BAD EDUCATION : Official Reviews ( SPOILERS)

[jo]

From a veteran film blogging and awards-watch site --

thefilmexperience.net/blog/2019/9/15/tiff-a-good-time-with-bad-education.html

TIFF: A Good Time with "Bad Education"
Sunday, September 15, 2019 at 8:00PM


by Chris Feil

Long Island public school administration corruption comes to light in Cory Finley’s Bad Education, a sharp examination of early 2000s secrets hidden in plain sight. A young school paper reporter Rachel (Blockers’ Geraldine Viswanathan) first goes looking for a quote on her high school’s flashy new building project. What she ultimately stumbles upon are records that reveal an embezzlement scheme funneling millions of taxpayer dollars into the interests of those at the top, including Hugh Jackman’s chief administrator Frank Tessone.

Based on an actual case of massive fraud, Bad Education is less salacious than you might expect and much more humanely interested. Mike Makowsky’s script starts with the big picture and focuses towards the personal, detailing not only the slippery slope of petty to major financial theft, but also the landmine of Tessone’s closeted sexuality in a culture that forces him into interiority. The film has a strong, smoothly told grasp on the finer points of the story, such as economic inequity, gender imbalance, and personal relationships allowing people to look the other way.

The film is stacked with an intelligent cast bringing humanity and wit to the surrounding characters, including Annaleigh Ashford, Ray Romano, and Alex Wolff. Allison Janney delights as Pam Gluckin, the first administrator caught committing credit card fraud, deepening the film’s complex emotional core and sharing unexpected chemistry with Jackman. Some of the ensemble (especially the great Viswanathan) aren’t given quite enough to work with as others in terms of a balanced narrative, but that’s because it surprising shifts its focus to key criminal Tassone.


As the film progresses, the ensemble piece fades to more of a showcase for Hugh Jackman, rewarding the actor with one of his most complex characters and paying off in his greatest performance. There’s something tragic in Tassone’s downfall as Jackman portrays it: a life of shame and vanity competing for space in his motivations, his public nice guy persona being a methodical, but ultimately easily torched veil to hide behind. Jackman turns this all in on itself, smoothly shifting from confusion and coldness with raw nerve composure. The actor isn’t often noticed for such subtle work as this, but it reveals a smartly observed sensibility that we should hope to see more of.


Where Bad Education succeeds most richly is with its tone. Empathic but not forgiving, the film thrives on its nuances of character and upper middle class economics to prevent it from becoming a reductive take on institutional evils. Never quite a wholehearted comedy or outright satire, instead the film first deceives the audience with lightness before rolling us into a clearer context. Finley makes something that is journalistic but not dry, immensely pleasing but not aggressive. It’s more low-key and confident in the audience’s brains than his debut Thoroughbreds; watching it is witnessing a filmmaker grow up and chill out in real time. B+

[jo]

8 of 10 Review from JoBlo.com --

www.joblo.com/movie-news/review-bad-education-tiff-2019

Movie News
Review: Bad Education (TIFF 2019)
14 hours ago by: Chris Bumbray



PLOT: A high school superintendent (Hugh Jackman) and his underlings use their unlimited access to school funds to finance their high-flying lifestyles, but when one of them makes a mistake, the whole system threatens to come crashing down.


REVIEW: BAD EDUCATION has some intriguing history behind it. Based on a true story, the film's screenwriter, Mike Makowsky, was actually a student at the school when this all went down. Certainly, it's a weird little story and a compelling vehicle for star Hugh Jackman. With the film's recent sale to HBO, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jackman walk away with an Emmy nomination for his work here as Frank Tassone, the unscrupulous head of a scheme that should have never worked, but did for years and years.


It's the follow-up to the underrated THOROUGHBREDS for director Cory Finley, adopting a similar black comedy feel, although this doesn't get anywhere near as dark. One thing that's especially interesting about Finley's film is how a balance is struck between sympathy for Jackman and his cronies and the need we feel to see them all taken down.

Tassone's an intriguing character. Deeply closeted, the money he pockets allows him to keep a former student lover living in style in another state, while paying for his facelifts and penthouse apartment. Yet, of all of them he's portrayed the most sympathetically, with Allison Janney chewing scenery as the closest thing the movie has a to villain, his assistant who's greed is so out of control it's bound to send the whole system crashing down, especially when her doltish son, "American Vandal"'s Jimmy Tatro, gets involved.


In some ways, BAD EDUCATION feels similar to the recent I, TONYA, opting to give the perpetrators a chance to express how they justify their crimes, with many of them saying over and over that school administrators should be better rewarded financially, which makes sense but also note the even more under-paid teachers had nothing to do with this scheme.

