Cooley High

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Cooley High

PG,

1975,

1h 47m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

83%

54 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Richard "Cochise" Morris (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs), a local basketball hero, and Leroy "Preach" Jackson (Glynn Turman), who dreams of a career in writing, are likable Chicago high school students in Chicago in the 1960s. They're into hanging out with friends, pretty girls and the Motown sounds so popular during the era. Each wants to make it big in his own way, but not everybody they meet is looking out for them, as they learn when a seemingly harmless outing goes awry.

Critics Consensus

Cooley High crackles with vibrant energy and authenticity, elevated by an impressively natural cast and Michael Schultz's effortless direction.

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Bryan Johnson

Globe and Mail

Oct 8, 2025

Preach and Cochise have their adventures, a lot of them patently comic or tragic -- but seldom, to me, either very funny or very moving.

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Margo Jefferson

Newsweek

Aug 15, 2025

It is a smart, very affecting movie.

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James Walcott

Village Voice

Aug 15, 2025

The surprise of Cooley High is that it is a schlock concept which transcends its limitation by becoming a celebration of black brotherhood.

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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Aug 17, 2026

4/5

A classic "good hang" movie about some Chicago high school goofs that actually had something to say and influenced a generation of Black cinema and TV.

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Jan 31, 2019

The best comedy movie ever made!

Rey M

Sep 16, 2018

Timely and timeless. The source of Whats Happening. The original, (and better) Boyz n the Hood.

Kylo R

Jul 31, 2018

this might be a good movie but it's not an exploitation film, its a very normal coming-of-age drama that was something like "fresh prince of belair"

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Kylo W

Jul 8, 2018

There are plenty of times when Michael Schultz's 1975 film, "Cooley High", feels like a genuine Blaxploitation version of George Lucas' 1973 film, "American Graffiti". It has the music, the acting, the setting, and has a lot of effort put into it for being a much lower fidelity film than "Graffiti". Unfortunately, its sloppy plot delivery and pacing keep it from reaching great heights.

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Michael Schultz

Director

Glynn Turman

Preacher

Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs

Richard "Cochise" Morris

Garrett Morris

Mr. Mason

Cynthia Davis

Brenda

Corin Rogers

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Synopsis

Richard "Cochise" Morris (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs), a local basketball hero, and Leroy "Preach" Jackson (Glynn Turman), who dreams of a career in writing, are likable Chicago high school students in Chicago in the 1960s. They're into hanging out with friends, pretty girls and the Motown sounds so popular during the era. Each wants to make it big in his own way, but not everybody they meet is looking out for them, as they learn when a seemingly harmless outing goes awry.

Director: Michael Schultz
Producer: Steve Krantz
Screenwriter: Eric Monte
Distributor: American International Pictures
Production Co: American International Pictures (AIP)
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 47m

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