Teachers (1984)

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

W.R. McKinney (written by)

Release Date:

5 October 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They fall asleep in class. Throw ink on each other. Never come in Mondays. And they're just the teachers.

Plot:

A teacher overcomes his frustration in a high-school full of flunkies. As he attempts to educate his students...

Plot Keywords:

Student | Teacher | High School | Female Nudity | White Panties

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Alex Jurel
JoBeth Williams	...	Lisa Hammond
Judd Hirsch	...	Roger Rubell
Ralph Macchio	...	Eddie Pilikian
Allen Garfield	...	Carl Rosenberg
Lee Grant	...	Dr. Donna Burke
Richard Mulligan	...	Herbert Gower
Royal Dano	...	Ditto Stiles
William Schallert	...	Horn
Art Metrano	...	Troy
Laura Dern	...	Diane
Crispin Glover	...	Danny
Morgan Freeman	...	Lewis
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Grace
Steven Hill	...	Sloan

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

Actor Richard Mulligan (from "Soap") likes to dress up as historic persons when teaching. He is apprehended while impersonating General Custer, in almost the same outfit as the same actor used as general Custer in _Little Big Man (1980)_.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lisa and Alex are having dinner, Lisa's wine glass goes from full to half full and back again.

Quotes:

Alex Jurel: [to his class] All right, if you're not here, speak up.
[the class laughs]

Soundtrack:

Understanding

Likable comedy/drama

"Teachers" really doesn't do justice to show us the real world of teaching in a school. But I found it to be a funny and touching movie anyway. An excellent cast came together to create this satire about the lives surrounding teachers, students, and faculty members of an Ohio high school. The main plot of "Teachers" is about a former student (who's never seen) who plans to sue his alma mater, and the pressures the faculty is forced to take. Nick Nolte is very good here as a popular social studies instructor who doesn't play by the rules; Judd Hirsch is also good as the Vice Principal who's a longtime friend of Nolte's. Other cast members include Jobeth Williams as a lawyer (and former student of Nolte's) who's firm is defending the person suing the school; Ralph Macchio ("The Karate Kid") as a troubled student who develops a friendship with Nolte; Oscar winner Lee Grant as the school's superintendent; and the late Emmy winner Richard Mulligan (TV's "Soap" and "Empty Nest") as a mental patient who passes himself off as a subsitute teacher for a history class and acts out all of the historical events by dressing up in costume. Even Morgan Freeman, Laura Dern, and Crispin Glover are featured in small roles before going on to bigger projects (Freeman in "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Shawshank Redemption"; Dern in "Jurassic Park" and "Rambling Rose"; and Glover in "Back to the Future"). All these actors are well cast. "Teachers" isn't a great film, but a good one. I was entertained by most of it, although there are a few preposterous moments. For one thing, I don't buy for one second that a teacher can win three consecutive teaching awards for the most orderly taught class, and then spends every class session everyday reading the newspaper and falling asleep while his students do their school work in class. That's not teaching. This character should not have been included in the script, or at least make him teach. This is absolute nonsense. But I loved the early scene when this instuctor (using some kind of paper machine in the school offices) gets blue ink squirted in the face by the school psychologist who wants to use that same machine (this comes because of his refusal to let her use the machine and as a result the woman flips out). Also, the scene where a woman walks naked down a school hallway is ridiculous. "Teachers" is nonsensical at times, but nevertheless I found it entertaining as I watched it.

*** (out of four)