BLOCKERS breakout star Geraldine Viswanathan has a great part as the student journalist looking to blow the lid off the scheme, with Finely also devoting a lot of time to her troubled home life, with her own father having been accused of financial crimes of his own, giving her extra motivation to see justice done. HEREDITARY's Alex Wolff has a smallish part as her editor, who juggles his own need to go with the flow and the fact that the story she's digging up is killer. Ray Romano, who's in the middle an an amazing rebirth as a character actor (which began with his underrated turn on the cancelled-too-soon "Men of a Certain Age") also has a nice role as one of the parents serving on the school board, who's easily manipulated by Jackman's slick smoothie.


Had BAD EDUCATION played a few years ago, during a better marketplace for the mini-majors, I think it would have gotten picked up a mainstream theatrical release. It's certainly as entertaining as any of the big acquisitions out of Sundance last year - heck - had it made its debut there it might have already opened in theaters, Sadly, the business is changing, but at least on HBO people will get a chance to see this entertaining true story, and appreciate Jackman really stretching out in an atypical character part.


8/10


Source:
JoBlo.com

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/B2mCcuqBgUr

[jo]

www.bleedingcool.com/2019/09/21/hbo-picks-up-hugh-jackman-starrer-bad-education-out-of-tiff/

HBO Picks up Hugh Jackman-Starrer “Bad Education” out of TIFF

Posted on September 21, 2019 | by Danielle Solzman | 0 Comments


HBO has acquired Cory Finley‘s Thoroughbreds follow-up, Bad Education, following the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

The acquisition by HBO is said to be for $17.5 million–a record-breaking purchase for any film to screen in Toronto. The film team had been looking for $20 million and an Oscar push. This isn’t to say that theatrical distributors didn’t try to acquire the film. HBO just happened to have the highest bid in a competitive endeavor. Meanwhile, the Bad Education team will have to settle for an Emmy push since a theatrical release is certainly to be unlikely at this point.


Having attended the world premiere during the first weekend of the fest, I can tell you that Hugh Jackman delivers a career-best as superintendent Frank Tassone. He’s certainly going to be a formidable contender during next year’s Emmys. Allison Janney , who portrays assistant superintendent for business Pam Gluckin, isn’t bad herself as she made her return to Toronto two years after appearing in I, Tonya.

TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 08: (L-R) Catherine Curtin, Rafael Casal , Kayli Carter, Geraldine Viswanathan, Alex Wolff, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Allison Janney, Ray Romano, Cory Finley and Hari Dhillon attend the “Bad Education” premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 08, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)


The film is about the scandal that took place in the Roslyn School District in the early 2000s. Led by Frank Tassone and Pam Gluckin, the district was among the most prestigious in the country. Students would go on to attend Ivy League colleges. They had it all and yet everything would fall right under their eyes. This happened because of one student’s investigation into finances for the Skywalk project. At first, it gets discovered that Gluckin stole from the district. If this isn’t enough, Tassone was also embezzling money. It’s a masterclass in acting from both Jackman and Janney!

Finley directs from a script written by Mike Makowsky, who actually was a student in the district at the time that the events transpired. The film’s cast also includes Ray Romano, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Alex Wolff.

Produced by Automatik and Sight Unseen. Fred Berger, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Oren Moverman, and Mike Makowsky produced. Executive Producers are Leonid Lebedev and Caroline Jaczko.
CAA Media Finance and Endeavor Content represented the filmmakers.

[jo]

Very astute and thoughtful review!

Hope all these strongly favorable reviews bring on streaming records for HBO MAX and awards glory for the movie and main cast!

Film
Festival
TIFF 2019 Review: Corey Finely's excellent 'Bad Education' tackles worst school embezzlement scam in history

September 24, 2019

Nate Adams



Courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival


Comitting crimes to feel like you’re doing something good is the impotence to Corey Finely’s wildly entertaining “Bad Education,” which is based on the 2002 embezzlement scandal that rocked Roslyn High School in Long Island.

A scheme which racked up more than $11.2 million dollars in total damages to the school district, the film is adapted by former student, Mike Makowksy, who witnessed the ordeal first hand and marks something of a unique turn for Finely, whose last film “Thoroughbreds” was an off-beat and strange indie that barely reached a wide audience.

“Bad Education,” on the other hand, is far less polarizing and has the star power to attract eyeballs - and garnered much praise from those attending the Toronto Film Festival - and while “Thoroughbreds” was heavy in fictionalized satire, in his second feature Finely has to site actual sources, resulting in an engaging slow-burn investigative thriller sprinkled with hefty comic touches and represents the type of ace mid-budget adult targeted film missing from the current theatrical marketplace.

