A disturbing movie.

Rating: 1/10 (5 July 2005)

*** WARNING -- May contain SPOILER ***
I am very disturbed by this movie.
Jack Black plays an irresponsible Rock musician who becomes a substitute teacher for a grammar school class in a fine finishing school. The children in this class are well behaved, motivated students who are serious about learning. The theme of the movie is, essentially that he "cures" them of this -- turning them into free spirited rock performers. To him, Rock is life. He teaches them that academic studies are basically of no value, and instead that they should learn to be angry and insolent towards the world.
Now, this certainly will go over well with certain audiences, but it disturbs me. I teach in a graduate school, and the quality of the students in my class has been declining over the years. The quality of education as a whole is declining in this country. Yesterday, I shopped in three stores and nothing that I bought was made in the United States. We have serious problems in our society, and along comes this movie glorifying anger, insolence, and irresponsibility.
One rather prominent critic called this an excellent family film. My wife and I worked hard to assure that our family has had different values.