My Tutor
Encyclopedia
My Tutor is a 1983
film directed by George Bowers
. It stars Matt Lattanzi
, Caren Kaye
, Kevin McCarthy
and Crispin Glover
.
during the summer vacation
before leaving to college, and one's eventual relationship with his female French tutor.
class juxtaposed with a classroom of students taking an examination. The movie's two protagonists are featured in these scenes, with Terry Green (Caren Kaye
) participating in the aerobics and Bobby Chrystal (Matt Lattanzi
) taking, not very well it turns out, his last high school final, in French
.
At first, Bobby's main goal for the summer before college appears to be losing his virginity
, if not with his unrequited high school crush, Bonnie (Amber Denyse Austin) who dates a college student, then with any takers. Soon, though, the poor results of the French final are in, and Bobby must take a make-up examination and score at least 85% in order to retain his acceptance at his father's alma mater, Yale University
. Mr. Chrystal (Kevin McCarthy
) hires Terry, a skilled French tutor, to live in the Chrystal home during the summer and work with Bobby on passing his exam. In addition to her normal compensation, Mr. Chrystal offers to give Terry a bonus payment of $10,000 should Bobby pass.
Terry and Bobby begin working together but Bobby's lack of interest in both French and Yale soon become apparent. His real goal, he tells Terry, is to attend UCLA and study his true passion, astronomy
. Terry is sympathetic but reminds Bobby that wherever he ends up going to college, he will need to pass his French final. With Terry's help, Bobby begins to make some progress.
At night, after she thinks everyone in the Chrystal home is asleep, Terry uses the family's pool
to skinny dip
. However, Bobby sees her one night and begins watching her regularly (especially after several unsuccessful attempts by his friends and him to have sex with women in increasingly bizarre situations). After one such evening, Bobby follows Terry back to her room, only to have her sneak up behind him and surprise him. Terry gently admonishes Bobby for spying on her but it is clear that they have a mutual attraction. Terry, however, has begun seeing a former boyfriend again, much to Bobby's displeasure.
After yet another evening out with his friends, Bobby returns home to find an upset Terry, who had earlier discovered her boyfriend again cheating on her. They talk briefly and Terry later heads to the pool for her regular swim. Once she completes her lap she sees Bobby waiting for her at the end of the pool. Terry reacts by pulling Bobby into the pool with her and kissing him. Returning to Terry's room together, the two begin a love affair.
The affair between Bobby and Terry progresses until the summer's end approaches and he has to take his French examination. Despite Terry's attempts to keep their relationship casual, Bobby has developed serious feelings for Terry and resists her insistence that the affair end once he takes his exam. Matters worsen when Mr. Chrystal, who himself lusts for Terry, sees his son and Terry kissing one night. After Bobby successfully passes the test with a score of 91%, Mr. Chrystal reveals to Bobby his promise to pay Terry the $10,000 bonus, implying that Terry's affection for Bobby was driven by greed. Bobby reacts by angrily telling his father that he will be attending UCLA, and not Yale, and storming out to find Terry. Once he finds her, he confronts her with what he has learned, calling her a hooker, leading Terry to slap him and deny his accusation.
Afterward, Bobby seeks out Bonnie, his old crush, and, using his new-found confidence with women, is able to persuade her to begin dating him. Terry prepares to leave the Chrystal home and Bobby approaches her to say good-bye. He begins by apologizing to her for his rash accusations and then telling her that he will forget her. Terry tells him matter-of-factly that he will never forget her. The two share one last kiss, and Terry drives off. Bobby leaps into the air, looking forward to the rest of his life.
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
film directed by George Bowers
George Bowers (filmmaker)
George Bowers is an American film director, editor and producer.Bowers was born in the Bronx, New York. As an editor, he has an extensive list of credits dating from 1968 to his latest film in 2008. As a director, he directed films such as Private Resort with Johnny Depp and My Tutor with Crispin...
. It stars Matt Lattanzi
Matt Lattanzi
Matt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
, Caren Kaye
Caren Kaye
Caren Kaye is an American television and film actress who is best known for her roles in the 1983 film My Tutor and the short-lived NBC sitcom It's Your Move.- Career :...
, Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (actor)
Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film, and television actor, who appeared in over two hundred television and film roles. For his role in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
and Crispin Glover
Crispin Glover
Crispin Hellion Glover is an American film actor, director and screenwriter, recording artist, publisher, and author. Glover is known for portraying eccentric people on screen such as George McFly in Back to the Future, Layne in River's Edge, unfriendly recluse Rubin Farr in Rubin and Ed, the...
.
Premise
The film details high school graduates' attempts to lose their virginityVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
during the summer vacation
Summer vacation
Summer vacation is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students and instructors are off school typically between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the country and district.-Students:In some countries, students participate in programs such as organized sports, summer camps, and...
before leaving to college, and one's eventual relationship with his female French tutor.
Plot
The movie opens with scenes of an aerobicsAerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
class juxtaposed with a classroom of students taking an examination. The movie's two protagonists are featured in these scenes, with Terry Green (Caren Kaye
Caren Kaye
Caren Kaye is an American television and film actress who is best known for her roles in the 1983 film My Tutor and the short-lived NBC sitcom It's Your Move.- Career :...
) participating in the aerobics and Bobby Chrystal (Matt Lattanzi
Matt Lattanzi
Matt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
) taking, not very well it turns out, his last high school final, in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
At first, Bobby's main goal for the summer before college appears to be losing his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
, if not with his unrequited high school crush, Bonnie (Amber Denyse Austin) who dates a college student, then with any takers. Soon, though, the poor results of the French final are in, and Bobby must take a make-up examination and score at least 85% in order to retain his acceptance at his father's alma mater, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Mr. Chrystal (Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (actor)
Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film, and television actor, who appeared in over two hundred television and film roles. For his role in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
) hires Terry, a skilled French tutor, to live in the Chrystal home during the summer and work with Bobby on passing his exam. In addition to her normal compensation, Mr. Chrystal offers to give Terry a bonus payment of $10,000 should Bobby pass.
Terry and Bobby begin working together but Bobby's lack of interest in both French and Yale soon become apparent. His real goal, he tells Terry, is to attend UCLA and study his true passion, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. Terry is sympathetic but reminds Bobby that wherever he ends up going to college, he will need to pass his French final. With Terry's help, Bobby begins to make some progress.
At night, after she thinks everyone in the Chrystal home is asleep, Terry uses the family's pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
to skinny dip
Skinny Dip
Skinny Dip is a caper novel by Carl Hiaasen first published in 2004.-Plot introduction:Set in South Florida in the course of April, 2003, it is about a woman, Joey Perrone, who takes revenge on her cheating husband after he has tried to murder her...
. However, Bobby sees her one night and begins watching her regularly (especially after several unsuccessful attempts by his friends and him to have sex with women in increasingly bizarre situations). After one such evening, Bobby follows Terry back to her room, only to have her sneak up behind him and surprise him. Terry gently admonishes Bobby for spying on her but it is clear that they have a mutual attraction. Terry, however, has begun seeing a former boyfriend again, much to Bobby's displeasure.
After yet another evening out with his friends, Bobby returns home to find an upset Terry, who had earlier discovered her boyfriend again cheating on her. They talk briefly and Terry later heads to the pool for her regular swim. Once she completes her lap she sees Bobby waiting for her at the end of the pool. Terry reacts by pulling Bobby into the pool with her and kissing him. Returning to Terry's room together, the two begin a love affair.
The affair between Bobby and Terry progresses until the summer's end approaches and he has to take his French examination. Despite Terry's attempts to keep their relationship casual, Bobby has developed serious feelings for Terry and resists her insistence that the affair end once he takes his exam. Matters worsen when Mr. Chrystal, who himself lusts for Terry, sees his son and Terry kissing one night. After Bobby successfully passes the test with a score of 91%, Mr. Chrystal reveals to Bobby his promise to pay Terry the $10,000 bonus, implying that Terry's affection for Bobby was driven by greed. Bobby reacts by angrily telling his father that he will be attending UCLA, and not Yale, and storming out to find Terry. Once he finds her, he confronts her with what he has learned, calling her a hooker, leading Terry to slap him and deny his accusation.
Afterward, Bobby seeks out Bonnie, his old crush, and, using his new-found confidence with women, is able to persuade her to begin dating him. Terry prepares to leave the Chrystal home and Bobby approaches her to say good-bye. He begins by apologizing to her for his rash accusations and then telling her that he will forget her. Terry tells him matter-of-factly that he will never forget her. The two share one last kiss, and Terry drives off. Bobby leaps into the air, looking forward to the rest of his life.