Digging deeper into his characters and showing great poise as a rising filmmaker, Finley’s “Bad Education” starts deconstructing this insane narrative from the top with one Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman), the beloved Roslyn School District superintendent who acts as a miracle worker for overzealous parents and always finds the correct phrasing for inspirational pep talks to moopy students. He’s assisted by Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney who’s terrific with her thick accent) the manager of the business office next door with the pesky school board president Bob Spicer (Ray Romano doing exactly what Ray Romano does) constantly sniffing around.

With his dry cleaned suits, concealer makeup, and somewhat refined demeanor, Frank seems like a schmuck eagerly hiding something; and to his credit, Jackman slips into the role perfectly with his beady eyes, and Charles Dickens novel in hand to showcase how far his sophistication goes. Initially, the film seems a bit mute on the whole conspiracy, but instead focuses on Frank’s mission to get Rosyln number one in the region. He’s got the determination and attitude to make it happen, as students are getting accepted to Ivy league schools at record rates. What could possibly go wrong?

But his advice to an eager school reporter named Rachel (Geraldine Viswanathan - excellent) about turning the puff piece she’s writing on a planned school renovation morphs into something much bigger, and the young sleuth begins to unravel an entire can of worms. If anything, “Bad Education” should teach audiences the power of journalism at any and all levels.

So while Rachel is off digging in the trenches (or the archive closet in the school’s basement) things are falling apart at the administrative level, as we learn that Frank has been dipping his hand in the proverbial cookie jar with lavish trips and starting a fling with an old student (Rafael Casal) in Vegas. Meanwhile, Pam has been using the official school credit card to make some pricey home improvements to her house in the Hampton's. Not exactly “official” business if you know what I mean.

Finely has a great time showing the demise and downfall of these buffoons who are in a tug of war with a moral compass. They constantly think they’re doing what’s right for the students, yet are doing more harm than good. It’s equally fun watching Jackman get wound up when pushed into a corner about his illicit activities. The irony being he’s quick to offer advice to those who seek it, but isn’t afraid to stab you in the back when his own flaws are pointed out.

This all culminates in a terrific operatic crescendo that’s tragically poetic in all the best ways, “Bad Education” doesn’t take the easy way out and Finely garner's real mileage out of his cast. Especially Jackman whose more a big Hollywood star than a character actor, and that’s what makes his turn here all the more remarkable.

It doesn’t hurt the script has snappy dialogue and doesn't use its subject matters as a parody of the system. Instead, “Bad Education” showcases how dumb people will find any way to rationalize their actions, no matter the consequences.

Grade: A-

Bad Education will be released by HBO Films sometime in 2020 and the film was screened as a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

There is currently no trailer for the picture.

[jo]

Especially Jackman whose more a big Hollywood star than a character actor, and that’s what makes his turn here all the more remarkable.

This must fill his heart - as many reviews have the same observation! To be called a "character actor" than just a movie star


Jo

[jo]

812filmreviews.com/2019/09/18/tiff-review-bad-education/

Roslyn High School is ranked 4th in the Nassau School District. Their students attend Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, etc. With one more push they can be #1. Their success stems from the astute maneuvering and guidance of the suavely dressed Superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman). The board implicitly trusts him, and he reigns supreme with the adoration of his students. However, several startling secrets lay at the foundation of his fiefdom. Cory Finley follows-up his 2017 dark comedy Thoroughbreds with the shocking dramedy Bad Education — mixing scandal and a cult of personality.

The frame of Finely’s film should prove familiar, based upon the Nassau County school scandal, administrators were convicted of embezzling money from the district. Tassone runs Rosyln High School with Assistant Superintendent Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), and pre-scandal they’re focused on an upcoming construction project called the Skywalk—a literally bridge of hope to becoming the number one school in the district. Their methods are intense; Gluckin routinely quizzes Tassone on the names of students and teachers: their daily wishes, achievements by their relatives, and other successes in their lives. People feel as though Tassone is their friend. However, when Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan) is assigned by the school paper to write a puff piece on the Skywalk she uncovers disturbing details hidden beneath the numbers.

Bad Education acts as a vehicle for Hugh Jackman—delivering an incredible performance as the well-kept Tassone. The character isn’t too far from his previous role as Gary Hart in The Front Runner: An attractive and persuasive personality with an equal capacity for perfection and unforced errors, preying and turning on those who question his ‘immaculate” record. And just like Hart, Tassone possess a few secrets too. Furthermore, the acting from the rest of the cast is strong: Janney’s incredulous eye-rolls is a mood, Ray Romano as the agitated Bob Spicer does fine work, as does Rafael Casal who carves out singular moments in his few minutes.

