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There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The movie "Teachers" pledges to fight for the cause of education, pointing out what's wrong in a damaged system that awards students who don't even show up in class, mocks the school system and also guarantee some laughs with it. The message is good, it's not anything out of this world, but the intersection of genres and some choices get in the way of making this a greater film. Despite this being a 1980's flick, "Teachers" is not dated and feels more relevant now than ever. Schools like the one depicted here are quite common, with variations on the same tune: precarious places with uninterested teachers and even worse students, and directors trying to please themselves and the government with false statistics to get more funding, that always gets lost somewhere. It'll open some eyes about the obstacles inside the educational system and the politics behind one of the greatest tragedies of all: present students and future workers have their potential wasted under those circumstances, a present with no knowledge and a future without opportunities. You know the rest of the picture in real life, and it can only turn darker.A high school is facing a lawsuit from one of their former graduated student who passed all exams but who doesn't even know how to read. This premise, so far, looks dumb cause this kid benefited, in a way, of the institution policies and then got mad he got shunned off by possible employers, then sue them? No judge in their right mind would accept that. Anyway...The prosecutor (JoBeth Williams) goes to the school to find out what really happened and if the teachers knew about this wrongful approval. One of the masters is a former teacher of hers (Nick Nolte), an idealistic man she saw as an example to be followed but at the current moment is deeply involved in the place's mode of conducting business: they need to get more budget and they can only guarantee that with results - which they don't have because they are a low quality school (but the government doesn't know that!). It's a game of pretending but he teaches, he cares about his students, and that's why the woman is convinced he can help her to make her case against the school, after knowing that no one's gonna help her there.In between the battle of ideologies Nick's character has with the prosecutor (the institution's reality vs. the dreamy cause of education) and the obstacles he faces with the board of directors, he tries to save some conflicted students - a rebel boy (Ralph Macchio) neglected by his divorced parents, who is forced to take reading classes in order to pass since he was already pushed grades after grades by thousands of other teachers - and a girl (Laura Dern) who was knocked-up by a PE teacher, and I guess you can see that this will be the turning point of the story. Luckily, the movie escapes from the worn out clichéd of dangerous school filled with robbers, punks and thugs who threat colleagues and masters.What attracted me the most was the level of reality brought into the story. Absurdity is a norm in that kind of movie, and "Teachers" has plenty of that, but it stays close to the truth in some aspects, with the teachers routine in class and in the meetings with their peers during breaks. Directors putting pressure on teachers to get results favorable to them? Sure, and they do that with students too. I personally seen during my high school years a director assembling the last seniors, explaining to all of us how important the state's exam was, rudely demanding to do our best. You know what everybody did? Boycotted the exam. By that, I mean, the majority flunked those tests on purpose. Why going right if no one's gonna stay there one more year? It's all about providing big budgets to the school.The movie's a delight, humored, serious when needed but it's overloaded with baggage. It deals with problematic schools (avoiding some clichés though), some romance, the lawsuit, troubled kids (but never dangerous as portrayed in many existing realities and films out there), disenchanted masters vs. idealist types, and more. It's like Mr. Hiller wanted all and wouldn't want to settle for less, but in the end he accomplishes half way with everything he wanted because it's just too much to cover. By the time a murder takes place, it all falls out of place and the upcoming moment is an hilarious scene where the true nature of Richard Mulligan's character is revealed, cutting off any possible moment of sadness for the dead student. I think the writer and the director should settle with something: or invest in a real drama like "Lean on Me"; or be somewhat satirical; or an anarchic comedy like any other of its kind. The final message provided here isn't all that easy to accomplish, and I'm not sure if it is even possible. Teachers challenging the system is a good cause but it can only work if students, parents and the community get involved, and the administration (governments included) be willing to fight for the best cause for all. Education is the fundamental right that paves the way to all the other rights. 8/10

I sat down to watch this movie with my father in-law who is a retired school teacher. He'd rented it after hearing about how good it was for many years. Watching it with him I caught him laughing and remembering the good times, nodding and remembering the hard times. This movie really touched home for him.I did think it was a tad predictable in spots, but few movies aren't. The acting was wonderful with a huge cast of fairly large names - especially for the time it was made.Laura Dern gave an honest performance of the pretty school slut who gets in trouble. Machio gives a great performance, not at all plastic as he was in the Karate Kid movies. JoBeth was endearing and a bit naked. Judd gave, as usual, a stellar performance. Morgan Freeman was virtually unrecognisable as the man/actor he is today. He's come a long way, but it's nice to see him skinny and unsure of himself. Crispin Glover was amazing. I was thoroughly impressed with his role of a troubled teenage boy. My heart went out to him and I'm now going to hunt down other movies he's been in - He blew my mind with his portrayal! As for Nolte... I have to admit to never liking him or the movies he's done. I cringed when I saw he was the lead, but was delightfully surprised with this performance. None of his ego bled through. All I saw was a burnt out teacher make a turn around and decide to try again to make lives better for the kids who get shoved aside.Overall a great movie that should have gotten more of a push when it came out. Teachers should see this to reignite their passions, as should lawyers. Students should see it to realize teachers are not all out to get them, or just there to earn a paycheck.

While the story takes some liberties with realism this is actually a very good film. As a 25 year teacher I can honestly say that what may have appeared outrageous in 1984 is pretty close to reality today.Frustrated teachers, out of the loop administrators, a total lack of discipline, students bringing a smörgåsbord of baggage to class and a stubborn school board that puts the money above the needs of the students.Yes, an occasional affair does happen between teacher and pupil and the possibility that a school staff member would aid a young student in obtaining an abortion is not that far fetched. Teaching is like any profession in that there is excellence, mediocrity and total ineptitude. In some cases the issue of low pay is something of a myth although no one in education is getting rich. If so many believe that teachers have it easy why aren't college graduates breaking down the doors to get in?What I like about "Teachers" is that it portrays professionals that truly place the needs of the students first even if their methods are unconventional. Give me one teacher like Nick Nolte's character instead of 10 Dittos. Forget the mantra "looks good, is good" and admit mistakes. The community responds best to the truth.Students in any school situation respond to the sincerity of their teachers. Put the young people first and don't be afraid to walk around in their shoes once in a while.I enjoy "Teachers" and I am happy with the used VHS copy I found on eBay. A DVD would be nice from MGM considering the crap from the same era that has been released.

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.