Pleasantly Surprised - a balancing act that actually works

furrydad

I only watched this film because I was on a flight back from Europe and I had already seen the other two studio releases. From its high placement on the airline's priority of movies, it appeared to be a studio release which I had just missed. Imagine my surprise when I found out though IMDb that this is a TV Movie.

But Continental is right - this deserves studio release - it's quite good. This film is cliché after cliché, but like another film that successfully negotiates this trap ("Casablanca"), "School of Life" finds new truth in each tired cliché and presents it with a freshness that makes you realize that there are (amazingly) still aspects of these themes to explore.

As the title clearly states, this is a Bildungsroman -- but not the one you think it's going to be about. While it employs a remarkably overused cliché in the middle of the film, it does it so well that you don't care. Indeed, I can think of a number of other "feature" films that are far higher rated that have employed this same tired cliché with far less grace, far more commonality and descending into melodrama without providing the slightest moment of insight. This film, much to its credit, pulls it off.

The dramatic transition of the main character (David Paymer) is actually believable. At first this character is just half a step removed from the cliché of a frustrated modern buffoon -- someone that you recognize from your life, but just slightly over-accentuated so that you know a personality like this would probably not exist in the real world. However, his dramatic transition is actually believable and not overdone. Again, while this secondary theme has been explored a hundred times, this film does it with a precise balance that makes it believable, enjoyable and meaningful.

Ryan Reynolds pulls off a feat that is remarkable in this film. He truly captures the aspect of being the "cool" person that everyone wants to know and who excludes no one from his aura of coolness. This characterization is so tenuous that any false move and it falls apart. And yet never do we not believe that this man is precisely whom he appears to be - someone that you get to meet once or twice in your life and you're thankful for the chance. I believe that there is a Mr. "D" somewhere in Ryan Reynolds. Stealing a line from another favorite movie ("My Favorite Year") - there must be a bit of Mr. "D" in Ryan Reynolds because no one can act that good.

Why to watch this movie? It is occasionally hilarious, always thoughtful and realistically explores the emotional responses of middle-aged adults, young adults and middle schoolers. It is an excellent "family" film that you can actually talk about with your wife and kids when it's done. This coming from a reviewer that believes that nearly 100% of family films are banal, saccharin tripe and wasteful of the celluloid the films are printed on. For me to recommend a film as fine for the whole family means it's really a good film.

This film does what films are supposed to do - it entertains while challenging you at the same time. Bravo for a film well done.

score 10/10

furrydad 18 September 2005

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1174595/