Finley’s dramedy—driven by character ticks—courses with dry humor, yet offers fully realized humans. These aren’t people with bad intentions. They’re people who became greedy, then comfortable, then invincible. Moreover, the film is a test of one’s individual scruples. While tracing through the scandal, Finley’s narrative becomes an examination of whistle-blower culture and the psychology behind exposing nefarious behavior. Who does the truth ultimately hurt? And can doing the right thing still lead to bad things for good people? Bad Education doesn’t completely shift to a crucible, nevertheless, still asks challenging questions relating to the salaries of educators and administrators, why a school’s success being directly tied to donors is a detriment, and what sacrifices and ends must come to get children into their top school at any level. Bad Education is a step-up in every facet for Finely, and an original telling of inherently flawed people pushed to the brink.

[jo]

From film critics/press members from the UK ( media screenings must have been completed) --

[jo]

More from the UK movie press and critics --

"

[jo]

Reviews
‘Bad Education’ Review: A Brilliant Look Into White Collar Crime

by Saffron Maeve
September 11, 2019

Courtesy of TIFF


Bad Education tells the true story of Frank Tassone, a charismatic and hyper-involved superintendent that embezzled millions of taxpayer dollars over the course of a decade. The film stars Hugh Jackman as Tassone and Allison Janney as Pam Gluckin, the assistant superintendent who also covertly racked up quite a hefty bill under the school board’s name. Bad Education is Cory Finley’s sophomore feature after his 2017 release Thoroughbreds, and his direction was nothing short of marvelous. The mesmerizing camerawork paired with a tumultuous score made the film feel claustrophobic at all the right moments. Some shots felt so tense that I found myself clinging to the edge of my seat in anticipation.


Unlike its predecessor, Bad Education is not meant to be a psychological horror, but don’t tell that to Finley. What he does so masterfully is genre-bending, in a way that is neither obtuse nor conspicuous. He doesn’t treat this film like a dramedy; he allows it to feel gripping and uncomfortable as though it is a horror film. Peppering in moments of sheer hilarity, Finley creates a malleable triumph that will age gracefully.


Bad Education harbors some of the strongest performances of the year, namely Jackman and Janney. Jackman’s performance is incredibly nuanced; he nails the smooth-talking Long Island caricature while bringing a tremendous level of depth to the role. The final act, in particular, solidifies the belief that this is his best work of the last decade. He brings a certain sympathy and humanity to Tassone that exists in short-lived bursts, only to then bluntly remind us of his atrocities. Janney, on the other hand, balances some stellar comedic and emotive moments, as can only be expected. Her delivery is sharp, poignant, and seamlessly fits the tone of the film.


As the credits began to roll, Cory Finley and screenwriter Mike Makowsky graced the stage with their presence for a Q&A period. Early on in the Q&A, Makowsky revealed that he had some personal ties to the story; he was in the eighth grade when the Tassone turmoil reached its peak and had actually met the infamous superintendent on a few occasions. Given this immediacy, he is able to truly bring this world – his world – to life.

You can see it in the small details like the snow day wand (he admitted that this was, in fact, real) or Rachel’s room (actually shot in Mike Makowsky’s childhood bedroom). He also spoke to his decision to represent Tassone’s personal life in a respectful way. “Frank Tassone was the first representation in the media, and being someone I knew, that was gay” he says. “And to see some really icky headlines like ‘Gay Superintendent’ or just ‘Long Island Gay’ was crazy because… well, what did that have to do with anything? They don’t even address the fact that he was a criminal”. Bad Education is able to mend some of the negative repercussions of the press covering this case by showcasing Tassone’s sexuality as merely a part of him, without tying it to his criminality.

As the audience trickled out of the theatre, eager to head to whatever screening they had lined up next, I couldn’t help but feel dazed. Frankly, on its own, the film’s storyline is not an inherently enticing one. It deals with white-collar crime and a scheme that’s grandiose pull was $11 million dollars, which, while contextually abhorrent, isn’t that shocking. And yet, you can’t help but feel horrified while watching the mess unfold. Much like a car wreck, or that one really invasive scene of Frank getting a facelift, you just can not look away. Bad Education is a stylish and smart flick that is comprised of school-board politics, grand larceny, and Hugh Jackman slicking his hair back to a booming score more times than I could count.

★★★★½

.

[jo]

More social media impressions from the movie press/critics in London --

[jo]

[jo]

HomeMovie ReviewsLFF 2019: Bad Education Movie Review
LFF 2019: Bad Education Movie Review
September 24, 2019 Anuj Radia Movie Reviews 0



Bad Education is a deliciously piquant pairing of Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney.

