Bad Education
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 52
  3. Negative: 5 out of 52

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  1. DanielB.
    Jan 17, 2005
    10
    In my opinion this movie is Almadover's best one and I think it beats any other of the like in Hollywood. That is, if they are ever able to make a movie like that.
  2. RP
    Jan 27, 2005
    10
    Best foreign film of 2004 in my book. Great performance by Bernal. Important commentary on Catholic Church.
  3. SusanS.
    Mar 2, 2005
    10
    Again, I left the theater completely amazed with Almodovar. His penchant for intriguing ways of telling a story never ceases to awe me. I feel like he uses what has now become the "standard" in art film storytelling, but that's only his base. He then plays on that concept itself and turns everything around. I read many of the summaries above, and I think what people were criticizing was what he was going for--he's not an "emotional" writer/director--he shoots at the head rather than the heart, and allows the heart to catch up. Basically, he writes his characters as though they were in real life, but puts them in strange situations. Life is a soap opera only in events, not in speech, and Almodovar plays on that--and our guilty longing for unrestrained sexual content. I too was actually surprised at how little is shown, since I'd seen the killer NC-17 rating on some posters. However, it's a mislabel, and that too seems intentional--he'll give you a peek, but not the whole picture. It's quite unsettling. I can't say I liked this movie better than his most recent, but it definitely lives up to them. It'll make your head spin for a second, and when you walk out, you'll be thinking the whole movie over again.… Collapse
  4. jpl
    Dec 1, 2004
    10
    Definitely the best movie I've seen this year! Almodovar's a freaking genius!!!!!
  5. AnthonyS.
    Dec 5, 2004
    10
    Almodóvar presents another excellent movie. If I liked 'All About My Mother' and 'Talk to Her', I loved 'Bad Education'. Gael García Bernal's best role since 'Amores Perros'!
  6. AmandaR.
    Dec 5, 2004
    10
    I think it's the best film I've seen this year. Simply excellent. Almodóvar deserves a new Oscar Award.
  7. shufshuf
    Jan 4, 2005
    9
    Extremely well done on all levels. ultimately a very sad treatise on state of humanity - then & now.
  8. judithj.
    Feb 13, 2005
    10
    First Almodovar movie I have ever liked. Really well done and Bernal is an amazing actor-actually everyone is really good including the pedophile priest. Don't miss seeing this one projected on the big screen.
  9. GinaS.
    Jun 9, 2006
    10
    Watching it last night, my roommate came home just as end credits rolled. I exclaimed "You have to watch this movie" and started it over again. Just as enthralling on 2nd viewing.
  10. ArnoldH.
    Nov 25, 2004
    10
    Absolutely sensational. Almodovar is on a roll. Rarely in film history has any director made three conscutive movies as rich as this director's three most recent works. Not to be missed. I can't wait to see it again to more fully appreciate its many layers of complexity.
  11. JoseG.
    Feb 18, 2005
    10
    Great film. A visual treat.
  12. BrutusO.
    May 18, 2005
    9
    Somewhere along the way Almodovar has made the transition from good to great. "All About My Mother" and "Talk To Her" were easy to see as the profound films they were, and were recognised as such. Now we have "Bad Education", which on the face of it, is a return to the old style Almodovar. Which it is - but there is a whole new level of mastery and intellectual ambiguity guiding his endeavour. The plot deals with typically lurid Almodovar concerns - sexual confusion, paedophilia, religious hypocrisy - but the mind at work here is that of a superior artist. This film takes up questions about the nature of truth and meaning at a level comparable with that of Kurosawa (Rashomon) or Bunuel (Viridiana), albeit with subject matter that could easily be misconstrued as sensationalistic or exploitative. But the subject matter of this film (for all its power to crystallise prejudice) is entirely subordinated to the subtlety of the viewpoints that Almodovar brings to the exercise. The acting effectively underlines the humanity of the key characters. Of special note is the warmth of the performance of the paedophile priest - not an easy subject to portray sympathetically. And, once again, Almodovar selects a moving musical soundtrack that injects real emotion as opposed to the lame sentiment of most movies. I had written off Almodovar as a minor talent ten years ago. But now I have to eat humble pie. He is one of the best directors working today.… Expand
  13. EmmaD.
    Nov 7, 2006
    9
    The movie pushed the envelope, yes. But in the end, all envelopes must be pushed, and in "Bad Education" it was done beautifully, intelligently, and was one of the most believable movies I've ever seen. The casting was amazing, with actors who didn't foce anyhting, and the intricate plot kept me guessing. The movie ended without fear, boldly and movingly. "Bad Education" made you think, my favorite kind of movie.… Expand
  14. BrianS
    Nov 18, 2004
    10
    Loved it. Gael gives one of the best performances of the year in this film - a much more complex performance than his terrific, subdued one in MOTORCYCLE DIARIES.
  15. LauraD.
    Nov 21, 2004
    10
    A new Almodóvar's masterpiece!!!
  16. YlkaR.
    Dec 12, 2004
    10
    Marevellous film by Almodóvar in which the cast is completely perfect. Great score and fantastic cinematography. I hope it achieves a Golden Globe nomination.
  17. ep
    Dec 12, 2004
    10
    One of Almodovar's darkest, saddest, most personal films yet. Highly recommended. But don't watch it expecting a campy romp that shows Gael Garcia Bernal in titillating drag. You'll get that, but you'll also get a lot, lot more.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Robert K. Elder
    63
    If only Bad Education engaged the heart as much as the head, Almodovar's fractured tale might have risen above its alienating noir conventions.
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  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    10
    Such garbage that taking a shower at the Bates Motel is a more appealing alternative.
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  3. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    90
    Complex and devious beyond easy recounting, Bad Education is about the fallout from the ending of a "pure" love between boys, consecrated in an Almodóvaran temple--a movie theatre.
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