Teacher of the Year (2014) User Reviews (18)

The level of comedy vs. storyline is undecided

[rosends · 6/10 · 4 August 2015]

I really enjoyed this film because, as a teacher, I recognized archetypes and situations and felt that the writers had a good sense of the craziness that is teaching in high school. However, I found that the political issues surrounding public vs. private/independent vs. charter are glossed over and dealt with in a single scene, yet they expect intellectual investment from the audience without true discussion.

I also saw a serious rift between two separate aspects in the film. Thee is a serious plot, and a serious subplot. Questions of unions and stakeholders, finances and resources are all there. And, yes, there is a little bit of humor in there. But then there are the supporting characters, the other teachers who are so criminally negligent and ridiculous in what they do that it undercuts any realism in the major story arc. Yes, in a school some teachers are eccentric and if this mockumentary wants to show a teacher singing a silly song in class in an effort to increase scores, then that's great. But then, to show a teacher making students cry repeatedly, or counselors endorsing alcohol and drugs? That makes for a great moment in a complete parody, but not in a film which purports to show the serious side of things.

This film owes much to the Christopher Guest/Harry Shearer/Michael McKean/Rob Reiner school of films. The dry, low key humor and scenes that are just a touch awkward (one character actually references Spinal Tap). But then it also tries to be the movie "Teachers" (Nick Nolte) with its hard moral choices and complex central character and also "Police Academy" with its wacky and zany supporting players.

The good parts were great, the dumb parts were silly, but the movie was not a cohesive whole.

A Decent Comedy Overshadowed by the Drama

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 17 December 2021]

Told in a semi-documentary fashion, this film centers around an English teacher by the name of "Mitch Carter" (Matt Letscher) who has been nominated for national recognition as "Teacher of the Year." Needless to say, this high honor has its advantages and disadvantages with some of the people at his high school seeking to share the spotlight with him while others feel somewhat envious. Most notably, the principal, "Ronald Douche" (Keegan-Michael Key) belongs to the first category whereas the instructor specializing in robotics by the name of "Steven Queeg" (Jamie Kaler) definitely belongs in the second group. To that effect, Mitch soon finds that he has a difficult decision to make due to the fact that, while he feels a certain sense of accomplishment in his current profession, the honor also comes with an opportunity to make much more money as a national spokesman for certain causes for which he has no real regard. Now rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay comedy for the most part which had some good scenes here and there with those involving the college counselors, "Lowell Hammer" (Jason Sklar) and his brother "Clive Hammer" (Randy Sklar) probably being the funniest in my opinion. I also thought that Keegan-Michael Key performed quite well too. On the other hand, I thought the drama involving one teacher named "Chris Conner" (Brian Campbell) was a bit too deep and cast a shadow over the comedy which wasn't all that appealing. Be that as it may, this film still managed to pass the time fairly well and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Good job, mostly funny but also inspiring

[vchimpanzee · 29 August 2017]

Truman High is a charter high school in southwest Los Angeles. Its students come from neighborhoods that they would like to be able to leave, and some students will succeed and likely make it in life. The teachers seem committed to making this happen, but many of the students don't seem to care.

English teacher and soccer coach Mitch Carter is Teacher of the Year for California. Many of the students like him. But he has a chance at a high-paying job which will involve a lot of travel, and even though he loves teaching, it has its problems. And he has a wife who doesn't like her advertising job, which allows her to work from home a lot, and an adorable daughter and another baby on the way.

The movie is a documentary, though it's obvious early that it is too silly to be real, and we see there are actors playing cast members. But almost the entire movie is the documentary, and while we may forget the cameras are there, there are often signs that these people are being followed around, and sometimes they want what they say to be private. The person making the documentary actually speaks a number of times but is not seen.

Also, the documentary has a lot more than just Mitch's story. It almost seems to be about the school, its teachers, and the problem students.

Parents come in when their children have done something wrong. Some care, some think their kids can do no wrong, some don't understand why their kids are being criticized.