In the early 2000s, Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) was Roslyn, New York’s star school superintendent.

He is hugely charismatic and delivering stellar academic results that helped property prices skyrocket with a housing boom fuelled by parents’ desperation to move into his school’s catchment area.

Along with his trusty, salty dog of a deputy, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), he could do no wrong.

But then a plucky student reporter – Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan) uncovered some shocking secrets about the school’s finances.

Collaborating with a gifted production team that includes composer Michael Abels and shot on film by Lyle Vincent, Finley crafts a compulsive school-set political thriller.

The film recalls Election and Half Nelson in presenting a high school environment that isn’t what it initially seems.
It is the unfolding of the single largest public school embezzlement scandal in American history.
Though Bad Education is based on the Roslyn High School theft, knowing nitty-gritty details about the real-life incident is not necessary.



Director Cory Finley narrates the story in an effortless manner.

The bleakness of the film’s subject is balanced very neatly with the humour, where it almost seems like the comedy is satirical.

It is not easy to make a comedy driven by a serious issue, but Finley does it well. In fact, the movie’s tone reminds one of The Big Short.

The narrative itself is cinematically enriched. From the initial choppy wide-shots of the school to close-ups of Frank Tassone, Cory immediately sets the scene and backdrop.

Followed by a steady pace, we gradually see all the ordinary-seeming characters get caught up in an extraordinary, life-changing circumstance.

As such, a shot of a leaking ceiling foreshadows the manic and drama that is to unfold.

In the process of doing so, the director presents a wave of nostalgia and manages to encapsulate the early 2000s USA well.
Seeing the white Windows computers, slide-up Motorola mobiles, references like the PlayStation, as well as the hairstyles and costumes authentically set the scene.

Amidst all of this, the movie subtly outlines several sub-themes including morality, greed and courage. As the narrative progresses, one can feel the bottleneck of the truth exploding.
The film has a stellar ensemble cast and each actor does an incredible job… Every actor shines in their respective parts… Especially Allison Janney and Geraldine Vishwanathan.



However, Hugh Jackman is a show-stealer.

Jackman has perhaps given the performance of a lifetime by playing a charming and sweet-talking superintendent.
Constantly obsessed with his good looks, dressing sense and reputation, he displays sociopathic behaviour in the most simple but effective way.

This is a character which requires great prowess and it is an understatement to say that he is excellent.

Plus, the writing of the humour and characters are sensitive. The theft or Jackman’s character is never glorified or romanticised throughout the film.

At the same time, it strangely makes us sympathise with his role, even though his actions are deplorable… Which he also does not deny.

In fact, every character in this film, besides Rachel, exudes grey shades and yet there is a vulnerability to all of them.
As a piece of cinema, Bad Education does not have many faults. Despite a slow-burning pace, Cory Finley maintains our attention from start to finish.

The comical quotient is not at all short-lived and continues to make us laugh whilst not digressing from the film’s seriousness. It’s a risky combination that is remarkably triumphant.


Above all, though, Hugh Jackman puts his best foot forward as an actor and it’s imperative you see him work his magic.

A strongly recommended watch!
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5/5 stars)

#comedy
Bad Education
BFI London Film Festival
Crime

[jo]

All these tantalizing praise and fulsome admiration of Hugh Jackman's portrayal is very bittersweet!

While some or many of us may find a way to watch the film --

What sounds heartbreaking is the likelihood that the movie will not qualify at all for Oscar consideration, thus missing out on awards recognition for Hugh


I wonder if nothing has been done to persuade HBO to work out a limited theatrical distribution to at least qualify the movie for Oscar recognition? Has Endeavor Content ( sister company of WME, Hugh's talent agency) not worked out anything of the sort during the negotiations for the sale?

Also, wouldn't it be more favorable for HBO or HBO MAX to bask in the possible Oscar honors that the film may gain...and haven't they thought of it that way? Maybe there is no need to release screeners to AMPAS voters, so as not to allow proliferation of copies or even court the threat of piracy of intellectual property? The qualifying screenings could serve as the Special screening for SAG/AFTRA or other voting bodies?


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

London Film Festival Notice --

Home > Special presentations > Bad Education
Special Presentation in association with Empire
Bad Education

A deliciously piquant pairing of Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney powers Cory Finley’s eagerly awaited follow-up to his explosive debut Thoroughbreds (LFF 2017).


Monday 07 October 2019 21:15
ODEON Luxe Leicester Square
Sold out!
Tuesday 08 October 2019 12:45

ODEON Luxe Leicester Square
Buy
Wednesday 09 October 2019 15:00

Vue West End, Screen 7
Sold out!


