Thursday, September 3, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks - Teacher Movies

Written as part of the blogathon hosted weekly by Wandering Through the Shelves. If you haven't already, you should join us by picking three movies that relate to the week's theme and telling us about them.

My father was a high school French and Spanish teacher for twenty-four years before becoming a vice principal. My mother became a middle school social worker after working in a hospital for years. So I have a special place in my heart for films that look at the adult side of schools. I've already used some good ones in previous weeks (Dead Poet's Society, Take the Lead, Hamlet 2). These are three of my absolute favorites.

Mr. Holland's Opus (Stephen Herek, 1995) Glen Holland is a composer trying to start a family. Since there aren't exactly a whole lot of regular jobs for composers, he takes a job as a high school music teacher to make some money. What he didn't expect was that the job would take over his life, to the point that he becomes more invested in his students (including young Alicia Witt, Terence Howard, and Jean Louisa Kelly) than his son, who (of course - this being a melodrama and all) happens to be deaf. Richard Dreyfuss is great in the lead, aging Holland believably from the 50s through the 90s, and Gleanne Headley is incredibly sympathetic as his wife.

Entre les murs (Laurent Cantet, 2008) Everything about Laurent Cantet's film (titled The Class in English-speaking countries) is risky: the students are real kids, not actors, it was based on an autobiographical book by a teacher in an average French school, that teacher plays himself in the film, and it's shot like a documentary, despite being more or less scripted. So if The Class feels more true to life than other school films, that's because it is. In every possible way. Neither M. Marin nor his students nor the other teachers are perfect - they all make mistakes, even when they know in the moment that they're wrong. The dialogue in the classroom is more stimulating, and teaches the audience more about the current state of France (and possibly the world), than any other film ever made. FULL DISCLOSURE: I attempted to read the book on which this was based, and found it SO dry. The film, thankfully, is anything but. The fly-on-the-wall documentary style is an inspired choice, making everything feel like it's buzzing with energy.

School of Rock (2003, Richard Linklater) Far and away the best (read: least annoying) Jack Black has ever been, largely because he plays off the kids so well. This is slightly bending the rules a bit, as Black's character, Dewey Finn, isn't actually a teacher but a washed-up never-was rock band leader. He may be a terrible, lazy son of a bitch, but when he pretends to be his best friend to take a substitute teaching job at a prestigious prep school (he's also broke), it turns out he's a pretty good music teacher. He's also selfish, turning the kids into a band to compete in a local Battle of the Bands to prove to his old band that he's better than they are. The kids (including a young Miranda Cosgrove) are adorable, Black interacts with them brilliantly, Sarah Silverman is hilarious in a bit part (Dewey's best friend's girlfriend), and Joan Cusack is at her Cusack-ian best as the principal of the school.

19 comments:

  1. I haven't seen your first two choices but they both sound very interesting. School of Rock was fun! Great picks!

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    1. Whenever it's on TV, I stop what I'm doing to watch School of Rock.

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  2. Ohh how could I forget about School of Rock! Great choices :)
    - Allie

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  3. Oh man, Mr. Holland's Opus. I haven't seen that in ages, great call! I liked School of Rock too but haven't seen Entre les murs, but it sounds very interesting.

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    1. The Class is really, REALLY good. I have watched Mr. Holland's Opus probably a few times too many...

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  4. I haven't seen Entre les murs but the other two are terrific choices. I put off seeing Mr. Holland's Opus for the longest time because it looked so sappy but when I finally broke down I really enjoyed it and was mad that I had waited so long especially when I discovered it had Glenne Headley AND Olympia Dukakis in it!! Love them both and usually Dreyfuss too and he was wonderful in this.

    I like your description of School of Rock as the best Jack Black film because it's the least annoying. Couldn't agree more and I only went to see it in the theatre because it was my buddy's turn to pick the film we were going to see. Although its not something I re-watch often it was much better than I expected.

    There are so many that could apply to this week's theme and I had a hard time whittling down and once I did I remembered one that bends the rules a bit having been a TV event movie in its day and there was a Bette Davis theatrical version of but I didn't love it nearly as much as this Kate Hepburn one so I had to include it.