One teacher is falsely accused of an offense by a student and nearly fired. I won't say how his situation turns out, but the plot does show what a good man Mitch is.

Will Mitch leave the school? I can't answer that question because, for one thing, I'm not sure the question ever gets answered.

Be sure to stay around after the words "The End", which come prematurely. There are lots of outtakes, and the last few are bloopers.

Matt Lescher does a good job. Most of the actors here do.

Keegan-Michael Key is Principal Douche. The name is Dutch and not pronounced like one would expect. Except by just about every student and anyone who is mad at him. Douche tries too hard to be cool and is not respected by anyone. And if he tries to discipline students, they just don't listen. I am reminded of Barney Fife yelling and waving his hands, and Sheriff Taylor actually getting the job done. There is a vice-principal who hands out detention to nearly every student he sees, at least in the finished film, but people don't seem to take him much more seriously. I question if anyone is in charge at this place.

Jason and Randy Sklar are the Hammer brothers who are the school's college counselors. I wouldn't recommend taking advice from either one of them. They are very strange.

I'm not absolutely certain, but I think Jamie Kaler is the robotics teacher. He is serious about getting his students to do well, but he has an attitude problem. He is jealous of Mitch's success and doesn't think much of second place. And in one scene he is just plain cruel to his students. But don't be too concerned. They seem a lot happier at the end when the same scene gets messed up in one of the bloopers.

Caitlin Carmichael is so cute as Mitch's young daughter. I like his wife too.

Shari Belafonte also stands out but has only a few lines.

This movie is not for the kids. One teacher uses the proper language when describing sex. But I'm not sure kids are ready for that. They're not ready for a lot of the humor here. Another teacher makes a tasteless Helen Keller joke, but the kids seem to respond to her style.

Do I recommend the film? Of course. It has a good mix of humor, inspiring stories, and moral dilemmas.

It's deceitful to put Key on the poster

[freekeysmusic · 3/10 · 10 January 2021]

I don't understand the point of this movie. It's a mockumentary, but it's got no jokes in it almost. It's like they just made a documentary with actors, that isn't real. I kept waiting for it to pick up but it never did. 45 minutes in, characters are still being introduced, and even as a fake documentary it's got no consistency.

Also, why is Key on the cover of this, also holding a mug called Teacher of the Year. Because... *Spoiler Alert* He is not teacher of the year in this, and he is not the main character. They basically used his status as a comedy god to sell this as a comedy, but it's not a comedy, and Key is not the main character. It's actually quite an ensemble cast and Key is not really even in a tenth of the movie.

Why would you do everything in your power to sell something as a comedy and then not even attempt to make jokes? Like I'm not saying this is unfunny. I'm saying no attempt was even make to write jokes.

I am baffled.

What the hell is this!? Weird drama-comedy hybrid. Not good.

[Finfrosk86 · 3/10 · 16 September 2015]

OK, so what is this? This movie is part comedy, part drama. Horribly mixed together. Awfully inconsistent, the drama is cringe worthy, and very little of the comedy is actually funny.

I think I get what they are going for with the comedy, but it does not really work. They are trying that: "awkward, dorky, boring people taking things really seriously, not understanding that everyone thinks they are losers"-type humor. Ann there are a lot of scenes like that, but then, right the next moment things are supposed to be touching, and heart felt.

The scenes with Keegan-Michael Key are the most funny. He succeeds at what he's trying to do. Also the strange twin brothers, are almost good. But the rest are forgettable.

Matt Letcher, which is sort of the main character, is doing most of the drama, and it does not work. You can see that he is trying to act in a realistic manner, and it is just embarrassing on his behalf. I think the director is to blame, though.

Teacher of the year is supposed to be a quirky, heart warming comedy- drama, (at least I think it is) but fails at both. There's some good talent here, but it does not work.

NOT funny, very lame attempt at comedy

[helene-62189 · 2/10 · 17 February 2017]

How is this even funny? It's painful to watch. The characters suck. They tried too hard to throw funny and outrageous punchlines throughout, but I didn't chuckle once. What a waste of time and money. Wish I could get both back. Don't waste your time watching this even if it's free.