Dir Cory Finley

Prod Fred Berger, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Oren Moverman, Mike Makowsky

Scr Mike Makowsky


With Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano, Geraldine Viswanathan, Alex Wolff
USA
2019
104min

Prod Co Automatik

In the early 2000s, Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) was Roslyn, New York’s star school superintendent, hugely charismatic and delivering stellar academic results that helped property prices skyrocket with a housing boom fuelled by parents’ desperation to move into his school’s catchment area. Along with his trusty, salty dog of a deputy, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), he could do no wrong. But then a plucky student reporter uncovered some shocking secrets about the school’s finances. This taut and hugely entertaining second directorial effort from Finley comes from a script – which made the 2016 Black List – written by Roslyn native Mike Makowsky, based on the true story of an embezzlement scandal that rocked the New York school system. Collaborating with a gifted production team that includes composer Michael Abels (Us, Get Out) and shot on film by Lyle Vincent (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Thoroughbreds), Finley crafts a compulsive school-set political thriller. Crisply capturing the early 2000s, the film recalls Election and Half Nelson in presenting a high school environment that isn’t what it initially seems. And amongst a brilliant ensemble, Janney and Jackman fizz as the wildly entertaining double act – gobsmacking in their duplicity, charm and audacity.


Tricia Tuttle


Festival guests
This member of the filmmaking team is expected to attend the festival:
Cory Finley, director.

See the full list of visiting festival guests. Please note that we can't guarantee guest attendance at any particular screening.


© 2019 British Film Institute. All right reserved. Registered charity 287780.
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[hughmanity]

Yes, bittersweet is the perfect word.  I was getting resigned to the situation, but after seeing all these tweets coming out of London, my sense of frustration is rising again! 🙁

Sept 24, 2019 13:49:04 GMT -5 jo said:

All these tantalizing praise and fulsome admiration of Hugh Jackman's portrayal is very bittersweet!

While some or many of us may find a way to watch the film --

What sounds heartbreaking is the likelihood that the movie will not qualify at all for Oscar consideration, thus missing out on awards recognition for Hugh


I wonder if nothing has been done to persuade HBO to work out a limited theatrical distribution to at least qualify the movie for Oscar recognition? Has Endeavor Content ( sister company of WME, Hugh's talent agency) not worked out anything of the sort during the negotiations for the sale?

Also, wouldn't it be more favorable for HBO or HBO MAX to bask in the possible Oscar honors that the film may gain...and haven't they thought of it that way? Maybe there is no need to release screeners to AMPAS voters, so as not to allow proliferation of copies or even court the threat of piracy of intellectual property? The qualifying screenings could serve as the Special screening for SAG/AFTRA or other voting bodies?


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

The Variety review by Peter Deburge was the first review shared on this thread. These are his tweets --

[jo]

LFF 2019 Review: ‘Bad Education’
Clare Brunton
September 26, 2019


LFF 2019: Bad Education is an American film appearing as a ‘Special Presentation’ at this years festival.
‘I did it for my job.’ ‘No, you did it because you wanted to look pretty.’

Bad Education features an all star cast including Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney and Ray Romano. Based on the shocking true story of the corruption and embezzlement within New York school district Roslyn. Superintendent Frank Tassone (Jackman) struggle to maintain his status when his trusty Deputy Pam Gluckin (Janney) is caught embezzling.

Whilst award winners Jackman and Janney steal the show, young star Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) holds her own as a high school junior Rachel. (Bad Education was acquired by HBO at TIFF, so expect to see it on a small screen next year.) When tasked with writing a puff piece about the District’s new Skywalk, she visits Tassone’s office for a sound bite. Egged on by Tassone in scenes eerily reminiscent of Jim McAllister and Tracey Flick in Election, Rachel delves deeper in to the cost of the development, and unearths shocking discrepancies within the departments budgets and finances.
The real Tassone and Gluckin


The film is based on the shocking true story of the now infamous Roslyn superintendent. You can read more about the true story in this New Yorker article from 2004, but beware as it will spoil many key plot points in the film. The script was written by Mike Makowsky who was attending Roslyn Middle School when the scandal broke. With this, audiences get an insight in to the different ripples caused after the initial discovery of Gluckin’s crimes. Makowsky focussed his initial research on the locals of Roslyn, which allows for some excellent scenes as the school faculty confront Gluckin and deal with the inevitable fallout of the scandal. (Eagle eyes will spot a couple of OITNB alums amongst the faces, along with the ever present Ray Romano as Faculty Head Bob Spicer.)

