![]() The underappreciated Mary Stuart Masterson plays the girl who connects with Michael while the various teachers are given weight by legends like Donald Sutherland, John Heard, and Wallace Shawn. The boys are horndogs and pranksters fighting against the restrictions of a religious institution in the 50s, but while those elements are on display there are some surprisingly serious threads running through it too. There's sadness in the situation endured by Michael and his sister, the shop girl has her own slowly unfolding tragedy, and the corporal punishment exhibited by one of the school's teachers is no laughing matter.Īndrew McCarthy, always the quietest of the Brat Pack, finds the heart and simmering anger in young Michael while three of his troublemaking friends come courtesy of Kevin Dillon, Patrick Dempsey, and Stephen Geoffreys. This mid-80s period comedy looks, for all intents and purposes, like just another teen sex comedy. Will she fall for his charms and pocketbook? Or will she fall for the cantankerous male teacher who wasn't too keen on her presence? Either way, she has to fall in love with one of them. After opening with Jan's fantasies about marriage to powerful men it's no surprise to see that reality approaching in the form of one of the boy's very wealthy father. The downside to its home in the 1950s, though, is that it still exhibits some old-fashioned sexism of its own. Seems like it shouldn't be an issue, but back in the 50s? Madness at an all-boys school! A modern take on the tale would probably see some sexual tension or shenanigans arise, but these were simpler times leaving the film to focus on morality, social expectations, and what it means to be a great teacher instead. The structure here is as expected with the conflict between teacher and student finding resolution on a path of respect and love, but the change-up here is with the addition of a female teacher (played by Greer Garson). ![]() It's a story that could easily be updated and remade for new American audiences, although the argument could be made that Scent of a Woman was already an unofficial adaptation of sorts so never mind. Bullying is a real issue, and private schools have long proven to be a hotbed for the barbarity of youth. Thomas Hughes' source novel was first published in 1857 and has been adapted for the screen several times - twice for television and three times for the movies - and its core themes and plot remain every bit as relevant today. It's an extremely well-crafted and smart morality tale. The ruffians aren't fooling around as they abuse, berate, and even burn young Tom, but his actions spark a rebellion resulting in a terrific montage of kids turning the tables on the bullies with orchestrated pranks and attacks. ![]() The new headmaster wants to squash it out of his school, but while most kids just go along with it (whether it's happening to them or others) it takes Tom stepping up to bring it all down. What did you think of the Netflix film The Catholic School? Comment below.Friendship, honor, and respect are the threads running through this classic tale, but all of them are wrapped around a main narrative involving bullying. Maybe that’s the point The Catholic School tried to make – monsters are lurking in the shadows and they sometimes pounce without warning. We learn nothing new about the case or the three perpetrators. ![]() We’re introduced to a bunch of people and by the time we get to the actual murders, it seems like we’ve entered a completely different movie. The acting from the young cast was solid, and the 70s aesthetic was beautiful, yet the film tries to do too many things at once. It’s hard to see how a movie about one of the biggest murders in the history of Italy could be so tedious. There’s one scene where the narrator tells us one of his classmates became a psychiatrist further down the line and diagnosed fellow students as “sadists” and “masochists.” I’m not sure if that was a necessary add-on or whether those are real psychiatric diagnoses. While this level of detail works well in a book, it falls flat in a motion picture. The teenagers are dealing with abusive parents, absent parents, their sexual awakening, and school bullying. We get glimpses from the lives of privileged young men growing up in Rome during the 1970s. The film spends the first half introducing many characters and plot lines, and with the mixed-up timelines, it gets a little hard to follow. ![]()
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