The Perfect Score (2004) is a teen heist film directed by Brian Robbins, starring Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Scarlett Johansson, Erika Christensen, Darius Miles, and Leonardo Nam as six students whose futures will be jeopardized if they fail the upcoming SAT exam. In order to prevent this, they conspire to break into the building and steal the answers for the upcoming exam, which will allow them all to get perfect scores. The film deals with one's future, morality, individuality, and feelings.
The film has similarities to other high school movies, including The Breakfast Club and Dazed and Confused, which are often referenced throughout the film. However, the film was panned by most critics and performed quite poorly at the box office, losing out to the ironically named dance film: You Got Served.
The film may be an unofficial remake of the obscure 1997 Irish film How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate.
Compare Bad Genius, a Thai film about stealing the answers to an SAT analogue.
This movie contains examples of:
- Achievement Test of Destiny: It's about going to the extreme of stealing the answers to the SAT.
- Adrenaline Makeover: Happens to Anna by the end of the movie.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Roy. Between being stoned and pretty pervy, Roy is quite the strange character.
- Deadpan Snarker: Francesca.
- Fanservice: Panty Shot at the computer, although many of Scarlett Johansson's outfits (including tight black leather in a Shout-Out to The Matrix) count.
- Fun with Acronyms: SAT is used by the characters for a variety of puns, notably "Suck-Ass Test."
- Genius Ditz: Roy. In Spades.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Francesca who, despite being quite bitchy, wants to either own a no-kill animal shelter or be a stay at home mom who actually cares for her children.
- Lampshade Hanging
- My Beloved Smother: Desmond's mom wants to make sure Desmond doesn't glide into college on a basketball scholarship and gets Roy to quit smoking and actually study.
- Parental Abandonment: Francesca's father.
- Rich Bitch: Subverted. Francesca's father owns the regional office of ETS, but Francesca is very much against it and the corrupt school system (in her eyes) that has used the SAT to its advantage, rebelling against her background.
- Stoners Are Funny: Roy.
- Where Are They Now: The film ends with a montage showing where each of the six main characters end up after taking the SAT.
- You Shall Not Pass!: Matty lets himself get caught by ETS security in order for Francesca to escape with the others.
