Higher Learning is a 1995 American satire  drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Omar Epps), a track star who struggles with academics; Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson), a shy and naive girl; and Remy (Michael Rapaport), a lonely and confused man seemingly out of place in his new environment.

The film also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film. Laurence Fishburne won an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture"; Ice Cube was also nominated for the award. This was the last film appearance of Dedrick D. Gobert, who was shot dead in 1994 prior to the film's release.

The exterior shots and outdoor scenes were shot on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) while the interiors were shot at Sony Pictures Studios.

Plot
The film revolves around the experiences of three incoming freshmen at Columbus University: Kristen Connor, Remy, and Malik Williams. Kristen is a friendly but naive white girl, Remy is a quiet white man, and Malik is a black high-school track star on an athletic scholarship.

The story begins with Kristen and Malik attending a dorm party hosted by Fudge White, a senior and militant Afrocentric activist. Remy, who is trying to study, contacts the campus police to break up the party due to the loud rap music. Fudge argues that the police unfairly target black students while ignoring white students playing loud "hillbilly" music.

Kristen meets Taryn, an openly lesbian junior, who warns her about walking alone at night and invites her to join a student group. Meanwhile, Malik and Kristen both take a political science class taught by Professor Maurice Phipps, a conservative black man who challenges his students to determine their own identities.

Remy's roommate, Fudge, constantly disrupts his studying with loud music. When Remy complains, Fudge threatens him, leading Remy to move out and get a new Jewish roommate named David. Remy's frustration grows when Malik mocks him after winning a video game.

A turning point occurs when Kristen is raped by a frat boy named Billy. Monet, Kristen's roommate, discovers her crying and receives a racially offensive call from Billy. Monet seeks help from Fudge, who recruits friends to confront Billy at a frat party. Kristen points out Billy to the black students, who force him to apologize to Monet, unaware of his assault on Kristen.

Kristen joins Taryn's student group and confides in her about the rape. Taryn encourages Kristen to report the crime while they grow closer.

Remy, feeling increasingly isolated, befriends a group of white supremacists led by Scott Moss. Remy becomes influenced by their racist beliefs and joins their ranks.

Malik confronts Professor Phipps over a poor grade and accuses him of being a sellout to the white establishment. Phipps responds by emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility and working hard to make a difference. Malik improves his writing skills with the help of his girlfriend, Deja, and learns valuable lessons about self-improvement.

Remy's hatred and racism escalate as he pulls a gun on Malik and David, using racial slurs. He eventually drops out of the university.

The story takes a tragic turn when Remy, armed with a sniper rifle, opens fire from a rooftop during a peace festival organized by Kristen and Monet. Deja is killed, and Malik tries to avenge her death but is stopped by campus police, who violently beat him. Remy then commits suicide.

In the aftermath, Malik discusses his future with Professor Phipps, who expresses trust in Malik's judgment. Malik and Kristen, who have not interacted much until now, have a conversation near a converted Christopher Columbus statue, reflecting on the recent events.

The film concludes with Fudge, Taryn, and others graduating from Columbus University. The closing shot features Professor Phipps walking beneath the American flag, with the caption "unlearn" superimposed over it.

Cast
 Omar Epps as Malik Williams
 Kristy Swanson as Kristen Connor
 Michael Rapaport as Remy 
 Ice Cube as "Fudge" White
 Jennifer Connelly as Taryn
 Tyra Banks as Deja
 Regina King as Monet
 Jason Wiles as Wayne
 Cole Hauser as Scott Moss
 Busta Rhymes as "Dreads"
 Laurence Fishburne as Professor Maurice Phipps
 Bradford English as Officer Bradley
 Jay R. Ferguson as Billy
 Andrew Bryniarski as Knocko
 Trevor St. John as James
 Talbert Morton as Erik
 Adam Goldberg as David Isaacs
 Bridgette Wilson as Nicole
 Kari Wuhrer as Claudia
 Randall Batinkoff as Chad Shadowhill
 Dedrick D. Gobert as Fudge's Homie
 Malcolm Norrington as Cory
 Morris Chestnut as Track Anchor (uncredited)
 Jeanette Bolden as Deja Track Coach (uncredited)

The band Eve's Plum performs, as Themselves, at the Peace Fest.

Reception  
Higher Learning grossed $38,290,723 in the United States, with $20,200,000 in rentals. It ranked #44 for yearly domestic gross and #17 amongst R-rated films in 1995.

For their performances in Higher Learning, Laurence Fishburne and Ice Cube were nominated for the 1996 Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Fishburne won.

Critical response  
The film received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert commended John Singleton's direction of the film: "He sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by fashionable ideologies. His movies are thought-provoking because he uses familiar kinds of characters and then asks hard questions about them." He awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars.
Time Out wrote: "a stylish, intelligent film-maker, Singleton interweaves the threads of his demographic tapestry with assurance, passion and a welcome awareness of the complexities of the college community's contradictory impulses towards integration and separatism."
Writing in The New York Times, Janet Maslin felt that the movie fell short of its goal, saying it "turns out to be an inadvertent example of the same small-mindedness it deplores".
Reel Film Reviews wrote that the film is "consistently entertaining and well-acted all around. While it's not a perfect movie – Cube's character disappears for a 30-minute stretch and Singleton's approach often veers into heavy-handedness – it is nevertheless an intriguing look at the differences between races and how such differences can clash", and awarded it 3.5 stars out of 4.

Higher Learning holds a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's consensus states; "It's hard to fault Higher Learnings goals; unfortunately, writer-director John Singleton too often struggles to fit his themes within a consistently engaging story." On Metacritic, it has a score of 54% based on review from 20 critics.
Singleton commented: "If you look at Higher Learning, which I was 25 years old making it, I'm like chock full of everything that would concern young people: lesbianism, and racism, and everything I could put in that movie. It was a great movie. A fun movie to do. But you could never get that movie made now. Never. The guy shoots everybody, know what I mean?"

Soundtrack  

The soundtrack, containing hip hop, R&B, rock and jazz music, was released on January 3, 1995 by John Singleton's New Deal Music label through 550 Music/Epic Soundtrax. It peaked at number 39 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
In addition to "Higher", performed by Ice Cube, the soundtrack includes original music by OutKast, Liz Phair, Tori Amos and Rage Against the Machine.

Pop culture
The character Malik, played by the same actor, Omar Epps, appears in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, a comedy movie that parodied some known black movies of the 1990s. A year later, after his mates graduation, Malik had returned to the university where he was shot and killed by a new Skinheads member, who also dealt with a few others black activists, including fictional character Radio Raheem.

References

External links 
 
 
 

1995 films
1995 crime drama films
1995 LGBT-related films
1995 romantic drama films
American crime drama films
American LGBT-related films
American romantic drama films
Female bisexuality in film
Columbia Pictures films
Films scored by Stanley Clarke
Films about academia
Films about race and ethnicity
Films about racism in the United States
Films about neo-Nazism
Films about school violence
Films directed by John Singleton
Films set in universities and colleges
Films shot in California
Films shot in Los Angeles
Lesbian-related films
Films about rape in the United States
Films with screenplays by John Singleton
Skinhead films
African-American films
1990s gang films
1990s American films
Bisexuality-related films
English-language crime drama films
English-language romantic drama films