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Bad Education
2019 109 min United States of America R 18+
★7.4
Drama, Crime, History
Director: Cory Finley
Trailers
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Description
A superintendent of a school district works for the betterment of the student’s education when an embezzlement scheme is discovered, threatening to destroy everything.
Starring
Hugh Jackman
Actor
Ray Romano
Actor
Welker White
Actor
Awards
Emmy Awards 2020
— Best TV Film
Emmy Awards 2020
— Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Key opinion
Bad Education is widely praised as a compelling and morally ambiguous biographical drama, anchored by a career-best performance from Hugh Jackman. While critics appreciate its sharp, ironic tone and taut structure, some viewers remain divided on the necessity of certain subplots and the film's shift in pacing toward the final act.
| Acting | Hugh Jackman delivers a masterful performance that effectively balances the protagonist's outward charisma with his internal moral corruption. | |
| Screenplay | The film is consistently lauded for its tight, efficient storytelling and sharp dialogue that sustains engagement throughout its runtime. | |
| Theme | The film successfully employs a sophisticated tragicomic tone, using irony to examine how individuals rationalize systemic corruption. | |
| Direction | The score and direction effectively reinforce the film's ironic atmosphere, capturing the polished facade of the protagonist's environment. | |
| Screenplay | Critics are divided on the screenplay's narrative focus: some find the subplots and peripheral character arcs essential to the story's depth, while others view them as unnecessary distractions that detract from the central investigation. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on the pacing are split; while many appreciate the brisk, focused 90-minute structure, others find the transition from the engaging investigative first half to the more procedural, legalistic finale to be tonally uneven or tedious. |