Bad Education (2019) Movie Review
Bad Education is based on the true story of Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman), a superintendent who is determined to lead the Roslyn school district to academic excellence. His right hand man is actually a woman named Pam (Allison Janney) who oversees the budget and bookkeeping for the school district. Frank is well respected by the students and teachers and is chock full of charisma that enables him to hide a variety of secrets.
The school is preparing to pass a budget of $8 million for a new skywalk. Does that seem unnecessary to you? That’s because Roslyn is attempting to become the number one school district in the United States. The school is over the top and the parents are the worst kind. They’re constantly hovering over their children and unwilling to accept that their child might not have any remarkable abilities or talents. From the beginning, you realize something isn’t quite right. Pam seems to live well above her means and Frank has expensive habits. Plus there’s something definitely off about Frank, despite his charms. He’s a little too slick, a little too polished. However, he does clearly care about his students. He studies their names and interests in his spare time and makes it a point to know each person in his district. There are several times throughout the movie where you see glimpses of his original passion for education but it’s clear he’s become lost in the excesses of his life.
The main driver of the movie is Frank and Pam’s embezzlement scheme. The revelation comes to light early on in the movie and you are forced to sit tensely as the scheme unravels. The extent to which Frank knows about the scheme is hard to discern but that makes watching all the more enjoyable. Is he sleazy or is he merely a genuine person with a secretive personal life?
Jackman plays this perfectly giving Frank nuances that make you engage with the character while simultaneously hiding everything behind a perfectly maintained façade. Janney shines as Pam with a Long Island accent and attitude that kills. To be honest, the acting really saves the movie from being kind of boring. Director Cory Finley’s sophomore effort doesn’t quite match up to his debut movie, Thoroughbreds. Thoroughbreds was sleek and devastatingly intriguing. Bad Education feels a little bland for Finley as he sticks straight to the story and doesn’t take many artistic liberties.
He’s saved from a total miss here by Jackman and Janney’s performances and the tension he manages to build despite revealing the embezzling scheme early on in the film. Finley doesn’t do as much with the material as he could have, but it’s a solid little movie that’s worth the watch.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You want a critique of the American school system
2. You like movies based on true stories
3. You want to see Jackman’s range
