Lawbolisted Powerful

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Maziun „Teachers" is a interesting forgotten movie from the 80's . It's a movie that wants to be more than just a comedy set in school , but also doesn't want to become another serious movie about school . It tries to be something in-between . I appreciate the effort , because it makes the movie quite unique. Still , in the end the movie fails . It's too silly for most of the time to be treated seriously and to serious to watch it as a comedy. The movie also suffers from chaotic screenplay which puts too many things in the movie and is not focused on the main subject . For example – the car subplot , the crazy guy subplot , the drugs subplot. All those things are distracting , cheesy and quite unnecessary.The movie isn't afraid to criticize the system and is right with many things it points out . "Teachers" were made in 1984 in USA . When I'm writing this words it's year 2013 and many things hasn't changed at all . Not only in USA , but also in my country. The movie also captures the relationships between students and teachers really well . I also like the message it sends – being a teacher is a big responsibility , because it can change lives of both student and teacher. It's not a work in the fabric , because we're talking about people here , not products. It takes passion and courage to teach despite bad payment.The movie has some big names in it – Nick Nolte as the main hero , Ralph Macchio ("Karate Kid") and Morgan Freeman (with cool hairstyle). There is quite a lot of 80's trademark comedy and some nice pop songs . All those things are good , but can't change the final verdict.With a much better screenplay this could have been a classic. It's still definitively worth watching , but I just can't rate it high. It's one of those wasted opportunities .I give it 4/10.

TOMASBBloodhound Teachers has a lot going for it. No question about that, yet when it finally ends, you just don't really feel like it moved you. This film is kind of like a flip side of Fast Times at Ridgemount High. That film focused primarily on the students and was mostly a comedy. Teachers is told from primarily the adults' point of view and is more serious than funny. There are some funny moments to be sure, but a lot of the more dramatic moments fall flat, or just don't feel motivated.Nick Nolte is certainly not what's missing here. He's as likable as ever as a formerly idealistic teacher who now can barely make it out of bed on a Monday morning. He lies about his line of work to bed women, he's always hung over, etc. In one scene it almost looks like he's wearing the shirt he had on in that infamous mug shot of a few years ago! He is funny at times, and when Nick Nolte says a line with passion, you believe he means it. He is a great actor. There is also plenty of talent amongst the supporting cast members. Judd Hirsch is fine as Notle's once good friend, and now just a bureaucrat vice principal. Look for Morgan Freeman in an early role as the school's attorney. A young Laura Dern is also on the scene, and looking pretty. JoBeth Williams plays Nolte's former student, now an attorney helping sue the school since her client graduated from there and still cannot read. Crispin Glover is the typical spaz character he always played, and Ralph Macchio was kind of annoying in his role.The crux of the plot deals with the pending lawsuit, and several day-to-day problems the film wished to address amongst the students. Violence, teen pregnancy, lack of learning can all be found here. The film wished to treat these problems as new and disturbing, but since the film was made, they kind of look trivial now. The Columbine tragedy, among other things, has made the problems these students face in the movie almost tame. Ultimately, the film comes up a little too short because it just tries to juggle too many characters and events. The final scene, where JoBeth Williams strips down in the hallway seems forced, since not enough time is used to build up her motivation to do something so crazy. It just doesn't work. And then the film cops out with a feel-good kind of ending that really resolves nothing and seems inappropriate. Another annoying thing about this movie is the overbearing soundtrack. It isn't bad music, but it just seems to drown out some scenes as a song will start up to remind the audience, "hey! this scene is important! Don't you hear Joe Cocker singing?" I think I also heard .38 Special, Bob Sieger, and maybe even a Freddie Mercury sans Queen song. It just sounds to me that the record company spent way too much money trying to get the soundtrack sold. Overall the film is worth about 6 of 10 stars.The Hound.

jeffman52001 "Teachers" is a great film that came out in 1984. The film really touched up on the things that is even today, hurting some of our schools here today in the U.S.. The apathy, red tape, the lack of concern for the kids is what is causing the schools to get bad. I love this movie for a lot of reasons, the funny and sad moments in it. The cast of the film is really excellent.The film starts out where it is a typical Monday morning at JFK High School where crazy things happen. The school psychologist loses it when the teacher nicknamed "Ditto" (Royal Dano) is hogging the ditto machine and she squirts him with ink. A stabbing has happened. A former student named Lisa Hammond (JoBeth Williams), who now is a lawyer, is representing a kid named John Calvin, a kid who is suing the school cause of the lack of education he received.Alex Jurel (Nick Nolte), is called in on that Monday morning to teach Social Studies, Alex never comes in on a Monday. Alex Jurel is a teacher who got burned out, fighting a system, which has not changed. He runs into his former student, Lisa Hammond and she sees he has given up. She helps him to reawaken his ideals and Alex helps a kid named Eddie Pilikian (Ralph Macchio), a troubled kid, help him and become friends. Eddie stole a Drivers Ed. car with his friend Danny (Crispin Glover). Danny is a kid at the school who has problems being picked on by other students. Danny gives his teacher, Mr. Rosenberg (Allen Garfield) a hard time, first he bit Rosenberg on the hand and later on steals his car, though Rosenberg does not know about Danny stealing his car.The other teachers at JFK are Stuart Van Ark (Richard Mulligan) a.k.a. Herbert Gower, an out patient at a mental hospital, who takes up the identity of the real Stuart Van Ark, and teaches his history class, and being entertaining. The kids in the class like him. "Ditto" a.k.a. Mr. Stiles, a teacher who sleeps on the job and doesn't teach at all later on dies in his sleep.Alex's friend and Vice Principal of JFK, Roger Rubell, is one of the members of the faculty, next to Superintendent Burke, don't care about the kids and are worried about the publicity of the John Calvin case. They want the teachers who are going to be asked questions at their depositions to lie, but one of the teachers, Mr. Carl Rosenberg refuses to lie and does tell Lisa Hammond why they passed John Calvin. The School board want to fire Jurel for taking a student named Dianne Warren (Laura Dern) to an abortion clinic cause she got pregnant by the Physical Education teacher, Mr. Troy (Art Metrano), but Alex knows the real reason why the want to fire is is that the board are worried about what Alex will say at his deposition, though the case ended up being settled. Alex packs his stuff and Lisa Hammond sees him packing and Alex tells her he is quitting. Lisa convinces him to stay.After Eddie Pilikian sets off the fire alarm, the people are outside and Alex tells him that he is not quitting and will sue them if they try to fire him. Alex tells Burke and Rubell about that the High School is about kids. Alex is staying to teach."Teachers" has a great cast and supporting cast like Richard Mulligan, Morgan Freeman as Al Lewis, the school board attorney, veteran actor William Schallert as Principal Horn, a clueless principal who does not know much about the school and some other things.I am so happy Teachers in out on DVD now, there is a God!,,lol.

jamegero This is a movie that was well before its time. It is inspiring for novice teachers. It embodies wonderful archetypes for teachers...clearing giving fine examples of what good teaching looks like and what bad teaching looks like. We can all identify with the characters in this movie. We had teachers like each one of them. The character played by Richard Mulligan is particularly interesting and refreshing. Many of his methods, although viewed humorously in 1984, embody the qualities of outstanding teaching in the 21st century. Nolte's character also embodies sound pedagogic principles coupled with the frustrations. The issues in education are still very similar. The technologies have changed but the tenets remain the same. A study of the archetypal teachers in this movie would be a useful study in teacher training, education and professional development.