Don’t be tempted to read too much about the real story until after your viewing. Director Cory Finley teases out the story, little bit at a time, so the audience is able to revel in the little details and twists. The film is perfectly paced and the cast shines in every scene. A perfect mix of humour, human drama and shocking scandal, Bad Education is likely to be a hit of 2020.

Running as a ‘Special Presentation’at this year’s London Film Festival. If you can’t wait until 2020, you can find more information about the film and tickets at the BFI Website.

Tags :2019 films2020 filmsAllison JanneyBad EducationcrimehboHBO Filmshugh jackmanIndependent CinemaLFF 2019London film festivalLondon Film Festival 2019MoviesRay Romanotrue storyTV



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[jo]

REVIEW: Bad Education [LFF 2019]

(4 / 5)


It may share its name with a Jack Whitehall classroom sitcom and its 2015 big screen spin-off, but Bad Education (sans the “The Movie” subtitle) is all the more troubling in the fact that it’s based on a real-life incident.
When Deputy Superintendent Pam Gluckin (a leonine Allison Janney) is found to have embezzled funds from the Roslyn school district, Superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman, clean as a freshly-plucked chicken) makes the case against the calling police.

He explains the ensuing scandal would destroy Roslyn’s hard-won placement in the school district rankings and harm students’ chances of getting into top-tier universities. It might even, he plausibly suggests, tank the local housing market, much to the terror of schoolboard president and property investor, Bob Spicer (a wide-eyed, credulous Ray Romano).
The decision is made to sweep it under the rug: Pam will repay the money – an initial figure is given as $250,000 – and quietly resign. And therein lies the rub…


Bad Education is a case study of how easily people are misled – even by themselves. The danger is when we stop questioning ourselves.

Kids holding adults to account is something of a trend in modern discourse, whether it’s climate activist Greta Thunberg or, back in 2002, student reporter Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan), who delves into the finances behind Rosyln’s new $7.5 million construction project, the SkyBridge, a beloved boondoggle, and discovers the numbers don’t add up.
All this because Frank told her not to settle for writing a puff piece.

Mike Makowsky was a student at Rosyln at the time the story broke and his tight, well-observed script captures the contradiction of these public servants who care earnestly about the community – Frank remembers every student he ever taught – but are deeply compromised by their desire to be seen as wealthy and successful.

Much of the film’s black comedy comes from the overlap between sincerity and self-servingness, as when the school board sympathetically forgive Pam on the basis of, “you know, the sociopathy”.

As Pam says when agreeing to buy her niece’s (Annaleigh Ashford) son a Playstation on the school credit card, it doesn’t matter so long as the books are seen to balance.

Pam’s meathead son (Jimmy Tatro) isn’t so careful, blowing the whole game by using the wrong card. A mundane but consequential sequence of his shopping for home improvement supplies is grandly underscored by Michael Abel’s dark orchestral score.


Janney is deliciously arch as the deceptive Pam and Jackman gives a career-best performance as a public servant whose perfectly-preened, if slightly gaunt, veneer is beginning to crack under pressure.

A scene where a demanding parent subjects him to her child’s halting recitation of a letter “they” wrote hints at the depths of repressed frustration that lie just below the nip-tucked façade.


Cinematographer Lyle Vincent shoots their unprepossessing offices, the basement into which Rachel delves in search of receipts, in the wide lens, unflattering lighting style of All The President’s Men.

All of which melds perfectly with Cory Finley’s tight, psychologically-driven direction. As with Thoroughbreds, his directorial debut, Finley paints a portrait of the dangers of entitlement. He’d be a perfect fit for Showtime’s newly announced Ripley series, there are undertones of Patricia Highsmith throughout.

Having been snapped up by HBO rules Bad Education out of the Oscar race, but it’ll be a hard one to beat come next year’s Emmys. If only they’d take a red pen to the title.

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"Ethereal charisma " -- I told ya, Hugh is an angel sent down to us

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London Film Festival 2019: Bad Education Review
by Kelechi Ehenulo
Posted on
September 30, 2019

There’s a great little moment in Bad Education – the Cory Finley directed film where Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) is in a Vegas nightclub. He’s a gay man living a closeted yet affluent lifestyle. His spouse lives in a New York apartment, but to his work colleagues, they naturally assumed he had a wife who tragically passed away. At the club, he’s having an affair with Kyle (Rafael Casal), a former student he used to teach. And as much as he tries to avoid Kyle’s dancing advances (set against the backdrop of Moby’s In This World), he reluctantly joins but struggles to find a rhythm.
There’s a part of you mentally encouraging Jackman to break character for a split second, slide into that naturally charismatic talent he possesses, throw on a top hat and burst into song with The Greatest Show. But Finley quickly reminds you that this is not The Greatest Showman. Bad Education strips his persona bare.