A misleading movie poster and not a good mockumentary

[bsw03 · 3/10 · 23 March 2021]

On it's own merit the movie is somewhat interesting, not very funny (a bit dull in my opinion, even the genre in joke fell flat for me) and a bit too dramatic to be labeled strictly a comedy in my opinion, this is a comedy drama. This might be accurate of what teaching is like, and kudos if that is the case. I have found other mockumentaries must more interesting and comedic. The tragic element at the end was a nice touch and perhaps the best way to end this film.

Hot off the success of Key and Peele or near the end of the series, Key is featured on this poster. This is false advertising as Key is not the main, but a secondary character. This disappointed me as I watched the film because of Key on the poster and my reactions to that bait and switch informed me of my opinion of the movie.

Think of this movie as a potential comedy with Key having comedic but exclusively funny appearances in the movie. Better yet, just redesign the poster and place the entire teacher cast with the main actor (not Key) in the foreground, problem of raised and unmet expectations solved.

Finally--an authentic movie about teaching

[slymold · 8/10 · 22 August 2015]

The Netflix rating for this movie is one out of five stars. It rates five out of five on Rotten Tomatoes, and 5.3 out of 10 here on IMDb. The fact that the reviews are all over the place almost surely reflects Americans' ambivalence about teachers and public schools (or charter schools that are publicly funded, like the one represented here). My husband and I, both longtime educators, thought that this mockumentary was the most authentic representation of our profession that we have seen. Teaching is tough. It's tough when your students do not respond to your efforts, and, yes, it is even tough when you are "Teacher of the Year."

Not that this is a humorless drama...not at all. It is hilarious because it captures how completely awkward and totally out of the box each day is when you work in this type of school. The teachers in this film display the full range of creativity, grit, anger, envy, compassion and depleted ego that comes with a high-intensity, socially essential job that is often completely disrespected and poorly remunerated.

HORRIBLE AUDIO!!

[muzzle-74800 · 2/10 · 9 November 2021]

How did this clear?! This is worse than a high school students tv production project. Any outside talking is drowned out by EVERYTHING else. All background noise. And any inside talking sounds horrible like a fan is running. How is this possible. Im only 10minutes in and my ears are drained from trying to adjust. Sheeeesh.

Funniest movie I've seen in a very long time!

[kpjp-56058 · 10/10 · 23 September 2015]

Even though I'm not a teacher, I laughed so much I had to rewind a few times to catch the next lines. My daughter is a teacher & it reminded me of some of the stories she tells me about her experiences with crazy kids & crazy parents. This is a very funny film. I liked the different style used as well. It was kind of like a day in the life.... Really cool. Something out of the ordinary. Not the same old stuff you typically see in movies. You have to pay attention to catch everything cause there is a lot going on & you don't want to miss any of the witty comments. The writer did a great job. A very smart comedy is a wonderful thing to behold. I was very impressed with the cast as well. Top notch all the way. I know the movie has won a few awards, but in my opinion it deserves a lot more. Everyone will get something from watching this film.

Good Mockumentary

[johncg25 · 9/10 · 20 May 2015]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie, but I actually liked it a lot. One of the better "Mockumentary" style films I have seen, and possibly one of my favorites.

Basically Keegan Micheal Key is hilarious as Principal Douche, and the other supporting comedic actors keep it funny, but at the heart of it is a very good story with some depth too which made me want to find out what would happen next. As a "Mockumentary" though it is not a typical style comedy with typical style jokes every minute. It has some serious moments, but plenty of funny stuff too. Making it one of the better Mockumentaries in many years in my opinion.

Do not expect a typical film and let it take you where it will go, very funny and really well done.

