Die Aufsässigen

When I first saw this movie shortly after it came out I thought it was a little over-the-top, despite the many memorable comic moments. Having had a chance to see it again many years later on cable I find it has more depth than I had seen in it originally. It is definitely a critique of public education, but it does not set up any easy enemies. Everyone here is complicit in a failing system - the unions, the school board, the lawyers, parents, complacent teachers, go-along- to-get-along administrators, &c &c. It is also touching to see how many of these people are not bad people, but are just trying to make a flawed system work (in this respect I find Judd Hirsch, as the put-upon assistant principal, the hidden gem of the movie). Having seen it again after all these years I find it provocative and, surprisingly, touching, especially Nolte's final peroration. And the best part,after all these years, is still Richard Mulligan, as the certifiable lunatic who turns out to be the best teacher in the whole damn school (a brilliant touch on the part of the writers) !!!!!

Except for the shock of JoBeth Williams idiot-level strip tease, plus a few other sharp digs about school teachers you and I have hated or loved, I can't think of a single reason to pay any attention to this Arthur Hiller glob of pretentiousness. Whatever Hiller did to elicit what Judith Crist said was "arguably George C. Scott's finest screen performance" in The Hospital, he didn't do it here for Nick Nolte or Williams or anyone else involved. What we're left with is a stale attempt to expose the darker workings of an American high school, but unlike The Hospital and its wonderfully scorched-earth approach to the runnings of a major healing center, Teachers just makes you want to vote for vouchers--and get your money back from the place you rented this dreck.

I love this film. My father, a teacher for 37 years, loved this film. It's not the greatest cinematic effort in the world, it's not even the best film about teaching (see "The Blackboard Jungle" or "Goodbye Mr Chips"). It is, however, a fine effort and an entertaining film.

There are some great comedic moments in this film: the school psychologist flipping out and squirting Ditto in the face with ink, Richard Mulligan as a mental patient who becomes a substitute history teacher, the theft of a teacher's desk, the whole "Ditto" character. There are problems, however.

The chief problem in this film is the inability to strike a balance between comedy and drama. The film tries to raise vital issue facing schools: funding, apathy amongst staff, lack of parental involvement, safety, administrators who worry more about image than the education of their students, teen angst, conformity vs. individuality. Much of the comedy is used to highlight many of these issues, and some of it works quite well. At other times, it devalues the issue at hand.

There are fine performances from Nick Nolte, Judd Hirsch, Morgan Freeman, Jobeth Williams, Crispin Glover, and Laura Dern. Richard Mulligan and Royal Dano are hysterical. Ralph Macchio is Ralph Macchio; not much depth, but some good moments.

I don't think this is an insult to teaching, as it tries to show different styles. Nolte is the idealistic teacher who tries to reach his students and get them involved, but has lost his passion in an uncaring system. Royal Dano, "Ditto", is a teacher who has removed any responsibility in actively teaching his students and just marks time until retirement. Allen Garfield tries to teach his class, but doesn't seem to be able to reach them and is reduced to an object of ridicule amongst his students. Richard Mulligan is a mental patient, who through an absurd set of circumstances, becomes a substitute history teacher. He literally brings history to life, by dressing up as various figures of history, and acting out their achievements. He uses different methods to engage his students and they respond.

In the end, this film is a mixed bag. It tries to illuminate the struggles of education, offers some solutions, and entertains; but, its message gets a bit lost. Still, it's definitely worth viewing.

Incidently, one reviewer remarked about the scene where Ditto is squirted with ink, saying he is using some kind of paper machine. For you younger viewers out there, that is a ditto machine. In the ancient days before photocopiers became standard, teachers had to prepare their tests and hand-outs on ditto machines. It was a kind of simple printing press. Many were hand-cranked and required a lot of effort to churn out a stack of tests. God help you if you had several pages to print. The ink had a very distinct smell and was often the center of student jokes about getting high off of the tests. Ah, those were the days! Nowadays, the best students can hope for is getting a little toner on their hands from the copier, or a faded screen on their computer. And we used to have to walk ten miles to school, through fifty feet of snow, uphill, both ways; and we liked it!

"Teachers" really doesn't do justice to show us the real world of teaching in a school. But I found it to be a funny and touching movie anyway. An excellent cast came together to create this satire about the lives surrounding teachers, students, and faculty members of an Ohio high school. The main plot of "Teachers" is about a former student (who's never seen) who plans to sue his alma mater, and the pressures the faculty is forced to take. Nick Nolte is very good here as a popular social studies instructor who doesn't play by the rules; Judd Hirsch is also good as the Vice Principal who's a longtime friend of Nolte's. Other cast members include Jobeth Williams as a lawyer (and former student of Nolte's) who's firm is defending the person suing the school; Ralph Macchio ("The Karate Kid") as a troubled student who develops a friendship with Nolte; Oscar winner Lee Grant as the school's superintendent; and the late Emmy winner Richard Mulligan (TV's "Soap" and "Empty Nest") as a mental patient who passes himself off as a subsitute teacher for a history class and acts out all of the historical events by dressing up in costume. Even Morgan Freeman, Laura Dern, and Crispin Glover are featured in small roles before going on to bigger projects (Freeman in "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Shawshank Redemption"; Dern in "Jurassic Park" and "Rambling Rose"; and Glover in "Back to the Future"). All these actors are well cast. "Teachers" isn't a great film, but a good one. I was entertained by most of it, although there are a few preposterous moments. For one thing, I don't buy for one second that a teacher can win three consecutive teaching awards for the most orderly taught class, and then spends every class session everyday reading the newspaper and falling asleep while his students do their school work in class. That's not teaching. This character should not have been included in the script, or at least make him teach. This is absolute nonsense. But I loved the early scene when this instuctor (using some kind of paper machine in the school offices) gets blue ink squirted in the face by the school psychologist who wants to use that same machine (this comes because of his refusal to let her use the machine and as a result the woman flips out). Also, the scene where a woman walks naked down a school hallway is ridiculous. "Teachers" is nonsensical at times, but nevertheless I found it entertaining as I watched it.

*** (out of four)

I'm finishing up my 7th year as a an 8th grade teacher at a typical rural public junior high/high school, and I watch this movie at the end of each school year. It does a few things for me: 1. Helps me realize just how f'd up the people I work with/for really are. 2. Gives me something to laugh about to take the edge off of a long school year. 3. Motivates me to keep teaching year after year even when I've just finished teaching some rough classes.

As for the movie itself, it's up and down. Nolte is his typical mid-80's drunken self. Laura Dern was outstanding as the slutty student, and the rest of the cast fills in the gaps. What I like about the movie is that the teachers, even as stereotypical as they are portrayed, are so real. I can name a fellow faculty member for each role, as most teachers probably could.