xabadiar
A great comedy, I had a great time watching it. There's only one arbitrary point in the plot: the main character -Modesto the teacher- has the special capability to see the ghosts no one else can see, dead people who still have some unsolved subject which keeps them trapped invisible among the living. Why was Modesto born with this capability? Well, who cares... What follows is an original and funny story explaining how a group of 5 ghosts trapped in a school do their "supernatural stuff", like possessions and such. With the extra fun that these ghosts are from the 80s, dressing and talking on the 80s fashion.
cattusstar
Boy is at the prom.Boy sees girl.Boy finds out he can see ghosts.Boy grows up to be a man is a teacher.Then he is on the couch.Then the counselor says"And the hole,my dear Modesto,is your anus)(Counselor says"How can I put this...? Your gay.)(Modesto says"I'm not gay.) (Counselor says"Sure you are. Repeat after me:)(Counselor says"I'm gay and there's no such thing as ghosts.")(I understood the not seeing the ghosts by the kids in the prom room.Why wouldn't they laugh?They don't see them.So they think he is making it up one interpetation.(The counselor does he have a thing for gays?Is he gay?Does he want to force his belief on another?)(For me it ruined it for me,and now the good reviews on the movie"Ghost Graduation)(It made me think the people who wrote the good reviews lied on saying"Good stuff about it.)(Can you bully another?Can you force your beliefs on another?)(So if I could give it less than one star I would.)
JvH48
I saw this film at the Imagine film festival 2013 in Amsterdam. Beforehand I was a bit skeptical about seeing this one, fearing that the wandering ghosts were the result of some prom intrigues going bad in 1986. The rituals around a prom, where popularity and physical appearance are important factors for the students involved, can easily lead to hate and destructive actions. This could have been the cause of the high school fire we read about in the synopsis.It worked out very differently and much better, after all. Can it be my age that I'm not at least interested anymore in those juvenile "survival of the fittest" struggles, being the subject of many TV series and movies already?? Of course, we see a bit of that, but it is far from the main course of this movie.Anyway, our main character (Modesto) is a high school teacher who sees ghosts all around. Even the psych he regularly visits to get rid of this problem, has a ghost of his own in the office. That is his father who committed suicide, and nowadays has no choice other than observing day after day that his son has no professional talent whatsoever. And since the father was also a psych by profession, he often disagrees with the therapies prescribed by his son, but cannot do anything about it. Except when Modesto visits, of course, in which case we see a strange, often hilarious triangular interaction: Modesto can interact with both of them, can respond to what the father says, after which the son thinks that Modesto does not agree with the therapy he is advocating. This is a perfect example of the issues Modesto has to cope with, and also illustrates how this is used effectively in this movie.The first time we meet the five high school ghosts is when Modesto is misguided while looking for the room where he should teach classes, but is wrongly directed by one of the "normal" students. The five ghosts have a habit of scaring people passing by. We see some of their usual pranks in flashbacks, making it understandable that this part of the school is abandoned, left more or less "as is" after the school fire. But Modesto is the first one who does not seem scared at all. It takes some time for all of them to realize what is going on.It is popular belief that wandering ghosts come to rest when they can deal with some "unfinished business". Modesto assumes that missing their final exam is the reason that the five ghosts still wander around and cannot leave the school grounds. Hence he prepares them, after initial resistance of some, for their final exam. After several months of intensive teaching and studying, not all of them pass with flying colors, but the effort was commendable on itself. Does it end their wandering around?? Can it be construed as a spoiler when I say that their problem still persists?? Not at all, since the story has not ended by far, and there is more work ahead.It is not useful to condense the rest of the story here. The simple fact that how the story ends is not important in itself, rather the path that leads to their eventual release. Important contributing roles are reserved for the head mistress, the chairwoman of the school board, a self appointed "personal assistant" of the head mistress who thinks he knows how to change the school for the better, and many more people who all make this an entertaining movie, hilarious throughout, even including three very moving scenes (tear jerking, in the positive sense of the word). The festival visitors gave this film the highest place (well deserved in my opinion) with average score 8.91 for the audience award.All in all, it may be unpretentious entertainment but it is well made, and the actors perform very well in their respective roles. Some people may seem portrayed as one dimensional, but even the chairwoman of the school board loosens up with the right music, showing she has other sides. The latter is just an example, but it demonstrates how the 88 minutes running time of this movie is over before you know it. Similarly, the character differences of the five ghosts are outlined very well, also showing they are very well capable of working together when the need arises.
Iskren Iskren
Simple comedy yet done excellent if you like different than standard American comedies. Excellent script, wonderful music, clichés played with self-irony, fast pace, keeps you engaged and involved gladly. Good fun, leaves you with a smile and good feeling inside. No development of characters or such. Instead - smart, simple and fun. Has the looks of a 1980's movies and spirit. Do not expect more - no drama, no horror, no thriller either. Does not teach you or address morality or hidden messages. Don't know what else to say to complete the necessary 10 lines for a review. Really simple and fun. If you into such kind of movies - Enjoy! :)