This mockumentary should be preserved for its cultural significance like Spinal Tap

[organicsocial · 8/10 · 17 August 2015]

Aah the forever neglected school education system. Its almost criminal how media overlooks the state of schools and teachers despite the fact that they play such substantial role in every kid's life. Films are often made on legendary educators and coaches (like Monalisa Smile, Dead Poet's Society, Coach Carter or even School of Rock) but those are highly dramatic tales of teachers either in extraordinary situations or creating extraordinary situations. Films rarely capture the ground reality of an everyday teacher's humdrum life. Truth is that majority of teachers employed by the schools are just doing their work as a day job and they really don't have the bandwidth nor the energy to get past the classroom let alone give individual attention to the students. That's physically not possible in countries like India where there are 60-70 students per class. Teacher of the Year tells a grim reality of modern day school education, albeit with humor and kudos for that.

Teaching is a thankless job but it is also devoid of dignity these days. Stuck amidst bureaucracy and bad parenting, teachers are expected to keep their calm, be nurturing to their students and also be prepared to take the blame if anything goes wrong. The management's apathy towards teachers is heartbreaking, the mediocrity in classrooms is mind numbing, the nepotism for promotions and favours is deafening. "Are you here for the kids?" asks one teacher in the film. That question goes to all. Parents don't have time for their kids but they expect a teacher to mend their kids. Many parents come from a belief that since they pay the tuition fee, they've hired a patsy for their mistakes.

____________Some Spoilers Ahead_____________

Public school English teacher Mitch Carter is right in the middle of a big career shift as he finds it tough to decide whether he should keep at his low paying yet fulfilling job or should he move on to work in the interest of rich kids as a lobbyist for independent schools. "Basically everything that I've fought against" as Mitch puts it. The money they're offering is good. "Opportunities like these don't come by everyday" as Mitch's wife confesses with a bit of reluctance as she mentally prepares to adjust to new lifestyle. Mitch, his wife and his little daughter haven't lived a day apart but this new job will keep him travelling constantly. Common men are at times so worried to take such big steps. Its true, family comes first to good people but the economic realities of our times are worse than the proverbial devil. Mitch decides to take up the new job after an unfortunate incident involving his fellow teacher and the school management.

______________end of spoilers___________________

Despite the blatant reference to Spinal Tap, Teacher of the Year would never be remembered in the same way because unlike rocknroll and rock stars very few people care about public school system and teachers. Although it is my personal wish that this should be preserved by the academy much like Spinal Tap because this mockumentary talks about a subject in a time that is both massively relevant as well as deeply concerning. Just the way how Edge from U2 wept while watching Spinal Tap, my mom didn't laugh while watching Teacher of the Year. She's a high-school teacher for past 20 years. I don't need to say anymore.

Very very close to reality.

[andrewday1 · 9/10 · 19 October 2014]

Watched this movie at the Icon Theater on Roosevelt. I really liked it. I felt like the film had a few technical issues and focusing on a scene for too long. Which a better editor of a reality based show might have done better at. I really liked all the actors especially The science teacher Karl T. Wright Very funny. I would recommend this movie to all teachers. While it might not sum up a lot of the issues that teachers have to deal with. I do believe it is a lot more realistic then most teacher movies.

There is a good story line about how separate the Administration and Teaching staff in schools are that I know is the case. In most adaptations of schools in film and television they are commonly portrayed as all working together. This cannot be further then the truth. The administrations of most schools will willingly throw a teacher under a very fast moving school bus to avoid bad PR. While this film is not exactly about that issue alone it was one of my more favorite parts.

I do however absolutely hate this poster that is attached to the IMDb site. I think its really terrible and makes it look like it is a freaking Police Academy spoof film. When that cannot be further from the truth. BAD DIRECTION ON THE VISUAL HERE GUYS!!!!!

In conclusion, ignore the poster and watch the movie.

Yours truly Andrew Day

A great film

[mihirviveka · 10/10 · 21 May 2015]

A great film. It is a comedy with a heart touching story. It feels absolutely real but keeps you interested for the whole length of the film.

Strange it's rating is so low.

You will laugh a lot and will also have things to ponder about at the end, unlike some crude comedy films with crude jokes that leave a bad taste at the end.

The film's style may not seem nice at first but later we realize that it's the style best suited to this film.

