At a Catholic high school, a sophomore newspaper reporter investigates a case of stolen SAT exams. He thinks he's nailed the suspect and managed to get the popular girl when he realises a larger conspiracy is afoot.
High School. Four of the most important years of your life. But it isn't always dances and keg parties and sucking face in your parents' mini-van. Sometimes it's ugly and hard and complicated. As complicated as a conspiracy to overthrow the president. There's something rotten at St. Donovan's High and sophomore newspaper reporter Bobby Funke is on it like pink rubber bands on your little sister's braces. When senior hottie Francesca Facchini solicits Funke's help tracking down a set of stolen SATs, Funke uncovers a story dirtier than the lunch lady's mustache. After he fingers the school president (figuratively) for the crime, Funke becomes one of the most popular kids at St. Donovan's High. No longer known simply as the freshman who was once tied to a giant snowman penis, Funke wins the respect of everyone from the Desert-Storm-hero-turned-educator Principal Kirkpatrick to the kid that farts on him in Spanish class. When Francesca takes Funke to homecoming, even the in-school suspension delinquents turn nice and offer guidance on how to keep his boner in check during slow dances. But high school's not always what it seems. As Funke's popularity grows so do his suspicions. Did the president really steal the SATs? Or is Funke just a pawn in a conspiracy as complicated as adolescence itself? Determined to find the truth, Funke digs deeper and unearths the sordid underbelly of St. Donovan's. Student council members, college bookies, public school brats, everyone seems to play a part. Armed only with a learner's permit and the spirit of Woodward and Bernstein, Funke must crack the case before it cracks him.—Yari Film Group
At St. Donovan's, a Catholic High School in New Jersey, Bobby Funke (Reece Thompson) is a less than popular 10th grade sophomore with a dream to get into Northwestern University's summer journalism program. Although Bobby claims he's a great writer, he's never finished an article for St. Donovan's school newspaper. The editor-in-chief Clara, (Melonie Diaz), assigns Bobby to do an article on Paul Moore, the student body president. Bobby attempts to get an interview but is unable to get a story out of Paul and is bullied by Paul's friends. Paul is the star of the basketball team and on a game night, Paul takes a fall and injures his knee.
The next morning Principal Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis) discovers the SATs have been stolen from a safe in his office. Kirkpatrick rounds up his "usual suspects" of high school misfits along with Bobby to question them. The group is innocent, but Kirkpatrick warns them all to watch their step.
When attractive senior Francesca Facchini (Mischa Barton) solicits Bobby's help tracking down the set of stolen SATs, Funke uncovers a story. He sets on a large-scale investigation and links Paul Moore to the crime. He writes an article pointing the finger at Paul. The day after the article comes out, Kirkpatrick forces Paul to open his locker and the SATs fall out. As a result of his sleuthing, Funke becomes one of the most popular kids at St. Donovan's. Clara decides to submit Funke's article to Northwestern which earns Bobby a scholarship to the summer program. Funke wins the respect of everyone from Principal Kirkpatrick to the kid that farts on him in Spanish class and Francesca takes Funke to the homecoming dance as her date.
As Funke's popularity grows so do his suspicions. Paul confronts Bobby, proclaiming his innocence, stating that he got into Cornell but decided to take the test again to see if he could get a better score. Funke begins to wonder if Paul really stole the SATs or if he's just a pawn in a larger conspiracy.
Funke investigates even deeper into the lives of Paul's shady friends, all members of the Student Council. He discovers their involvement with drug dealing. The Student Council had actually stolen the SATs along with other tests throughout the year, modifying the marks of the best students to make them doubt their test-taking abilities and turn to the Student Council for performance-enhancing Adderrall and other speed-like medications. Funke says that while Paul wasn't a part of the scam, the group ringleader Marlon Piazza (Luke Grimes) had Paul framed to avoid being caught. Funke also finds out that Francesca leads him along the entire time to keep him from finding out the truth. Francesca and Marlon, step-siblings, are revealed as lovers.
Funke confronts the group in the principal's office. Marlon threatens to have Funke thrown out the window and frame it as a suicide, but his threat and confession are heard on the school's intercom system. When Funke entered the room, he secretly turned on the microphone; Funke's friends save him from being thrown out the window and Kirkpatrick rushes into the office, followed by the student body and Francesca. Francesca attempts to gain Funke's trust again, only to be shut down and left to deal with Kirkpatrick's punishment. Funke walks out of the office as Clara congratulates him for busting up this latest conspiracy and tells him that this latest story will be a further stepping stone to his own career as a writer.
