Dangereuse alchimie

"Student Seduction" was an inadequate portrayal of a teacher caught in the fantasies of a student. The acting of the two main characters, Christie Dawson (Elizabeth Berkley) and Josh Gaines (Corey Sevier), was very well done, and I applaud their effort. However, the film was almost unbelievable.

What I didn't like was the long sex scenes. There were a couple key scenes that were cut short and leaving you wondering what just happened and confused because the actions weren't fully explained. Instead of elaborating these short, key scenes, the editors chose to keep the ridiculously long sex scenes with no purpose. I understand the entertainment value, but come on! If you need a sex scene that much, that you have to have important scenes cut short, then you need to re-evaluate the entire premise of the movie!

All in all, I applaud the two main actors, but I am criticizing everything else.

This should have been a 15 minute movie. I gave it an extra star because the movie did not actually cause me physical pain.

What school on the planet would allow a student to behave the way Josh did, and get away with it? Furthermore, why was the principal so creepy? Her facial expression and tone of voice were disturbing.

Where did those police detectives get their training?

Why did Josh sound like a serial killer throughout the whole movie? Is there something wrong with his voice?

How did he know where his Chem teacher lived? And how did he get in?

This story stunk,in my opinion. I didn't even want to waste my time watching the end. I came here and read about it instead. I can see I didn't miss out on anything.

Pretty chemistry teacher Elizabeth Berkley (as Christie Dawson) offers to tutor handsome student Corey Sevier (as Joshua "Josh" Gaines) after school. Used to having his way with women, Mr. Sevier makes sexual advances, which Ms. Berkley refuses. Persistence leads to accusations... This is a very predictable story, but refreshing in that it does not follow the path you are initially expecting; this makes the title "Student Seduction" highly misleading. Credit should be given to director Peter Svatek and a fine cast, for keeping performances appropriate. In particular, Berkley is attractive without being seductive. Sevier and Sarah Allen (as Jenna) do well as the students. Unfortunately, we are treated to obvious plot plants throughout. You will be able to spot future "witnesses" easily, along with the behavior which could prove to be the perpetrator's undoing.

**** Student Seduction (5/5/03) Peter Svatek ~ Elizabeth Berkley, Corey Sevier, Rick Roberts, Sarah Allen

I would have rate this movie 10/10 if the climax was good. This is a short movie with a length of 1 hour and 24 minutes and the script has well developed from beginning to end. The only problem with the movie is the climax scene which disappoints a viewer who is been thrilled from beginning to last part of movie. I am giving 6/10 and you can watch if you really want to pass some time.

Oh boy, where to begin...

First off, it's a Lifetime Network movie, so you should know exactly what you're getting into when you turn to that channel. That being said, I never really sat through one of these long-winded diatribes before. You know right off the bat what's going to happen, and nothing comes as a surprise.

Elizabeth Berkley stars as the new teacher at some generic high school. Being young and attractive, she warrants the wrong kind of attention form some of her male students (and I think one of the girl students, too, but lesbianism is handled with graceful subtlety on Lifetime). After she begins tutoring one of her students, Josh, he becomes obsessed with her.

One thing leads to another, and Josh thinks they have something more than a teacher-student relationship. He forces a kiss on her in the hallway, then flips out and attacks her at home, ripping her shirt but nothing else.

Somehow, Josh's Dad and his lawyers are able to spin it as if it was the hot, young teacher was to blame for the whole thing. Then, the rest of the movie deals with her struggle to maintain her innocence.

You know what is going to happen. You know how it is going to end. Every single character looks plucked straight from the Big Book of Clichés; young, headstrong teacher, her doubting husband, her incompetent lawyer telling her to plead guilty, only one student who believes in her, the slimy cops and lawyers who are seemingly out to ruin one woman's life so some rich kid won't have to spend a month in juvenile hall. It is all so terribly predictable, and everyone acting in the film seems to know it, also.

I still don't get a few things, though. How on earth could those lawyers spin the facts to make Berkley seem like the predator? Wouldn't one tough (but effective) interrogation of Josh show what really happened? The characters seem to perpetuate on a different level where rational thinking and deductive logic make as much sense as looking for WMDs in Iraq (heh).

Now you understand my summary line. It is boring, stupid, pointless. I'm pretty sure these movies will serve as a backfire and hurt the reputation of women in the sense that they will always be viewed as the victim, and never the one who (gasp) is really guilty. Thank God I had three beers before sitting down in front of this one.