By the way the action is really great.

Wow, what a great movie!

[MovieIQTest · 19 May 2015]

I have to tell you, this is not a "comedy", this is actually a very seriously crafted, scripted drama, like a true story, an in-your-face/up-close- and-personal documentary, recorded right on the site, at the school, at home, with candid camera works, faithfully caught all important moments of how those teachers dealt with the students and with themselves.

When you watched it, you just felt that you were right in front of the teacher the camera was shot at and recording, it felt like it's you who was holding the camera, following the teacher(s), into the classrooms.

The camera realistically exposed what the true colors of all the teachers, what they really were, what they were thinking. Some of the teachers in this film just gave you the impression that they really existed in all the public/charter/private schools. Some of them were self-centered, self-righteous, self- important, obnoxious, arrogant, moronic, evil, stubborn, or self- serving only to themselves. And unfortunately, some of the teachers were just helpless, frustrated, even hopeless and failing to get connected with their students. But some of the teachers indeed were very good, very decent and so passionate in teaching, loving and caring.

This movie really showed us how a teacher could be greater to the other ones, and some of them were just pricks, like the science teacher, the two brothers who did the poor college counseling, and the vice principal who kept issuing penalty tickets to students without any probable cause. And the principal in this film just looked so real, and we completely believe there were principals just like him in our education system, they are bureaucrats instead of educators, they are only self-centered and self-serving to their own careers.

This is an amazing movie that have caught my complete attention and focus during viewing and it also turned out to be such a great viewing experience; a rare one, by the way.

Teacher of the Year - Comedy of the Year!!!

[pringleridges · 10/10 · 21 June 2014]

Saw this film at Newport Beach Film Fest - Hilarious!!! This film about teachers is so funny but it also has a heart. Keegan-Michael Key and the Sklar Brothers are all unbelievably funny. Larry Joe Campbell, Jamie Kaler, Lahna Turner, Karl T. Wright and a bunch of other great actors all give hilarious performances. The core of the film follows Mitch Carter, who has just won California Teacher of the Year and now may have a new job that pays more money but he won't teach any longer. As Mitch, Matt Letscher really shines. He's the emotional core of a film that is wildly absurd at times but he makes it all seem real. Sunny Mabrey as his wife and newcomer Caitlin Carmichael are also wonderful as Mitch's wife and daughter. There are great performances throughout and the it's gotta be one of the funniest indie comedies I've seen in years. Check it out!!!

Very nice and funny movie

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 10 January 2022]

Mitch Carter (a fine and likeable performance by Matt Letscher) wins the California Teacher of the Year Award. In the wake of winning said award, Mitch receives a tempting job offer that might force him to leave his teaching job at Truman High School.

Writer/director Jason Strouse relates the enjoyable story at a zippy pace, maintains an engaging lighthearted tone throughout, and astutely skewers the frustrating pettiness of the politics and bureaucracy that exists amongst teachers and staff at any given grade school in America. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast, with especially stand-out contributions from Keegan-Michael Key as the dippy principal Ron Douche, Larry Joe Campbell as gung-ho lunkhead vice principal Marv Collins, Sunny Mabrey as Mitch's loving and loyal wife Kate, Jamie Kaler as dorky robotics teacher Steven Queeg, Jason and Randy Sklar as hilariously clueless and incompetent guidance counselors, and Chris Conner as eager math teacher Brian Campbell. A total hoot.

A truly excellent movie

[danihearts · 9/10 · 12 September 2023]

I came for Keegan-Michael Key. I started the movie thinking it was going to be a silly and lighthearted comedy. However it had beautiful moments with some truly spectacular acting, particularly from Matt Letscher and the kids. Andy Richter and The Sklar Brothers were a wee bit annoying but the story and format more than make up for it. I almost want to rewatch this immediately but I'm going to look for similar movies for now. I'm very pedantic with what I watch, but this was honestly a surprisingly good one. It's very underrated. It has laughs for sure, but it also has heart. Is 8 years later too late to ask for a sequel?