Overview
A nostalgic look at friendship and youthful adventures in 1960s Chicago.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- playful
- nostalgic
- witty
- nostalgic movie night
- coming of age double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a warmly observed and culturally significant coming-of-age comedy-drama elevated by its youthful energy and authentic depiction of Black urban life.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Preach, Cochise, and their friends navigate parties, romance, school, police pressure, and the end of high school on Chicago's Near North Side.
The friends' parties and hangouts create a lively nostalgic atmosphere that gradually gives way to arrest, fear, and emotional consequence.
Preach and Cochise are falsely arrested after encountering career criminals connected to a stolen Cadillac.
The film repeatedly grounds its teenage friendships, school life, and social world in Chicago's Near North Side.
Films like Cooley High, and why
American Graffiti
shared coming-of-age focus, neighborhood friendship, youthful humor, and bittersweet transition into adulthood
The Last Dragon
shared teen ensemble, Black urban community setting, social realism, and warm but dramatic tone
Dazed and Confused
shared high school friendship, cultural specificity, nostalgic humor, and emotional coming-of-age drama
The Wood
shared Black coming-of-age perspective, community bonds, music-inflected nostalgia, and dramatic stakes beneath playful comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Schultz
- Release Date
- 1975-06-25
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (75)
Cast
- Glynn Turman
- Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
- Garrett Morris
- Cynthia Davis
- Corin Rogers
- Maurice Leon Havis
- Joseph Carter Wilson
- Sherman Smith
- Norman Gibson
- Maurice Marshall
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Cooley High about?
- A lively Chicago teen friendship story where ordinary high school pleasures collide with romance, police injustice, and the painful arrival of adulthood.
- What is Cooley High like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cooley High as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Cooley High violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Cooley High as mild.
- What did critics think of Cooley High?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a warmly observed and culturally significant coming-of-age comedy-drama elevated by its youthful energy and authentic depiction of Black urban life.
- Which films are like Cooley High?
- Films with a similar feel include American Graffiti, The Last Dragon, Dazed and Confused, and The Wood.
- How long is Cooley High?
- Cooley High runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cooley High?
- In United States, Cooley High streams on Amazon Prime Video, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
