dierregi This is a predictably sweet comedy, with a mildly nasty turn. Moore is great as usual, as spinster teacher Linda Sinclair. She lives in her world and finds reality distasteful.Linda goes on blind dates, but the men are not up to her standards. Until one day former student Jason comes back in town from New York. Jason is a gifted writer, but he's planning to give up writing to become a lawyer.Jason's father is blamed for his change of heart and surely Linda does blame him. Things take a different turn when Linda insists to have Jason's first play performed in her school.Complications ensue, but a happy ending is on sight. If anything, this should "teach" anybody never to believe somebody's version of facts, until you get further proof.

moonspinner55 Sleeper success that catches its audience unawares. Julianne Moore proves she's still at the top of her game playing 45-year-old spinster school teacher in Pennsylvania who encourages a former student with his writing, committing herself to seeing that his original play is approved by the school board for production by the drama department, but instead yielding herself to a sexual indiscretion in the process. Tangled-web dark comedy, framed like a modern day absurdist fairy tale, begins as a lightly-comic character study before fusing itself to a sharp satire of the high school dynamic. Fortunately, both sides work beautifully, with excellent supporting turns by Michael Angarano (a terrific young actor), Greg Kinnear as the boy's father and Nathan Lane as the passionate drama teacher. Extremely well-written by Dan and Stacy Chariton, who provide such an offbeat touch to both situation and dialogue that one never knows what's going to happen next. A marvelous surprise. *** from ****

John Orosz The music, acting and lights are great. This is a family flick with a suggested sex scene so use your judgment. Aside from that it is a tale of growing up in life. Not just as high school children but as adults who have some growing up to do but who are fighting hard to hold that rigid line we often find ourselves inside of adulthood.The movie paces itself very nice and offers a great deal in the way of humorous scenes that give way to their charming side in the way the actors portray the characters and in the delivery of the lines. I felt a real connection to the cast as they are all examples of myself at some point in life and I think many people can identify with them. I generally am very picky about these types of films as it falls in the category of romantic comedy which often use a tired old formula and offer nothing much int he way of humility and the smart look on real world activities. You will not see any bar scenes, pool halls, dancing and drugs. No hot steamy kissy face or romps around the bedroom.Best put the romance is subtle but present while always an heir of fun is ongoing making the serious scenes feel lighter with hope for better things to come around the corner!

tmooney1-987-62067 "The English Teacher" is actually a thought-provoking movie. It's somewhat bittersweet in its depiction of an array of likable, believable characters who encounter - and must deal with - a gap between personal ideal and reality. Take the drama teacher: he tells us that he once had ambitions, while now he's the quirky local school drama coach. Everyone, including the teacher herself, has some unfulfilled ambition bubbling beneath the public surface.I'll admit to having perhaps a slightly different perspective than many other viewers. I live in the real-life Kingston, Pa. and saw the movie with an audience that "got" all the local references, for better or worse, and probably laughed harder than other audiences would. But I think any audience, anywhere, could enjoy - and even perhaps identify with - the characters who populate this movie. If "action" seems minimal, maybe that's because what's "happening" is the everyday lives that we eventually settle into.