Film Review
The plot is hardly original. A maverick young teacher enters a
classroom of wolves from a socially deprived area and not only survives
being eaten alive but also somehow succeeds in winning their
respect. Glenn Ford got there first with
Blackboard Jungle (1955).
Sidney Poitier followed suit
To Sir, With Love (1967).
Coluche did it in
Le Maître d'école
(1981), as did Edward James Olmos in
Stand
and Deliver (1988) (the best of the bunch).
Even Gerard Depardieu got in on the
act in
Le Plus beau métier du monde
(1996). Now, in
L'école pour tous, it's
the turn of Gad Elmaleh's little brother Arié, and the
impression of déja vu is so overwhelming that you want to run
out into the street and scream:
Enough!
Despite a brave stab at it, Eric Rochant fails to bring much in the way
of originality to this now hackneyed-to-death scenario, and ennui sets
in from the very first scene. The jokes are few and far between,
if not rare to the point of being an endangered species. The fact
that every character in the film is a walking caricature prompts you to
wonder whether Rochant ever set foot in a state school. Can
this really be the same Eric Rochant who brought us such watchable
treats as
Un monde sans pitié
(1989) and
Aux yeux du monde (1990)?
© James Travers 2014
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Eric Rochant film:
Möbius (2013)
Film Synopsis
After failing his end-of-school exams, Jahwad was easily drawn into a life
of crime, much to the distress of his mother who, over the years that followed,
had to get used to frequent visits from the police. Now thirty years
of age, Jahwad still leads the life of a juvenile delinquent and is unlikely
to change his ways - until Fate gives him a second chance. It all begins
when he is stopped by a car driver who has lost his way. The driver
introduces himself as Despalin and explains that he is trying to get to the
school in the suburbs where is to take up his new teaching post. Jahwad
offers to help out but no sooner has he climbed into the car than an accident
takes place. When Despalin passes out, Jahwad sees this as an omen
and decides to take his place. He will go back to school - not as a
student, but as a teacher...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.