Teacher of the Year

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.

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.

A great film. It is a comedy with a heart touching story. It feels absolutely real but keeps you interested for the whole length of the film.

Strange it's rating is so low.

You will laugh a lot and will also have things to ponder about at the end, unlike some crude comedy films with crude jokes that leave a bad taste at the end.

The film's style may not seem nice at first but later we realize that it's the style best suited to this film.

By the way the action is really great.

The Netflix rating for this movie is one out of five stars. It rates five out of five on Rotten Tomatoes, and 5.3 out of 10 here on IMDb. The fact that the reviews are all over the place almost surely reflects Americans' ambivalence about teachers and public schools (or charter schools that are publicly funded, like the one represented here). My husband and I, both longtime educators, thought that this mockumentary was the most authentic representation of our profession that we have seen. Teaching is tough. It's tough when your students do not respond to your efforts, and, yes, it is even tough when you are "Teacher of the Year."

Not that this is a humorless drama...not at all. It is hilarious because it captures how completely awkward and totally out of the box each day is when you work in this type of school. The teachers in this film display the full range of creativity, grit, anger, envy, compassion and depleted ego that comes with a high-intensity, socially essential job that is often completely disrespected and poorly remunerated.