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Mrs. Hart (Cate Blanchett), the new art teacher,
inspires one of her teenage male students in Notes
on a Scandal, but not in a good way. Female
teachers who have sex with male students have long been fodder for the news
media, but the movie industry seems more comfortable with the endless
parade of movies celebrating gung-ho teachers turning underprivileged teens
into champions of everything from calculus to ballroom dancing. Those
stories may be true, but if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them
all. Notes presents
a refreshingly negative view of school life. (Most school experiences are
far from life-affirming. I’d rather forget mine.) The Oscar-nominated
Blanchett is extraordinary, as is fellow nominee Judi Dench, who plays a
confidante with an ulterior motive. Neither actress has been better, even
when they were both nominated eight years ago for playing Queen Elizabeth I
in different films.
Strangers with Candy (2005)
turns the dark world of high school on its ear. In a big-screen adaptation of the
Comedy Cental sitcom of the same name, Amy Sedaris plays Jerri Blank, a
fortyish ex-con who tries to turn her life around by going back to school.
Her completely ridiculous attempts to be one of the kids form the core of
this satire. The incompetent faculty is represented by a handful of
oddballs. The science teacher, who has a hair-trigger temper, is carrying
on an affair with the art teacher, who could easily pass for the village
idiot. The daffy principal is hilariously played by Greg Hollimon as if he
were channeling Groucho Marx. Matthew Broderick, who appears in a bit part, had one
of his best roles as a harried high-school teacher in the underrated
classic Election (1999).
Reese Witherspoon co-stars as his perfect foil, a monstrously overzealous
candidate for student-body president. Witherspoon’s fans who know her
from her more commercial fare may be shocked at her ability to plunge
fearlessly into darker realms. Stick It (2006) should be
awful, but it is actually quite engaging. Missy Peregrym is an absolute
revelation in her first starring role, playing a troubled teen who is
forced to return to the world of gymnastics to avoid jail time. Jeff
Bridges takes his basically honorable coach character off the track enough
to avoid the pitfalls of what would otherwise be a stereotypical role.
Peregrym is charming and riveting, and the chemistry she builds with
Bridges is wondrous. Ignore your expectations and give it a chance.
New on DVD this Tuesday (Feb. 13): The Departed, School for Scoundrels, Infamous Marie Antoinette, and The U.S. vs. John Lennon.
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2007.
