Directed By: Allan Moyle
Written By: Allan Moyle
- 1990
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 42 m
- 1990
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 42 m
Pump Up the Volume
77
8.2
Summary A shy teen turns on the high school crowd when he broadcasts outrageous nightly monologues on a pirate radio station. (New Line Cinema)
Directed By: Allan Moyle
Written By: Allan Moyle
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
81% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
81% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
This is an exhilarating picture, the kind that strips away smug complacencies and exposes raw nerves to a bright light. [14 Sep 1990, p.C4]
Unlike "Heathers," a satiric treatment of teen suicide, Pump Up the Volume is passionately caring. It's a howl from the heart, a relentlessly involving movie that gives a kid every reason to believe that he or she can come of age. It appreciates the pimples and pitfalls of this frightening passage, the transit commonly known as adolescence.
Pump Up the Volume, in addition to presenting an engaging story, has tapped into a universal truth about rebels with causes.
Pump Up the Volume, an exceedingly well-written teenager-full-of-angst melodrama about a high school student who operates a pirate radio broadcast that criticizes parents and teachers while revealing the turmoil of adolescence.
Heathers was such a black-comic revelation that Pump Up the Volume comes as a double surprise. What were the odds, particularly this early in his career, that Christian Slater would end up starring in two of the best high school movies ever? [22 Aug 1990, p.4D]
In the end, even in the howling high frequencies and the nihilistic night, this R-rated movie misses its best shot. It doesn't talk hard enough. [22 Aug 1990, p.5]
Bad teen film unredeemed by aspirations toward significance.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 29 User Ratings
8.2
83% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
10% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
7% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 29 User Ratings
8.2
83% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
10% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
7% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Film Independent Spirit Awards
• 4 Nominations
Deauville Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Seattle International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
