IMDb RATING
6.5/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
A brave-hearted girl and her charming best friend make a bewitching pair as they embark on a mission to take down the oppressive schooling system of K-12.A brave-hearted girl and her charming best friend make a bewitching pair as they embark on a mission to take down the oppressive schooling system of K-12.A brave-hearted girl and her charming best friend make a bewitching pair as they embark on a mission to take down the oppressive schooling system of K-12.
- Directors
- Writer
- Stars
Margot Budzyna
- Kelly
- (as Maggie Budzyna)
- Directors
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
K-12 was amazing for Melanie's first movie, I could notice that the acting sometimes was a little off but other than that it was a fabulous movie. The songs were amazing k-12 is my favourite album of Melanie's out of crybaby and after school ep. I think this deserved to be rated a 7.5 stars I loved how kind off weird the movie was but in a good way and I like gore in movies so this movie was definitely the movie for me! Especially if it's by my favourite singer. I totally recommend watching this movie k-12 if your a fan of odd movies. I loved the cheography of the dances and movement this movie had to be one of my favourites! Can't wait for her new movie portals!
Melanie Martinez has always been one for interesting visuals and concepts, and nothing exemplifies that more than K-12. The music video portions of the movie are beautiful. Amazing sets, catchy songs, gorgeous costumes and intricate choreography, but it seems as though aesthetic was the main focus of the movie. The plot - if you choose to call it that - is definitely where the movie falls flat. It's clear that Martinez's heart was fully invested in her directorial debut, but the writing itself reeks of immaturity. The integration of the songs itself is also done very poorly. While some songs like 'Wheels on the Bus' are weaved carefully into the plot, you also have abrupt starts and stops of scenes for songs like 'Teacher's Pet'. As a Melanie Martinez fan, though I can admit its faults, I liked the movie. For the casual viewer? I think you're better off watching the visuals themselves as opposed to the full hour and thirty minute feature film.
7lypy
Loved most of the songs and the whole movie was aesthetically really pleasing! I enjoyed the first 30 minutes of the movie very much but the rest wasn't as good for some reason. Some of the songs didn't really fit with the plot too well and the acting was a bit cringeworthy at times. I love Melanie but I think the casting & script could have been better. Despite that, I think that she did a great job on this movie considering that she wrote/directed it besides acting etc. Maybe Melanie was just too involved in making the K-12 film because some parts of the movie seemed rushed or just not making sense at all. I got to admire her ambition though: she had a vision of this movie that would explain the album and I think she succeeded in that. If you're going to listen to the album, I recommend watching this movie first (although it isn't that good by itself so just do it for the songs).
K-12 is just as it says-- an enchanting musical with a unique touch and wonderful aesthetic. I think people should see this film for its wonderful aesthetic and visual representation, but dont watch it expecting good writing and a plot.
The musical aspects (songwriting, choreography, and singing) of the film are amazing as usual with Melanie's work, but there are many potential plotpoints in the film itself that are just touched on once and never mentioned again. Some songs made seamless integration into the plot, for example "Wheels on the Bus", but others appeared out of nowhere and brought nothing to the plot, like "Strawberry Shortcake".
The movie's timeline is through the school years of Crybaby, but for most of the movie you couldnt tell at all what grade she was in at that time. Along with this, most of the characters are forgettable and dont have defining personality, but hey, at least it looks pretty!
I do think that Melanie put too much on her shoulders for this film. She wrote the script, directed, was the lead actress, did all of the songs, and edited the whole thing-- I applaud her for all the effort she went to make this film. For all of this being new to her, I think she did well, but I think that she should take it easy next time.
The film left me a little disappointed with more questions than answers, but at least I left the cinema with 14 new bops to add to my playlist.
The musical aspects (songwriting, choreography, and singing) of the film are amazing as usual with Melanie's work, but there are many potential plotpoints in the film itself that are just touched on once and never mentioned again. Some songs made seamless integration into the plot, for example "Wheels on the Bus", but others appeared out of nowhere and brought nothing to the plot, like "Strawberry Shortcake".
The movie's timeline is through the school years of Crybaby, but for most of the movie you couldnt tell at all what grade she was in at that time. Along with this, most of the characters are forgettable and dont have defining personality, but hey, at least it looks pretty!
I do think that Melanie put too much on her shoulders for this film. She wrote the script, directed, was the lead actress, did all of the songs, and edited the whole thing-- I applaud her for all the effort she went to make this film. For all of this being new to her, I think she did well, but I think that she should take it easy next time.
The film left me a little disappointed with more questions than answers, but at least I left the cinema with 14 new bops to add to my playlist.
Don't go in expecting you're gonna get a movie with fleshed out characters or a coherent story. The thing you're gonna get is just a bunch of music videos mashed together.
The way the story is written is how kids from elementary school play make-believe with their friends. (only the friends have magical powers, everyone wants to get a bit of that spotlight, being a bit grotesque sometimes for the fun,...). It seems as if Martinez had a lot of fun with this project and I don't blame her, if I had the chance I would do the same.
My main problem with the movie is that it tackles way too many themes (bullying, transphobia, body image,...) and it ends up being a "we live in a society"-mess wherein only the obvious get stated without saying much in depth about it.
I do praise the movie for the costume design and set design, the colors in this movie had me in awe and that's what you kind of expect if you've seen Martinez previous music videos for her Crybaby album for example.
I would recommend this movie to people who are a big fan of Melanie Martinez and for the people who watch movies solely for the aesthetic.
Did you know
- TriviaFor much of September 2019, following its very brief and limited theatrical run, the movie was free to view on Melanie Martinez's YouTube channel.
- GoofsIn the food fight scene, after Cry Baby hides behind the counter with her friends, a boy with blue hair is seen. When the film cuts to a wider shot, he vanishes, and then later reappears.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Melanie Martinez: Wheels on the Bus (2019)
- SoundtracksWheels on the Bus
Written by Melanie Martinez, Michael Keenan and Emily Warren
Performed by Melanie Martinez
- How long is K-12?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- K-12: A film by Melanie Martinez
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $303,230
- Gross worldwide
- $359,377
- Runtime
- 1h 36m(96 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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