69 - Summer School

    This movie was mentioned on Psych recently, and as a fan of '80s teen movies, I felt obligated to watch it.  Plus it had Kirstie Alley!

    A gym teacher (played by Mark Harmon, who looks like a cross between Sam Neill and Billy Bob Thornton) gets roped into teaching remedial English to a group of kids during the summer.  As he learns to teach, he helps the students with a variety of their interests and issues.

    I was impressed with this movie.  I can't say that it's especially noteworthy, but I will say that it's much more classy than other teen movies of the era.  This one approaches some serious issues, but remains playful, and carefully written.

    The teacher doesn't know how to teach, so he spends some time going on "field trips" with the students to amusement parks and the like.  Once that is stopped, in order to save his job, he strikes a deal with the students, that they will work, in exchange for a favor to each of them.
    This integrates him into their lives.  He works with a pregnant student in Lamaze class, (although this is not explored much) he works on teaching one of them to drive.  He allows a screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in class.  He allows them to have a 4th of July party at his house.
    Most of these things seem wildly inappropriate to us, but the approach taken in the movie is actually very kind.  He views his role in these events as being for the greater good, and he's treating them as equals.  There is a subplot that actually made me uncomfortable, as a student has a crush on him, and he seems to be aware of it, but tries not to address it.  The girl ends up sleeping on his couch.

    There is a romantic subplot, between the teacher and another teacher, played by Kirstie Alley.  It's a peculiar romance, since it never feels very important or meaningful.  It does lead to a nice ending shot of them on the beach, kissing, with his dog licking their faces.

    There's one other thing that I really liked about it, and it had to do with the way it was scripted and performed.  There are a lot of gags that don't feel as in-your-face as modern comedies do.  The joke is delivered, but it doesn't get that extra-hammy performance to sell the joke harder than it needed to be.  I love this approach.  It feels more natural, and much more realistic than the alternative.

    Ultimately, this movie has much more heart to it than would be expected from the cover, or the name.