    Kindergarten Cop (1990)-New York cop Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with another agent (the fun Pamela Reed), on the trail of a drug dealer follows a lead to a small town in Oregon where it's believed the dealer's divorced wife is hiding out. When the other agent, who was supposed to masquerade as a kindergarten teacher, falls ill he steps in. Mix of kiddie comedy and violence isn't always wholly successful but there is a great deal to enjoy in this mostly sweet comedy.

    Teachers (1984)-Pitch black comedy/drama of a troubled school in the midst of a lawsuit from a student given a diploma despite the fact that he's illiterate and the teachers who try to maintain some semblance of order despite their frustrations. Good performances by a cast full of familiar faces and a loose unbridled one by Richard Mulligan as an educator who dresses up as the characters he teaches about.

    The Miracle Worker (1962)-Young teacher Annie Sullivan is sent by the Perkins institute to the home of the Kellers to try and help them with their blind and deaf daughter Helen, who through years of indulgence has become a wild child. Discovering a keen intellect trapped in the girl she sets out on the rough challenge to break through her defenses. Both Bancroft and Duke won Oscars for their great work in this.

    Honorable Mention-The Corn is Green (1979)-A strong willed teacher, slightly past middle age, inherits property in a small Welsh mining village where she determines to start a school to educate the workers. She meets resistance from the mine owner who doesn't see the value of her plan and discovers a lad with untapped possibilities and becomes his mentor. This one is slightly outside the perimeters since it's was a TV special but with Katharine Hepburn, in her best late career performance, as the star; George Cukor as director and production values good enough for a theatrical release I decided to include it since it's a favorite of mine.

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    1. Olympia Dukakis is so good as the principal in Mr. Holland's Opus, that I almost wish there was more of her in it. School of Rock so exceeded my expectations that I bought it on DVD.

      LOVE that you picked Kindergarten Cop! And of course I love The Miracle Worker, such tremendous performances! I haven't seen Teachers or either version of The Corn is Green, but the latter has been on my list for a while and the former is certainly on my list now! The premise is incredibly intriguing. Almost can't believe I've never even heard of it!

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    2. Would LOVE to hear what you think of the two different versions of The Corn is Green once you've seen them. Davis's film has its strengths but for me the Kate Hepburn version is superior. The story had originally been a stage play with Ethel Barrymore as the teacher and was quite a success for her.

      Bette liked the story and actually was involved in trying to musicalize it into a show called Miss Moffat in 1974. It played the larger regional cities, Philadelphia, New Haven etc. but had script problems and then her health became an issue and it closed out of town.

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    3. Oh dear sweet Lord, Bette in musicals... a friend has the original cast recording of Two's Company and WOW is it awful. Not quite as awful as Katherine Hepburn's Coco, but still. Pretty ear-splittingly bad.

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  5. I'm very curious about The Class! I've been watching a ton of French films lately so I should add that one on the list!

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    1. The Class is really incredible. It's a great look at how schools work in other countries, and how the kids are similar/different to here.

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  6. Mr. Holland's Opus is a wonderful film and the one song sung by his student is beautiful. I have not seen the 2nd film but have seen School of Rock and it's good and has a fun message but there is something about Jack Black I don't like..I find him a bit creepy.

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    1. I love all the music in Mr. Holland's Opus. And I totally agree about Jack Black. That is one weird dude.

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  7. Mr. Holland's Opus is a great pick. Glad to see it get some love today! And School of Rock absolutely qualifies.

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    1. YAY for the Mr. Holland's Opus love - I'm surprised it didn't get picked more.

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  8. The only reason I didn't pick Mr. Holland's Opus was I figured everybody would pick it. I adore that movie. Richard Dreyfuss is just everything in that performance. One of the most memorable movies of my childhoold...period.

    I am so ashamed I never saw The Class. I caught a bit of it, but it was dubbed in English and I just couldn't do it. I'll try again one day.

    School of Rock, well, you know...

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    1. You should definitely watch The Class, but dear Lord not a dubbed version. Really interested to see what you think of it, especially as a teacher.

      Mr. Holland's Opus is just <3.

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  9. Definitely considered all of your picks. If I went with The Class...it would have been an all French language theme within a theme :)

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