Bad Education

Name: Bad Education
Genre: Biography, Drama, Comedy, Crime
Released: April 25, 2020
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 79
Cast: Alex Wolff, Allison Janney, Annaleigh Ashford, Calvin Coakley, Catherine Curtin

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 101 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 101 Ratings

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Bad Education: Frank (TV Spot)

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Movie Details & Credits

HBO | Release Date (Streaming): April 25, 2020 | TV-MA

Starring: Alex Wolff, Allison Janney, Annaleigh Ashford, Calvin Coakley, Catherine Curtin, Geraldine Viswanathan, Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Tatro, Justin Swain, Kathrine Narducci, Kayli Carter, Pat Healy, Ray Romano, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Stephen Spinella, Sung Yun Cho, Welker White

Summary: Long Island school superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and his assistant superintendent for business, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), are credited with bringing Roslyn School District unprecedented prestige. Frank, always immaculately groomed and tailored, is a master of positive messaging, whether before an audience of communityLong Island school superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and his assistant superintendent for business, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), are credited with bringing Roslyn School District unprecedented prestige. Frank, always immaculately groomed and tailored, is a master of positive messaging, whether before an audience of community leaders or in an office with a concerned student or parent. In short, it seems Frank can do no wrong. That is, until a plucky student reporter (Geraldine Viswanathan) decides to dig deep into some expense reports and begins to uncover an embezzlement scheme of epic proportions, prompting Frank to devise an elaborate cover-up — by any means necessary. [TIFF]… Expand

Director: Cory Finley

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Comedy, Crime

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 108 min

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Critic Reviews

Alissa Wilkinson

Apr 24, 2020

Where the film really sings — aside from its often darkly funny writing and surprisingly thrilling take on what could have been a dull bureaucratic scandal — is in tracing the effects of the pressures placed on administrators and faculty. Read full review

Jake Coyle

Apr 30, 2020

It’s Tassone’s perspective that Finley largely keeps to, which — if you don’t know the true story — lets Bad Education unspool if not surprisingly at least captivatingly. Read full review

Polygon Tasha Robinson

May 19, 2020

This isn’t a movie about car chases and explosions, it’s about the squirmy but satisfying feeling of watching justice done, and it’s a pleasure to watch the pieces fall into place. Read full review

Ben Kenigsberg

Apr 23, 2020

It’s Jackman, whose smile appears increasingly wolfish as the film goes on (and as Frank’s face grows taut with cosmetic surgery), who ultimately owns Bad Education. It’s a plum part, sure, but also a deeply unsympathetic one — a chance for the actor to channel his charisma toward dark, mischievous ends. Read full review

Hank Stuever

Apr 24, 2020

Such stories of quiet malfeasance never get old. No matter how lovely and admired the neighborhood lawns may be, the idea that there’s a snake or two in the grass hasn’t lost its narrative potency — even now, in an era of constant, top-down deceit. Read full review

Steven Scaife

Apr 25, 2020

Rather than a simplistic, straightforward parable of greed, Bad Education depicts its true events with a surprising amount of depth and ambiguity. Read full review

The Guardian Benjamin Lee

Sep 10, 2019

It’s a slight movie at times, unfocused at others, even plodding in parts, and I didn’t leave the cinema entirely convinced that it was the most satisfying way to tell this particular story but I did leave feeling confident in both Jackman’s prowess and Finley’s promise, yet to be fully realised. Read full review

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User Reviews

Kazeem

Apr 27, 2020

My Best movie ever, My love for this movie is extremely high
I rate it 10/10

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Kjulka

Sep 26, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A great eye opening movie, which shows you that if you’re not watching, how schools have so much control over tax payer money, and how it’s being mismanaged. I’m sure this is not the first school we’re this happened, it’s probably happening at many others. We the tax payers need to watch out. Things are no longer how they use to be.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

lvmnz

Apr 26, 2020

Hugh Jackman is great. Highly entertaining and introspective film about the central figures in a shocking scandal.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

nevillejohn

Jul 10, 2020

entertaining and engaging throughout. a little dry and bland topic in the grand scheme of things, i'm sure the audience is mostly the type of people who live in communities like the one depicted. acting was good. if you liked margin call i think you'll like this one too.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Apr 30, 2020

The film walks a fine line between satire and drama when addressing its theme but manages to balance it in a good way, above all avoiding turning its characters into clichés or monsters, after all, their motives are simple: greed and entitlement and it's because when the money is withinThe film walks a fine line between satire and drama when addressing its theme but manages to balance it in a good way, above all avoiding turning its characters into clichés or monsters, after all, their motives are simple: greed and entitlement and it's because when the money is within reach, the corrupt will always exist and they will always have their excuses rooted in those precise topics, greed and entitlement.

This is indeed a small film that stands out with the help of Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney's names and of course it's more solid because of them. And while there's barely anything new to learn from a story like this. Bad Education is as a matter of fact a pretty entertaining film.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

dame4lyfe

May 15, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hugh Jackman leads a well-balanced cast telling a tale of corruption and greed - The story featured a good cross of two narratives looking both at the triumph of a little girl uncovering a huge case of fraud within her school and the money hungry executives executing the plan - would recommend to anyone looking for a charming yet informative movie… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mauro_Lanari

Sep 30, 2020

(Mauro Lanari)
Someone steals, maybe for sociopathy. So what's new? If everybody steals, why just condemn someone? A partial justice is worse than injustice. Yay with the hunt for the scapegoat.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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