Waiting for 'Superman'
User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 45
  3. Negative: 4 out of 45

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  1. CClark
    Feb 20, 2011
    0
    A myopic, one-sided rant, long on bluster and woefully short on substance. While the film claims to analyze a serious issue, it's really a simple-minded attack on teacher's unions, with no solutions or insights offered.
  2. drlowdon
    May 24, 2013
    4
    Waiting for Superman attempts to understand the failings of the American Education system, many of which could also be applied on a smaller scale to schools in areas of the UK.

    The movies intentions are certainly noble. It does a great job of highlighting the unfairness of the system where luck seems to the single most important factor in deciding whether a child will receive a good edu    cation. It is difficult not to feel for the parents and grandparents who only want their child to be given a chance.

    Having recently quit the teaching profession after only five years however I can say with confidence that Waiting for Superman does not tell the whole story. Firstly the families featured do not represent a fair cross section of those entering the school system. Each have a genuine interest in education and, from personal experience, I know that is certainly not the case for all children and their parents.

    The movie attacks so called 'poor' teachers and teachers unions, seemingly laying a large proportion of the blame at their doorstep. Of course there are bad teachers (as there are bad professionals in any job) but it ignores the fact that many public schools in the US, and UK for that matter, are underfunded and understaffed resulting in overcrowded classes and little assistance for teachers.

    The education system is obviously in need of major changes but Waiting for Superman's solutions are a little too simplistic, ignoring wider social and economic issues choosing instead to use personal stories to play on the emotions of the viewer.    … Expand
  3. dellamorte
    May 10, 2011
    0
    Waiting for Superman? ***Spoiler*** Well don't, he doesn't show up at all. Color me disapointed. They couldn't even be bothered to get Dean Cain... and he would have done it for a Snickers bar. Very misleading title.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 31 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    70
    This documentary about the public education crisis isn't as smart or rigorous as Bob Bowdon's shoestring production "The Cartel," which arrived in town earlier this year and quickly vanished. But the new movie is still an admirable exercise in straight talk.
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  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    90
    By showing how fiercely dedicated idealists are making a difference, it is a call to arms.
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  3. Tampa Bay Times
    Reviewed by: Steve Persall
    67
    Nobody can disagree that Waiting for Superman deals with a subject demanding attention. But it paints the engulfing problems of U.S. education with a brush too broad and samples too small to be definitive.
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