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As Good As It Gets

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

"Monsieur Lazhar" is a substitute teacher who approaches a school principal to get work. He fails to tell her that he is a 'political asylum' seeker, not a permanent resident, to get work. Of course, he does get the job. This, by the end of the film, made me wonder why he didn't undergo a background check ... I loved this film, M. Lazhar (played incredibly well by Mohamed Fellag) is a teacher I wish I had but never did. He's charming, sensitive and really gets his student's minds back to learning (after their teacher hangs herself in the classroom). As an Algerian immigrant, he has ended up in Canada after his family were murdered by political extremists. His role, from what I could understand is to get his children to talk about death. This seems to be a taboo subject and the politically correct Canadian education system has troubles with this.However, for me the best characters in this film were the students, what a great bunch of young actors, amazing: Sophie Nelisse and Emilien Neron were amazing.Loved it, big time.

Monsieur Lazhar (2011)A very straightforward, somewhat predictable film that is so nicely made, and has such an oddly charming main character, you'll likely go along happily all the way. I don't think it's some kind of gem or masterpiece, as much as I was thrilled at the ending, which means it built me up beautifully up to that point.We might see two common genres mixed here. One is the school drama, with the inevitable starring teacher and a student or two who causes trouble, either literally or of the illicit love type. Then there is the immigrant story, especially an illegal, and the necessary subterfuges and adaptations all around. So the main character, Bachir, is a newly arrived Algerian immigrant who lands, by charm and perseverance, a job as a teacher in the a Montreal school. He is replacing a woman who committed suicide by hanging herself in her classroom (with the students at recess).All this is told quickly, with high drama of course (suicide is none but). And there is a tragic desperation injected right away. Even the students carry this on, traumatized and yet still children, fussing and jerking their way forward in their own odd (and lovable) ways.So the teacher adjusts, slowly, getting to the know the students and their psychological trappings. He also is coming to terms with his own situation (a couple of dull immigration meetings are shown, and though maybe necessary, maybe not). Other teachers watch and sometimes help, or try to get to know him. He meanwhile wins over the reclucant class of kids.I'm actually telling a bit of the story and leaving out what matters most—the compelling leading man, who is a show of his own, restrained and awkward and sympathetic. But I'm also letting on that these events are one we've seen many times before. There are some small twists, and there is a high level of steady (and sincere) competence at work, but we do have a familiar tale at the bottom.Well done? Yes. Commanding? Mostly, yes. Moving and new? Sometimes. It's worth seeing if you like low key, serious, contemporary films.

A grade school in Quebec has unexpectedly lost a teacher. Mr. Lazhar, a recent immigrant from Algeria, aggressively pursues the vacant position and lands the job. What follows avoids the overt sentimentality frequently on display in the teacher vs. students genre. In fact there is a tendency to underplay the emotion, which I found to be effective.Lazhar gives no hint to his class that he is privately dealing with his own loss, but he is finely attuned to what the students are going through. He gently tries to encourage the students to talk about what has happened at the school, in spite of the official policy of trying to suppress any mention of it. An ongoing theme is to show how official school policies tend to block communication between student and teacher. Any sort of physical contact is forbidden, all the way from a gentle slap on the head, to a pat on the back, to (heaven forbid) a hug. I particularly liked how small scenes add context and depth, like the fifteen-second scene that shows the school janitor shooting hoops on the school grounds, or Lazhar doing exercises in his apartment while reading a book, or Lazhar drying clothes on a rack in his apartment. There are moving scenes such as the one where Lazhar looks at a photo of his children, inter-cut with images of some of his students, the implication being that his children and his students share a place in his mind. The editing is terse with scenes ending without unnecessary elaboration.The children, eleven and twelve year olds, are natural actors. Put me in front of a camera at that age and I would have been as stiff as a board. It amazed me that the main boy was so powerful in one of the climactic scenes. These kids are not little angels, but I suspect that most grade school teachers would envy how well behaved they are.The experiences that Lazhar has as an immigrant in a different culture provide an interesting subtext. He speaks French, but, according to the students, a prehistoric version. They delight in correcting him. There is a fantastic scene were, alone in his classroom and listening to music from a school party coming from another room, Lazhar does a subtle little dance that gives some insight into what he had been like in his native land. Some classical chamber music, as well as original music by Martin Léon, provide eloquent accompaniment for the overall restrained approach.This movie drew me in and fully engaged me from beginning to end.

about small things. show of nuances. and lesson. about height of pain. about state of stranger in a strange country or situation. touching, subtle, profound. extremely delicate. picture of a world and discuss about values. a velvet and silk story. about rules of society. about cold rules and warm feelings. about fear, force of memories and limits. about circle of gestures facts. about solitude and fragility. or, only, a good script and a remarkable performance of each actor. a special event. and window to a form of salt happiness. must see it ! because a review is not enough to describe the flavor, wonderful flavor of this trip in the essence of fight against yourself.