Review by l_rawjalaurence

This is the first in the rebooted series of HABABAM SINIFI movies, based on the books by Rıfat Ilgaz. It is basically plot less, providing the excuse for a series of comic sketches involving the gulling of a succession of educators including Bülent Kayabaş, a gender-bending love-interest plot involving Arzu (Nehir Erdoğan) and her beloved Kete (Mete Ekener), and the return to the school of one of the original HABABAM SINIFI learners in the guise of an educator (Halit Akçatepe).

Basically there's not much more to say about the film, apart from the fact that the cast includes luminaries such as Hülya Koçyiğit (as an harassed educator), Zeki Alasya (as a janitor), and Mehmet Alı Erbil giving a characteristically overstated performance as Behri the head-teacher. The messages are clear - despite the continual trickery, the school upholds the core values of nationalism, family and tradition. The best moments occur when Necmi (Akçatepe) returns to the school, and the soundtrack plays extracts from the original HABABAM SINIFI movies of the Seventies. The camera then cuts to a shot of the original cast, including Kemal Sunal, and a large photo of Rıfat Ilgaz, the author of the source novel. Traditions certainly matter as a means of promoting unity.