Hollywood’s depictions of school life have varied widely over the years. From heroic instructors and highly motivated scholars to the sheer love of playing hooky that motivates Matthew Broderick’s iconic teen character, Ferris Bueller, education has been portrayed from many angles, in dramas and comedies alike.
As fall brings the return of students and teachers to the classroom, movie fans might want to sample some of the better films that have a grammar or a high school for their setting. Following, in alphabetical order, are capsule reviews of 15 such pictures.
Unless otherwise noted, the OSV News classification of each is A-II – adults and adolescents and the Motion Picture Association rating is PG – parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
“The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945)
Director Leo McCarey’s sequel to 1944’s “Going My Way” pulls out all the emotional stops in a sugary confection that takes happy-go-lucky Father O’Malley (Bing Crosby) to a poor parish with a crumbling school run by overworked Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman). Though their conflicting views on education have less to do with the plot than the chasm between their personal relations, Bergman’s shining performance as the idealistic nun is still worth watching. Sentimental yet warm picture of Catholic life in an age of innocence. The OSV News classification is A-I – general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association. (Olive Films; also available on Blu-ray)
“The Browning Version” (1951)
Affecting drama in which a disillusioned classics teacher (Michael Redgrave), nicknamed “the Himmler of the lower 5th,” resigns after 18 years because of ill health and a wife (Jean Kent) who’s having an affair with a science teacher (Nigel Patrick), then suddenly gets a new lease on life because of a student’s gift of Browning’s translation of “Agamemnon.” Directed by Anthony Asquith from Terence Rattigan’s play, the story may be sentimentally contrived but the school setting is keenly realistic and the performances are heartfelt, especially Redgrave’s burnt-out academic whose spirit is revived by a student’s act of kindness. Implied adultery. (nr) (Criterion)
“Dead Poets Society” (1989)
A teacher (Robin Williams) returns in 1959 to the New England prep school for boys from which he had graduated, determined to turn his students on to poetry and into freethinkers, but his unorthodox methods inspire the impressionable youths to take personal risks not always in their best interests. Director Peter Weir’s thought-provoking period drama raises more questions than it answers in exploring such issues as peer pressure, child rights, values clarification, teen suicide and the price of nonconformity. Mild locker room language and an unsettling, unresolved teen suicide. (A-III) (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)
Director John Hughes turns in a lighthearted spoof about a teenager (Matthew Broderick) who has made a science out of truancy because he likes to take a break now and then to observe the world around him. The cheerfully implausible plot serves as the catalyst in changing the attitudes of his sister and best friend. Some vulgar language. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (Paramount Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Freedom Writers” (2007)
Classroom drama about the efforts of an idealistic, novice high school English teacher (Hilary Swank) to transform a racially divided class of troubled teens into model students by inspiring them to believe in themselves and break the cycle of gang violence in which they feel trapped. As a way of empowering them, she has them record their personal stories, experiences and feelings in journals, which they eventually get published. Director Richard LaGravenese overcomes a predictable and, at times, message-heavy script with emotionally powerful performances by the young ensemble and redemptive themes of self-worth, the efficacy of education and empathy to overcome intolerance, and the ability of one person to make a difference. Some graphic violence, including shootings, beatings and brief but disturbing images of domestic abuse, a divorce subplot, one instance of the F-word, recurring crude language and a few racial slurs, limiting its appropriateness to older adolescents and up. (PG-13) (Paramount Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1939)
Warmly affectionate, occasionally humorous story spans 50 years in the life of a dedicated but stodgy classics teacher (Robert Donat) whose love of learning eventually wins the respect and devotion of students, faculty and the woman who becomes his supportive wife (Greer Garson). Directed by Sam Wood, this tribute to the teaching profession still touches the emotions, largely because of Donat’s charmingly low-keyed, Oscar-winning performance. (A-I; nr) (Warner Archive Collection; also available on Blu-ray)
“Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1969)
Musical version of the James Hilton novel with Peter O’Toole as the distracted, unbending schoolmaster who is set upon, conquered and finally humanized by a hoydenish music hall performer (Petula Clark). Director Herbert Ross shifts the focus from the academic to the happy marriage of such unlikely opposites, with pleasantly unobtrusive songs by Leslie Bricusse pacing an old-fashioned romance some will find quite charming, though youngsters are less apt to be enchanted by the sentimental proceedings. (A-I) The Motion Picture Association rating is G – general audiences. All ages admitted. (Warner Home Video)
