Cooley High marked a detour from AIP's regular fare aimed at black audiences and it paid off: the first directorial effort of Michael Schultz, who went on to make Car Wash, it became a landmark in African-American filmmaking. Written by Eric Monte, creator of TV's Good Times, it is a black remake of American Graffiti, with knockout performances by a dozen teenagers, most non-professional actors. James Wolcott wrote in the Village Voice: "One of the wonderful things about Cooley High is that it's set in the early '60s, before Black Power and Soul on Ice, and by going backwards it pushes forward-it liberates black movies from the tyranny of macho mystique. Cooley High takes black strength for granted and though the movie is loose, rowdy, tough, and sentimental-a movie divided against itself-it's the best American comedy this year."