“Movie: School Daze”

Students navigate life at a historically Black college in this 1988 musical comedy, one of Spike Lee’s early efforts. The subject matter is often serious — such as the positions of lightskinned versus darker-skinned AfricanAmericans in the social order — but the clever writing and frequent musical numbers keep the film from becoming too preachy. Laurence Fishburne — going by Larry then — heads the cast.