On the surface, Jackman portrays the model all-American – the immaculate prep with the perfectly suited attire, a religiously daily make-up routine and a strong-willed community influence that could decide the educational fate of the students at Roslyn School. It’s almost Presidential – Frank Tassone, keeping up appearances as the man of the people. But underneath, is a shady schemer who embezzled millions out of the school district to fund his lavish lifestyle – and it’s all done with Jackman’s trademark charisma.

For a role that is so uncharacteristic and sociopathic, but takes full advantage of his showmanship personality, you can tell Jackman loved throwing himself into the part. In essence, he is the perfect casting choice. The Front Runner may have been the beginning of Jackman stretching his palette, but in Finley’s Bad Education, it’s up there as a career-best.

Not to be confused with the Jack Whitehall BBC comedy of the same name, we shouldn’t be surprised that Bad Education is based on a true story. Written by Mike Makowsky (who attended the school in question), he presents this as a part drama, part satire affair with all of its complicated grey areas. Fitting the bill as a true-crime narrative, occasionally it lacks a hard-hitting edge, but like the gift of foresight, it has impeccable timing considering the recent college admissions scandal (which will probably be a movie sometime in the future). Whitney Houston said it best in The Greatest Love of All – “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way”, and if there was a hidden lyric applied to this film, then the children will take you down!


It’s a seed that’s planted by Jackman’s Tassone, encouraging a young school journalist in Rachel Kellog (Geraldine Viswanathan) to go beyond the mere ‘puff piece’ editorial about the school’s brand-new Skywalk project. What follows next is a domino-effect calamity and financial discrepancies, exposing one teacher, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) and her house renovations in the Hamptons, before falling like a house of cards in exposing Tassone’s frailties and the district’s systemic-wide problem.

The hilarity comes with how the school deals with the crisis, knowing it could damage their all-star image. Makowsky’s off-kilter script (with its occasional sharp one-liners) portrays itself as a virus, something that slowly embeds unsuspectingly before slowly turning into a code red epidemic. It enjoys the incompetence and complicity of its staff, but it also acknowledges its subtle push to understand why. Because if everything is going well, why would anyone question it?


Coming off the success of his first feature Thoroughbreds, what Finley amplifies from Makowsky’s script is the deceptive image of perfection and how Tassone and company led double lives in their imitation of success. Instead of dealing with all of its complications of reality, they built up a delusional, privileged fantasy where money clouded their judgement with a righteous belief in their moral justifications. And just like the much-fabled ‘American Dream’ that accumulates materialistic wealth, elevates statuses and devoured loop-holes, they never prepared for the inevitability that the luck would soon run out, caused by their self-destructive stupidity and negligence.

It’s hard not to appreciate the lengths that Bad Education goes through to impress. Technically, Cory Finley executes it with suitably-paced freedom in the condemnation of their actions. He allows their greed to fester never judging them or their rehearsed excuses. If there is empathy, then it’s kept at a distance. Its only complaint is the limited screen time for Janney. But for someone who can ‘do no wrong’ in my eyes, she makes every scene count.


But the Finley and Makowsky collaboration does celebrate something that should not be overshadowed by its established cast – the spirit of investigative journalism with a female lead. While some films make a big ‘song and dance’ over inclusivity (which at this point can feel like a trend), Finley’s approach is subtle throughout. In Rachel, she’s the moral compass amongst the darkly comedic absurdity. But acting with a quiet determination, yes, she follows the Superintendent’s advice, but beyond that, she acts of her own accord. She defies her editor (played by Herditary’s Alex Wolff) despite him saying “we’re not the New York Times” and pushes forward to unravel the hierarchical secrets despite the noticeable intimidation by Tassone. Think of Bad Education as the junior edition of Spotlight, and in Geraldine’s underrated performance, Jackman may be the main attraction, but here, you have an undeniable hero.

And you know there is a sense of irony when the film ends with Dido’s White Flag – another Easter egg of its noughties setting. But as a slice of compelling entertainment, Bad Education brings out the best in Hugh Jackman, and given its timely relevancy, it goes to show how America still has some learning to do.

BAD EDUCATION is screening as part of the BFI’s London Film Festival 2019. For screening details and ticket availability, please visit their website for more details. Released in UK cinemas on October 7th.




Posted in FilmTagged Alex Wolff, Allison Janney, Annaleigh Ashford, Bad Education, Cory Finley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Hugh Jackman, Kathrine Narducci, London Film Festival, Mike Makowsky, Rafael Casal, Ray Romano

Author: Kelechi Ehenulo

Kelechi Ehenulo is the creator and writer of Confessions From A Geek Mind, an analytical film and TV blog.

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