The Class movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Class

This coming-of-age movie was released in theaters and VOD on September 9, 2022.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 54 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C-

IN A NUTSHELL:

This coming-of-age film is about a group of high school seniors forced to spend a Saturday at school, completing an exam they missed taking or previously failed. By the end of the day, they find their own values, betrayals, and love within themselves and their classmates.

The movie was written and directed by Nicholas Celozzi. Based on their last names, it appears that the director’s daughter is one of the cast members.

The famous teen movie The Breakfast Club in 1985 was clearly the inspiration for this film. Sadly, it doesn’t have the magic or charm of John Hughes movies.

THINGS I LIKED:

Debbie Gibson plays an incredibly patient, compassionate high school teacher. Young moviegoers probably won’t know that, in real life, she was a hugely popular singer in the 1980s. She’s 52 years old and looks fantastic.
Anthony Michael Hall is a fun addition to this teen-angst movie because he was a common face in a bunch of the successful John Hughes movies of the 1980s.
Hannah Kepple is beautiful and has a beautiful singing voice. What a pleasant surprise!
Teenagers nowadays face increasingly difficult issues in a very complicated world. The film addresses today’s issues for teens like coming out, abortion, family drama, friendship, preparing for college, popularity, health, drugs, and more. Most teens just want to be seen and understood while they’re trying to figure out who they are.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Such annoying teenagers.
So much hair tossing.
I thought it was hilarious when one of the characters pulled a gigantic pill bottle out of her jacket, as if anyone would want to carry that around. Surely, she could have slipped a few in a baggie.
There’s a lot more drama than comedy. Not all of the comedy lands.
All of the characters cry and spill their beans quite easily. Teen drama.
Some bad editing.
It’s weird how the teacher kept leaving her class, abandoning her students. Maybe she wanted to give them privacy to work on their assignments; however, it was established in the beginning of the movie that these were flunking students who needed extra guidance and support.