Front of the Class

My wife told me I had to watch this movie with her because of how good it was. She was right! Front of the Class tells the inspiring story of Brad Cohen, based on the real life person. Brad (played by TV actor James Wolk) grows up in a broken family after his mom and dad divorce. Since his youth, Brad started making uncontrollable odd noises at random, with no ability to control them.

His Mom, played wonderfully by Patricia Heaton (Raymond TV series), won't take the doctor's diagnosis of basically no explanation. She digs and digs and discovers Tourette's Syndrome, a neurological disease, with no cure. With unbelievable love and patience, much like Sally Fields in Forest Gump, she supports and encourages her son to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher.

Brad goes through a tough time that demonstrates the ignorance of supposedly educated human beings as he interviews over and over for jobs in the education field. He has all the credentials from his studies - he needs a break.

The film nicely weaves back and forth between the young Brad dealing with people not accepting him then, versus adults not accepting him as he's an adult. I can only imagine how frustrating this must have been.

The movie also weaves in a complicated father/son relationship, nicely delivered by Treat Williams, a very strong performance.

The ending will have you cheering, so yes, Hallmark movies are sappy. But this one will give you a nice warm heart. It's a perfect holiday movie to pick up your spirit and give you hope for a better world.

See Front of the Class - you will enjoy it!

My whole family loved this movie. It was nice to see an inspiring movie with a great message. Loved it.

It's a simple yet inspiring story,the adversities the protagonist met just like what everyone has to deal with in real life. The disappointment and despair when hunting for a job ,the issues with family, everything is just like going through life. Except that with his disability,he learned to understand more and care more,of course also fight harder for his dreams, really moving and encouraging.

I was looking for other movies that Dominic Scott Kay had done and stumbled on this one and I bought it and then I remembered seeing advertisement for its airing, but sadly never watched it.

This was the best movie I have ever seen and have never heard of Tourett's Syndrome. the acting was superb from everyone even to the little kids. Jimmy was great and really looks like an older Dominic. We loved Dominic in the Santa movies and on NCIS as the boy scout.

I will only support the Tourette cause, I hope the real Brad Cohen stays happy and is a true role model for anyone with disabilities.

I hope you will do a follow-up movie. I would like to see more from Jimmy and of course Dominic.

Front Of The Class (2008) : Brief Review -

Backed by the great story of Brad Cohen this one make a front of the Classic Heart-touching drama. I have never seen any Hallmark Hall Of Fame TV films yet but I've heard quite mixed reactions about it. Some people say, HHF shows sappy films while some says that they always bring good stories. I don't wanna choose any side because i don't think i will be watching any movie from this club any time soon unless i hear or read something outstanding so, I would rather talk about this flick individually than comparing with other films of the club. I don't know what good or bad films HHF has showed but this one is a Classic! That's a big statement because i use that word only for some real classy stuff. Front Of The Class is a docudrama about the persistency of Brad Cohen Brad who, despite being challenged by Tourette's Syndrome at a very young age, defies all odds to become a gifted teacher. It shows us that how so called normal people of the society behave abnormally when they meet weirdo, doesn't matter if it has an incurable medical condition. With this film, we learn a lot about life and people's perspective of looking at things, especially the ones with special conditions. But mainly, it is a high-spirited and inspirational drama which will fill your life with hopes and empty all the negative thoughts one has during tough situation. As it says, "It's ok to be weird", then why is it not ok to accept the weird? James Wolk as Adult and Dominic Scott Kay as child Brad Cohen give performances to remember. They handle all the challenging parts with accuracy and make it look natural. Supporting cast fine, screenplay is very good, dialogues are nice and direction is Superb. Overall, it's a Classic emotional and motivational drama which should not be missed. Never let anything stop you from achieving your dreams.

RATING - 8/10*

By - samthebestest.