Student Excahange (1987)

Student Exchange (Dir: Mollie Miller, 1987)

A lightweight teen comedy from Walt Disney Television. Originally screened in two parts on ABC's The Disney Sunday Movie series. 

Greeley High School students Carole and Neil are top of the class academically but bottom of the heap socially. Passing themselves of as foreign exchange students in a bid to be noticed, they are a hit with fellow pupils, less so with the school principal. Predictably, things get a little out of hand and the pair are soon wishing they were their old selves again.

Inexplicably, identity switch movies were something of a Disney Sunday Movie staple in the 1980s. The previous season had presented Young Again (Steven Hilliard Stern, 1986), Double Switch (David Greenwalt, 1987) and Double Agent (Michael Vejar, 1987) while the current series also offered Rock 'n' Roll Mom (Michael Schultz, 1988) and 14 Going on 30 (Paul Schneider, 1988). Meanwhile The Disney Channel was churning out a seemingly endless series of sequels to Disney's original switcheroo comedy The Parent Trap (David Swift, 1961). 

There is little in Student Exchange that is particularly original and nothing that really makes it stand out among the plethora of teenage wish fulfillment movies. Mollie Miller's direction is solid and the performances are fine, although the production cannot quite shake the feeling of an extended TV episode.  

It also suffers from a message that is slightly muddled. While it is undoubtedly important to be yourself, Student Exchange makes it seem a lot more fun to be the popular kid and get the girl/boy of your dreams. However, lovers of the era will be happy that the old favorite 'shopping spree to 60's hit' montage is present and correct a full 2 years before Julia Roberts hit Rodeo Drive in Pretty Woman (Garry Marshall, 1990).

Viveka Davis and Todd Field are likeable leads, but perhaps of more interest to modern audiences is the supporting cast. A post-Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner, pre-fame Heather Graham and pre-infamy O J Simpson all put in appearances. 

Student Exchange is little more than a 90 minute high school sitcom. But a pleasant enough nostalgia trip at that. Teens and tweens of the late 80s may get more out of it than anybody else. But i don't see why younger audiences wouldn't enjoy it too; essentially it is a modern day Disney Channel movie in 1980s clothing. It is predictable and formulaic but also good-natured fun.