Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Starring Griffin Gluck, Lauren Graham, Rob Riggle, Thomas Barbusca, Andy Daly & Adam Pally
Directed by Steve Carr
PG
In theaters October 7, 2016
In Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life, director Steve Carr (who previously directed Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Daddy Day Care) creates yet another hilarious film about rebellion, pranks and what it’s like to be a tween. What I loved, too, is that Carr added a couple of impactful plot twists to the movie, based on a New York Times bestseller of the same name by legendary novelist James Patterson.
With a name like this, moviegoers can expect to see how hellish middle school is (for example, epic bullying, mountains of homework and cliques). And, one definite reason most middle schoolers will enjoy the film is because a lot of the action is centered around standardized tests (aka the B.L.A.A.R in this movie) and how tough these tests are for middle schoolers.
Parents will like it, too, and might think about their own middle school days, especially if they had a mean principal. In the film, when Rafe (Griffin Gluck), a budding artist, starts a new school, he meets up with mean Principal Dwight (Andy Daly) who enforces tons of rules, making school not very fun for anyone.
So, Rafe, who has some authority issues, flips the tables by breaking every rule in the school’s Code of Conduct, most of them without getting caught.
One character who gave the movie a poignant twist was Georgia (Alexa Nisenson, 10), who plays Rafe’s naggy little sister. Alexa steals the show with her many spunky rebuttals made to her mother’s boyfriend Bear (Rob Riggle) who really only cares about his cars and his money. She may play the annoying little sibling who always gets on your nerves, but she gives a touching performance when she overhears her mom Jules (Lauren Graham) and Bear saying that they will send Rafe to military school if his mischievous behavior continues.
Another part of the movie I loved was the way Carr used animation at several points in the movie. It was like Rafe’s sketchbook came to life and that had everyone on the edge of their seats.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this movie and overall it’s definitely a depiction of how typically terrible middle school is, but there’s a plot twist that may make you cry and may even leave you feeling like maybe middle school wasn’t the worst years of your life.
Cub reporter Zachary Kaplan is a seventh grader in New York City.
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