Teachers has a lot going for it. No question about that, yet when it finally ends, you just don't really feel like it moved you. This film is kind of like a flip side of Fast Times at Ridgemount High. That film focused primarily on the students and was mostly a comedy. Teachers is told from primarily the adults' point of view and is more serious than funny. There are some funny moments to be sure, but a lot of the more dramatic moments fall flat, or just don't feel motivated.
Nick Nolte is certainly not what's missing here. He's as likable as ever as a formerly idealistic teacher who now can barely make it out of bed on a Monday morning. He lies about his line of work to bed women, he's always hung over, etc. In one scene it almost looks like he's wearing the shirt he had on in that infamous mug shot of a few years ago! He is funny at times, and when Nick Nolte says a line with passion, you believe he means it. He is a great actor. There is also plenty of talent amongst the supporting cast members. Judd Hirsch is fine as Notle's once good friend, and now just a bureaucrat vice principal. Look for Morgan Freeman in an early role as the school's attorney. A young Laura Dern is also on the scene, and looking pretty. JoBeth Williams plays Nolte's former student, now an attorney helping sue the school since her client graduated from there and still cannot read. Crispin Glover is the typical spaz character he always played, and Ralph Macchio was kind of annoying in his role.
The crux of the plot deals with the pending lawsuit, and several day-to-day problems the film wished to address amongst the students. Violence, teen pregnancy, lack of learning can all be found here. The film wished to treat these problems as new and disturbing, but since the film was made, they kind of look trivial now. The Columbine tragedy, among other things, has made the problems these students face in the movie almost tame. Ultimately, the film comes up a little too short because it just tries to juggle too many characters and events. The final scene, where JoBeth Williams strips down in the hallway seems forced, since not enough time is used to build up her motivation to do something so crazy. It just doesn't work. And then the film cops out with a feel-good kind of ending that really resolves nothing and seems inappropriate. Another annoying thing about this movie is the overbearing soundtrack. It isn't bad music, but it just seems to drown out some scenes as a song will start up to remind the audience, "hey! this scene is important! Don't you hear Joe Cocker singing?" I think I also heard .38 Special, Bob Sieger, and maybe even a Freddie Mercury sans Queen song. It just sounds to me that the record company spent way too much money trying to get the soundtrack sold. Overall the film is worth about 6 of 10 stars.
The Hound.
Nick Nolte is certainly not what's missing here. He's as likable as ever as a formerly idealistic teacher who now can barely make it out of bed on a Monday morning. He lies about his line of work to bed women, he's always hung over, etc. In one scene it almost looks like he's wearing the shirt he had on in that infamous mug shot of a few years ago! He is funny at times, and when Nick Nolte says a line with passion, you believe he means it. He is a great actor. There is also plenty of talent amongst the supporting cast members. Judd Hirsch is fine as Notle's once good friend, and now just a bureaucrat vice principal. Look for Morgan Freeman in an early role as the school's attorney. A young Laura Dern is also on the scene, and looking pretty. JoBeth Williams plays Nolte's former student, now an attorney helping sue the school since her client graduated from there and still cannot read. Crispin Glover is the typical spaz character he always played, and Ralph Macchio was kind of annoying in his role.
The crux of the plot deals with the pending lawsuit, and several day-to-day problems the film wished to address amongst the students. Violence, teen pregnancy, lack of learning can all be found here. The film wished to treat these problems as new and disturbing, but since the film was made, they kind of look trivial now. The Columbine tragedy, among other things, has made the problems these students face in the movie almost tame. Ultimately, the film comes up a little too short because it just tries to juggle too many characters and events. The final scene, where JoBeth Williams strips down in the hallway seems forced, since not enough time is used to build up her motivation to do something so crazy. It just doesn't work. And then the film cops out with a feel-good kind of ending that really resolves nothing and seems inappropriate. Another annoying thing about this movie is the overbearing soundtrack. It isn't bad music, but it just seems to drown out some scenes as a song will start up to remind the audience, "hey! this scene is important! Don't you hear Joe Cocker singing?" I think I also heard .38 Special, Bob Sieger, and maybe even a Freddie Mercury sans Queen song. It just sounds to me that the record company spent way too much money trying to get the soundtrack sold. Overall the film is worth about 6 of 10 stars.
The Hound.