Fletch's Mini Film Review: The Class

Do you work in an office? Meetings, tasks, chit-chat with co-workers, cubicles, break rooms, seven different managers, TPS reports - basically Office Space without the humor or Jennifer Aniston? Now, let's suppose that I filmed you for 9 months, then compiled that footage into the best fictional film I could come up with - the drama of those layoffs back in December, the humor of watching you call in sick, the zen-like monotony of when you filed those reports or had to do a few hours of data entry, the interpersonal communication and bonding between you and that guy or gal from the 8th floor.

Do you think this hypothetical movie would be critically lauded, even going so far as to win the top prizes at the Cannes Film Festival? Sure, it might be entertaining - after all, hours of dramas and comedies have been squeezed from workplaces for decades - but this movie with no narrative, no lesson, no real character development? And with those cameras following you, it feels like a documentary even though it's not. Even if it seemed well-written or acted at times, would you be going head over heels over this movie?

Well - no shockers here - those are my feelings about The Class in a nutshell. Yes, I was entertained. Yes, it's well acted and features some sharp dialogue and even some endearing, appealing kids. But when a supposed piece of fiction turns out to be more of a documentary than every other documentary made - in that it truly just documents the proceedings - you have to wonder if it wouldn't have been better off being a little less aloof about it's reason for existing.

Or maybe I was just hoping that Morgan Freeman's Principal Joe Clark (from Lean on Me) would just show up at some point.

Fletch's Film Rating:

"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."