Teaching Mrs. Tingle

TEACHING MRS. TINGLE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, violence, thematic elements

Rated:

The release date for this film was originally scheduled for not too long after the Columbine shootings, which encouraged filmmakers to make a mad dash to re-shoot the ending, because suddenly rogue students taking out vengeance, however humorous, on a teacher wasn't so funny anymore. The result is a solid film for the first hour and thirty minutes, and a flat ending that was no doubt stronger in the original script.

Leigh Ann Watson (Katie Holmes) has been a straight A student from grade school. Determined to work hard and get a scholarship so she can leave their simple little town and pursue life as a writer, the only thing standing in her way of success is a single grade. If she can manage an A in history, she can be Valedictorian of her graduating class and in line for the grant. Unfortunately, her history teacher is Mrs. Tingle (Helen Mirren), a stone cold perfectionist more than likely to belittle and humiliate her students than offer them awards for their achievements. Leigh Ann's project would make most teachers weep with ecstasy, but still Mrs. Tingle finds it lacking. Things only become worse when Mrs. Tingle catches Leigh Ann and her friend Jo Lynn (Marisa Coughlan), along with class clown Luke (Barry Watson), with the answers to her final test.

The principle's absence from the school that afternoon prevents her from turning the students in, and the trio decide it would be best to reason with her in order to prevent Leigh Ann from being expelled. This plan goes terribly amiss and due to a series of less than harmless accidents, the three are caught up in an unintentional kidnapping scheme. With an injured Mrs. Tingle tied upstairs, and only a few hours to figure out what to do with her and get themselves out of this mess, Leigh Ann is forced to contend not only with her teacher's manipulative mind games, but her own guilty conscience as well. The result is a slightly sadistic but surprisingly funny film whose strength lies almost completely around the sinister presence of award-winning Mirren.

One of its strongest points is the psychology behind it, since Mrs. Tingle is very apt at causing the young people to doubt one another's motivations. She plays off the strengths and weaknesses of each of them, pandering to Leigh Ann's fears, Luke's darker side, and Jo Lynn's jealousy. I was so fond of her, mean as she might be, by the end that I was disappointed in the altogether too rapid conclusion, and the lack of responsibility Leigh Ann and her friends faced. Knocking unconscious and tying up a teacher is no joke, no matter what your grade might be or how hellish the teacher can be when untied. As most of my reviewer peers have pointed out, Mirren is so luminous that you cannot help but find her young co-stars lacking in the acting department. That being said, it was enjoyable in the sense that you never knew quite what was going to happen or how the kids would get out of their mess. I cannot help but think the writer must have had a diabolical, much-hated teacher somewhere along the line, and this is his revenge.

As is true with most typical teen dramas, there is a hefty amount of content, but most of it has been shaved down in order to maintain a PG13 rating. Violence consists of numerous accidents with a crossbow, various characters nearly being strangled, and a person being thrown down the stairs. There's quite a bit of language, including one f-word, and various uses of s***. An intense scene of foreplay (removing clothes, kissing) leads to a sexual encounter off-screen; Mrs. Tingle can hear them breathing heavily through a heating grate. The students decide their only way out is blackmail, and decide to take compromising pictures with Mrs. Tingle. Luke intends to strip and get in bed with her, but at the last minute they discover her relationship with a married school coach and use him instead. The pictures aren't shown, but they do unhook the top of her pajamas to reveal the lace chemise underneath, and push the unconscious coach into her lap. While attempting to get him intoxicated, Jo Ann blindfolds him and pretends to be Mrs. Tingle, the result being that the coach tries to kiss her and manages to kiss Luke instead. There's some references as to the nature of the teachers' apparently sexually violent relationship.

The only positive thing about this horrible blackmailing scheme is that Leigh Ann does experience feelings of guilt and remorse as the film goes on. The problem here is that the children are not held accountable for their actions, and indeed, Leigh Ann sleeping with the boy her best friend has a crush on is treated rather cavalierly. There are some funny scenes in this dark comedy. One of my favorites was a bored Jo Lynn reenacting a scene from The Exorcist for Mrs. Tingle, who looks on in disinterested scorn. There really isn't much redeeming value in the production, and I almost wish I could have seen the director's original intentions, because I have a feeling there would have been more of a come-uppance in store for everyone. As it stands, I tended to fall rather on the side of nefarious Mrs. Tingle, and would probably have reacted much the same way she did if three bullying students broke into my home one night and tied me to a four poster.