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Teaching Mrs. Tingle
Dimension Films
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for thematic content, violence, sexuality, language and some teen drinking
Starring
Helen Mirren,
Katie Holmes,
Barry Watson,
Marisa Coughlin,
Vivica A. Fox,
Jeffrey Tambor,
and
Molly Ringwald
All her life Leigh Ann Watson (Holmes) has done the right thing. Her only ticket out of town is the one scholarship that goes to her school's top student. All she needs is an "A" in history. There's just one problem: Mrs. Tingle, the history teacher who for 20 years has terrorized the students of Grandsboro High. (Dimension Films)
| GENRE(S): |
Suspense/Thriller
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Kevin Williamson
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Kevin Williamson
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: December 21, 1999
Video: July 11, 2000
Theatrical: August 20, 1999
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
96 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
90
LA Weekly
Ernest Hardy
A dark, biting comedy-- funny, smart and full of unpredictable twist and turns.
90
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Thomas
In his knockout directorial debut writer Kevin Williamson taps into such universal memories with his shrewd and energetic dark comedy.
70
Dallas Observer
Bill Gallo
Flecked with delicious malice, and the kids, especially newcomer Coughlin, performs with verve and high energy.
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
Not surprisingly, the best thing on the screen is Mirren.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
Williamson's screenplay doesn't match the cleverness of his conceit; it lacks the requisite archness and wit.
50
Newsweek
Ted Gideonse
There are some very funny moments, and Coughlan is a delight as Leigh Anne's best friend.
50
Mr. Showbiz
Kevin Maynard
Wholly predictable and implausible plotting, thin characterizations, and stilted dialogue.
50
USA Today
Susan Wloszczyna
Mirren is about the only reason this slow-moving revenge tale tingles at all.
50
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
Very much a freshman effort, lacking focus, edge.
50
Chicago Tribune
Mark Caro
The same bland vision of teendom that's become inescapable on the small and big screens.
50
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
A derisively vicious show-off satire, a plastic exercise in authority bashing.
42
Portland Oregonian
Diana Abu-Jaber
The tone of the film malingers somewhere between hyper-real comedy and thriller, but neither element really shines through.
40
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Williamson's directorial debut is a sad affair, devoid of shocks, surprises, or even his clever trademark diologue.
40
Time
Richard Corliss
It's too empty to applaud, too insignificant to deplore.
40
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
A wildly uneven and sloppily directed movie, full of clashing tones and undigested bits of superior films.
40
The New York Times
Elvis Mitchell
Newly benign and noticeably clumsier than the hits (Williamson) has written.
40
TV Guide
Ken Fox
Neither very dark nor particularly funny.
38
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
Williamson deals mostly in cliches, as if high schoolers weren't smart enough to appreciate anything subtler.
38
New York Post
Jonathan Foreman
An ugly, failed attempt to pull off a "Heathers"-style, teen-oriented black comedy.
38
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
There is nothing funny about the situation in Teaching Mrs. Tingle.
38
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
Mostly a screenful of nothingness.
30
Film.com
John Hartl
Underwhelming thriller.
30
Film.com
Peter Brunette
The new dud from Miramax's Dimension label.
30
Variety
Dennis Harvey
A pat, hollow exercises with few tricks (or treats) up its sleeve.
30
Village Voice
Dennis Lim
Yet another black comedy that misunderstands and misrepresents the genre.
25
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
Williamson's script, which he also directed, is spiteful and shallow.
25
San Francisco Examiner
Wesley Morris
An infuriatingly indulgent piffle of adolescent wish-fulfillment.
25
Baltimore Sun
Ann Hornaday
A mean-hearted, ham-handed and gratuitous effort to exploit it's teenage audience's conviction that, underneath it all, their teachers really. do hate them.
25
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
A spectacularly mediocre movie.
20
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
The story is painfully slow.
10
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
Lazily written and hopelessly miscast.
0
TNT RoughCut
Christopher Brandon
One of the worst movies released this year.
 The average user rating for this movie is 9.8 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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