With Honors (1994)

"With Honors" and the French-Canadian film "Jesus of Montreal" are my two favorite films, period. "With Honors" means so much to me...it takes on an issue - homelessness - that most film studios won't touch with a ten-foot pole. Then, it manages to make a funny, warm, touching film that's also fairly mainstream in its appeal. It's amazing that someone could make a film largely about a homeless man into a commercially acceptable film without sugar-coating the issue, but they did it.

Stellar performances abound here, including Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, Josh Hamilton, and the spectacular Moira Kelly. With a great performance by the priceless Gore Vidal - who's also in another of my favorite films, "Bob Roberts."

There are also some nice shots of the Harvard University campus, and the film accurately re-creates the turmoil, joy, and passion and the hundred other emotions that come with college life.