Teachers

“Aw hell, Algebra” - Nick Nolte, drunk disillusioned public school teacher. The school seems to be gung-ho about avoiding any bad publicity so they go all out in sweeping under a court case about a student not being able to read. While this is playing out Crispin Glover pulls a gun out of a locker and is shot dead by police and NOTHING HAPPENS there's school the next day, heck it's probably the same day next period. Hey did you know this is also a comedy?

Thoroughly synthetic.

Time is divided between broad satire, or outright farce, and earnest preachment of the type in made-for-TV "issue" movies. (At issue: a breach-of-promise lawsuit brought by an illiterate high-school grad against his alma mater.) Hiller, who once upon a time directed _Hospital_, seems to want to do something of the kind for high school, but with a script by McKinney instead of Paddy Chayefsky. The latter, however many his faults, was prone to write brighter dialogue

I still love this movie.

Tries really, really hard to be Socially Significant and entertaining at the same time. Not bad, it's just too clumsy to fully work