“The Holdovers” (2023)
Moving comedy-tinged drama set at a New England boarding school during the Christmas vacation of 1970-71. Director Alexander Payne’s emotionally pitch-perfect film focuses on the interaction of three individuals stranded on campus over the holidays: a mean-spirited and universally disliked history teacher (Paul Giamatti), a promising but troubled and mildly rebellious student (Dominic Sessa) and the academy’s bereaved head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) whose son was recently killed in the Vietnam War. Warm in tone and rich in insight, screenwriter David Hemingson’s script delves into the personal complexities lying below the surface and charts the formation of an unlikely but firm friendship among the central trio. Striking performances from the principals, especially Giamatti, also help to make this intimate production a memorable experience for viewers. Glimpses of pornography, drug use, more than a dozen profanities, a few milder oaths, frequent rough and crude talk, an obscene gesture. (A-III) The Motion Picture Association rating is R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. (Universal Studios Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Madeline” (1998)
Sweet-natured tale from the children’s books by Ludwig Bemelmans in which the adventurous title orphan (Hatty Jones), who lives in a 1956 Parisian boarding school run by a devoted nun (Frances McDormand), sets out to save the school from being closed only to find herself kidnapped by circus performers. Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, the story and characters are warmly engaging and some will be charmed by its nostalgic picture of obedient schoolchildren in a simpler era. Mild menace. (A-I) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Music of the Heart” (1999)
Inspiring true story of an abandoned wife and mother (Meryl Streep) who turns her life around by moving to Harlem and instilling self-esteem in underprivileged schoolchildren by teaching them the disciplined art of playing the violin. Anchored by Streep’s finely tuned performance, director Wes Craven’s biographical movie realistically captures a devastated woman’s personal growth and the value of the arts in the educational curriculum. An implied affair and an instance of rude language. (A-III) (Paramount Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Napoleon Dynamite” (2004)
Offbeat, low-budget comedy set in rural Idaho about the high school misadventures of an oddball, woolly haired misfit (Jon Heder) who lives with his slacker older brother (Aaron Ruell) and cheesy uncle (Jon Gries), and who befriends a shy Mexican student (Efren Ramirez) running for class president against the school’s reigning queen bee (Haylie Duff). First-time director Jared Hess’ quirky film is light on plot, but Heder’s deadpan performance makes this tender ode to eccentricity curiously amusing, if not wholly satisfying. Some comic violence, and a few instances of mildly crude language and sexual humor. (A-III) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“School Ties” (1992)
A 1950s working-class high school senior (Brendan Fraser) gets a football scholarship to a posh prep school where he finds friendship and acceptance – until a jealous teammate (Matt Damon) reveals the newcomer is Jewish. Director Robert Mandel orchestrates a fine ensemble movie that dramatically explores the harmful effects of anti-Semitism. Minor fisticuffs, a few sexual references and brief rear nudity. (PG-13) (Paramount Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“Stand and Deliver” (1988)
Quietly affecting movie about an extraordinary real-life math teacher (Edward James Olmos) in an East Los Angeles high school who transforms a rowdy class of Hispanics into calculus whiz kids. When test administrators question his students’ high grades, the teacher fights back with charges of discrimination. Inspiring story, fine acting by the leads and deft direction by Ramon Menendez. Some profanity in a realistic context. (Warner Home Video; also available on Blu-ray)
“To Sir, With Love” (1967)
Warm British melodrama about an American (Sidney Poitier) who takes a teaching job in London where he tries to turn teenage students from a Cockney slum into ladies and gentlemen. Though the story offers some pat solutions for real problems and the student transformations seem overswift, director James Clavell gets winning performances from Poitier and his fine supporting cast to show aspects of life, love and adolescence that American audiences will find familiar, despite the accent. (nr) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
“The Trouble with Angels” (1966)
Episodic screen version of Jane Trahey’s comic recollections of life in a Catholic girl’s boarding school revolves around the finely balanced battle of wit and will between the girls and the nuns. Rosalind Russell is in top form as the mother superior who squelches the adolescent mischief concocted by Hayley Mills and June Harding. Save for a few mawkish scenes, director Ida Lupino has made the sentimental comedy seem amusingly fresh and enjoyable. (A-I) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray)
