| Overall Grade: |
B- |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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Maytbe I was expecting too much...
by Bruce (movies profile)
Nov 3, 2007
9
of
12 people found this review helpful
Maybe I was expecting too much, but this movie really disappointed me. We were given little survey cards when we entered the theater, and I was so ready to give the movie an "A" before I even saw it. So many things recommended it: all the Tony Awards, Nicholas Hyntner, interesting actors, the promise of a little man on man action. I guess I should have calibrated my expectations a little.
When the movie ended, I turned to Fabian and asked him what grade he was going to give it.
"A 'B'" he said.
"Yeah that's about right" I replied.
Now I lower it to B- for a few reasons:
-This is an age-old story. They chose to avoid the "untraditional teacher wins over cynical students" plotline which is pretty much a sure thing to keep me interested even if the movie isn't great (Dead Poet's Society, Dangerous Minds). But what did they put in its place? A sort-of-conflict of the old vs. the new, but that just limply melts away when the two teachers start teaching together. I guess they add in the distracting disjointed molestation path but don't explore any of the gay-married man, changing times, homophobia aspects that could have put some meat on this movie's bones. They could have gone the moral ambiguity route too: good guy-bad behavior, but that is just glossed over.
-The students aren't that interesting. I wasn't really rooting for them. Didn't really get to know them. The outcome of who gets into Oxford is the least interesting way to go with that.
-The gay stuff is just unrealistic. So everybody knows this one kid is gay and that's just fine!? They even encourage the straight hottie to let the gay one get a good grope. I don't think so.
-Subtle but definite homophobia (This sort of gives away some things, so skip if you haven't seen the movie.) Of the two gay characters, one has to die and the other is condemned to a not-unhappy-but-not-happy effete purgatory. Too reminiscent of the "Celluloid Closet" days when gay people were never allowed to end up happy in a movie.
-The writing just let me down in too many places. For example, Frances de la Tour's (hope I spelled that right) feminism speech. It doesn't really hit the bull's eye.
You really let me down History Boys. |
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