Every time I think about a film that it "has its moments", I realize that the film I'm talking about isn't really very good. And from a former earth science teacher, vice-principal, and principal...I'll tell you that from an educational standpoint, this is not a good film. It's alright if you're one of the light subject teachers (like art), but if you're a content teacher, this film gets it all wrong in terms of what works in schools. I was a reasonably popular teacher and educator, but I never saw a teacher as adored as "Mr. D" that really taught his/her subect with any depth at all. Dressing up an Indian doesn't teach about the Indian wars or the history of the American Indian. And by the way, to show a flashy pop teacher, they have him jumping all over the place in terms of historical ears and events. But teaching is just lecturing, either. And the unpopular teacher here (at least for much of the film) is actually the better teacher.
In terms of acting, the actor here that really deserves the credit is David Paymer, one of our finest character actors. Coming in second here is a young Ryan Reynolds. Both do fine, but Paymer shines.
The overall plot gets way too silly way too often. A teacher waking up in school in his pajamas? A teacher dressing in homeless clothing and stealing a look at a hospital chart? Really...juvenile stuff.
What's interesting about these reviews is most who wrote a review rate it highly, but most who just rated it, rated it quite low. Not sure what that tells us.
If you want to see something more serious about education, try "The Emperor's Club" starring Kevin Kline. In terms of "School Of life", it's okay if you like fluff.
In terms of acting, the actor here that really deserves the credit is David Paymer, one of our finest character actors. Coming in second here is a young Ryan Reynolds. Both do fine, but Paymer shines.
The overall plot gets way too silly way too often. A teacher waking up in school in his pajamas? A teacher dressing in homeless clothing and stealing a look at a hospital chart? Really...juvenile stuff.
What's interesting about these reviews is most who wrote a review rate it highly, but most who just rated it, rated it quite low. Not sure what that tells us.
If you want to see something more serious about education, try "The Emperor's Club" starring Kevin Kline. In terms of "School Of life", it's okay if you like fluff.