Wick's Review

Summary - Good 3.0

An Instagram moment propels this fitfully funny comedy about a High School lit teacher who gets aroused by a former student, after which video evidence gets socially shared around school. It’s all very au courant.

The English Teacher keeps its sex comedy in bounds by steering clear of current Student-Teacher sex. Its legally consensual encounter can then humorously upset several apple carts, especially when a phone camera and some social video sharing pours gasoline onto an already combustable situation. DRAMA!

Julianne Moore, Greg Kinnear and the great Nathan Lane are three can’t miss stars. Well, two can’t miss. Miss Porcelain Face needs the right role to shine. Otherwise she’s better in support than as the lead. This ain’t the right role. To be clear, she’s far from bad, just not great.

It doesn’t help that the whole thing is thematically maudlin. That said, it finally triggers an unrestrained chuckle with an appearance by an old standby – Ben and Jerry’s. An hour in, however, the comedy gets too pratfally and there’s still half-an-hour left.

Worth viewing for a contemporary hoot and its strong cast, The English Teacher grades out as a solid C.

Acting - Very Good 3.5

Julianne Moore is more than adequate as the spinster teacher of the title, even if this isn’t one of her more memorable roles.

Greg Kinnear and Michael Angarano are somewhat mismatched as a father-son who intersect with her life. Kinnear is never less than great, here included. Angarano is less than great, however, as his repressed son.

Nathan Lane is ideal as a flamboyant drama teacher. Perfect casting, no?

The strong supporting cast includes Lily Collins as a not-so-naive ingénue, the wonderfully named Norbert Leo Butz as a hard-assed Vice Principal, Jessica Hecht as a weak-willed Principal and Nikki Blonsky as a brassy performer.

Fiona Shaw lends her Royal Academy voice to the proceedings as the Narrator.

Film - OK 2.5

Craig Zisk’s film has as many pluses as minuses.

• Nice title carding and use of narration is a plus
• Sensitive to a fault is a minus.
• It rings true in that she’s the first to extend an arm to him, which makes sense given her superior position. So that’s a plus.
• An exceptionally long list of thanks is kind of a minus.

Edge - Risqué 2.2

Brief classroom sex barely lifts The English Teacher’s skirt into Erotic range. Otherwise it’s lots of talk and little action.

Reality - Glib 1.3

Movie silliness aside, The English Teacher is another case study showing that once adults don’t hold an upright standard, kids are free to rebel.

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