Rotten
It's funny how 'real life' sometimes conforms so closely to hackneyed patterns of screenwriting.
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
The First Grader
It's never too late to dream.
2010 · 1h 43m · PG-13
Drama, History, Romance
Directed by
Justin Chadwick
Overview
The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
60%
Tomatometer
Fresh
The First Grader is every bit as inspiring and heart-warming as you'd expect.
Tom Long, Detroit News
Rotten
The filmmaking is ... uneven, filled with charming picture-postcard scenes of smiling children and African sunshine that seem crafted for a different film than one with moments of horrific flashbacks.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Fresh
The story is uplifting in a predictably pro-education, antiwar, feel-good way, warmth and humor balancing the heavy moments.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh
Stow your cynicism and give this lesson in continuing education the response it deserves -- more than a polite clap, maybe even a sitting ovation.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
More films
Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Drama · Romance · R
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.
- Runtime
- 1h 32m
- Director
- Richard Eyre
- Cast
- Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy
IMDb
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes
87%
Metacritic
73
The Piano Teacher (2001)
Drama · Romance · R
Erika Kohut, a sexually repressed piano teacher living with her domineering mother, meets a young man who starts romantically pursuing her.
- Runtime
- 2h 11m
- Director
- Michael Haneke, Rudolf Melichar
- Cast
- Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoît Magimel
IMDb
7.5
Rotten Tomatoes
75%
Metacritic
79
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
Drama · M/PG
A headstrong young teacher in a private school in 1930s Edinburgh ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable 12-year-old charges with her over-romanticized worldview.
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- Director
- Ronald Neame
- Cast
- Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens, Pamela Franklin
IMDb
7.6
Rotten Tomatoes
85%
Carrie (1976)
Horror · Thriller · R
Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a dark and violent turn.
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Cast
- Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
IMDb
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
Metacritic
85
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Animation · Drama · Fantasy · Science Fiction · TV-PG
When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to 'leap' backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her frie...
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast
- Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura
IMDb
7.6
Rotten Tomatoes
87%
Metacritic
66
The Lorax (2012)
Animation · Family · PG
A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud
- Cast
- Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms
IMDb
6.4
Metacritic
46
Banana (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions fight over a delicious banana... but is that all they want?!
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin
IMDb
7.6
Home Makeover (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
When a social worker visits Gru’s house to assess its suitability for children, chaos ensues. Margo, Edith, and Agnes, along with the ever-mischievous Minions, scramble to give the home a makeover in record time. Their attempts to create a warm and inviting environment quickly spiral into hilarity as the Minions’ unorthodox methods lea...
- Runtime
- 5m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Kate Fisher
IMDb
7.1
Orientation Day (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions embark on their first day of work, eager to prove themselves in their new roles. After watching a hilariously outdated 'Initiation Video,' three rookie Minions take on bomb-carrying duty. Predictably, their enthusiasm quickly spirals into chaos as they bungle the simplest of tasks. Packed with slapstick comedy and the Minio...
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin, Rob Huebel
IMDb
6.8
Gru, mi villano favorito presenta: La locura de los minions (2010)
Animation · Comedy
Comments
Talk about the film with other members