Teacher of the Year

Told in a semi-documentary fashion, this film centers around an English teacher by the name of "Mitch Carter" (Matt Letscher) who has been nominated for national recognition as "Teacher of the Year." Needless to say, this high honor has its advantages and disadvantages with some of the people at his high school seeking to share the spotlight with him while others feel somewhat envious. Most notably, the principal, "Ronald Douche" (Keegan-Michael Key) belongs to the first category whereas the instructor specializing in robotics by the name of "Steven Queeg" (Jamie Kaler) definitely belongs in the second group. To that effect, Mitch soon finds that he has a difficult decision to make due to the fact that, while he feels a certain sense of accomplishment in his current profession, the honor also comes with an opportunity to make much more money as a national spokesman for certain causes for which he has no real regard. Now rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay comedy for the most part which had some good scenes here and there with those involving the college counselors, "Lowell Hammer" (Jason Sklar) and his brother "Clive Hammer" (Randy Sklar) probably being the funniest in my opinion. I also thought that Keegan-Michael Key performed quite well too. On the other hand, I thought the drama involving one teacher named "Chris Conner" (Brian Campbell) was a bit too deep and cast a shadow over the comedy which wasn't all that appealing. Be that as it may, this film still managed to pass the time fairly well and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This is underrated. Yes, it is somewhat meaningless, silly, and ridiculous, but that is what comedy often turns out being. Especially a mockumentary. It is for a couple hours where audiences can be entertained and laugh, not necessarily in order to be intellectually simulated or to leave with some great new wisdom having been imparted.

Characters range from very funny and quirky (robotics teacher) to downright asinine (gay guidance counselors).

Take note that to have "Teacher Of The Year" brazenly advertised on a poster and what looks to be everything included in the advertising material for this film with Keegan-Michael Key's profile picture is a serious misnomer. He is in but a fraction of the scenes and is the principal for Truman High School. Not even a teacher, and certainly not the winner of the Teacher Of The Year award, the star of the show, and the protagonist around whom the entire mockumentary revolves around, a teacher played by Matt Letscher. Who accordingly is in almost every scene.

From my time as a tutor and feedback from other teachers, putting the implausible aspects aside, the general philosophies, anecdotal going ons with students and their parents, the plentitude of frustrations that go along with the daily grind, and the more positive emotional effects of being a teacher- particularly in a public high school- are actually very relatable. Plus, the takeaway message, if you can say this has one, is realistic while still remaining positive- Yes, we should all do what we love, but we should also do what we need to for the people we love!

Good takeaway message? Funny and relatable? Mockumentary with memorable characters? Triple checks! Recommended fast more than the critics would have you believe.

Even though I'm not a teacher, I laughed so much I had to rewind a few times to catch the next lines. My daughter is a teacher & it reminded me of some of the stories she tells me about her experiences with crazy kids & crazy parents. This is a very funny film. I liked the different style used as well. It was kind of like a day in the life.... Really cool. Something out of the ordinary. Not the same old stuff you typically see in movies. You have to pay attention to catch everything cause there is a lot going on & you don't want to miss any of the witty comments. The writer did a great job. A very smart comedy is a wonderful thing to behold. I was very impressed with the cast as well. Top notch all the way. I know the movie has won a few awards, but in my opinion it deserves a lot more. Everyone will get something from watching this film.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie, but I actually liked it a lot. One of the better "Mockumentary" style films I have seen, and possibly one of my favorites.

Basically Keegan Micheal Key is hilarious as Principal Douche, and the other supporting comedic actors keep it funny, but at the heart of it is a very good story with some depth too which made me want to find out what would happen next. As a "Mockumentary" though it is not a typical style comedy with typical style jokes every minute. It has some serious moments, but plenty of funny stuff too. Making it one of the better Mockumentaries in many years in my opinion.

Do not expect a typical film and let it take you where it will go, very funny and really well done.

OK, so what is this? This movie is part comedy, part drama. Horribly mixed together. Awfully inconsistent, the drama is cringe worthy, and very little of the comedy is actually funny.

I think I get what they are going for with the comedy, but it does not really work. They are trying that: "awkward, dorky, boring people taking things really seriously, not understanding that everyone thinks they are losers"-type humor. Ann there are a lot of scenes like that, but then, right the next moment things are supposed to be touching, and heart felt.

The scenes with Keegan-Michael Key are the most funny. He succeeds at what he's trying to do. Also the strange twin brothers, are almost good. But the rest are forgettable.

Matt Letcher, which is sort of the main character, is doing most of the drama, and it does not work. You can see that he is trying to act in a realistic manner, and it is just embarrassing on his behalf. I think the director is to blame, though.

Teacher of the year is supposed to be a quirky, heart warming comedy- drama, (at least I think it is) but fails at both. There's some good talent here, but it does not work.