Like an overbooked, overambitious student, “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life” tries to cram far more into its curriculum than it can handle. The film’s attempts at comedy and sentimentality are equally unsuccessful, resulting in a movie that feels more like a third-rate “Saved by the Bell” knock-off than a legitimate teen flick. Both the younger cast members and their more seasoned adult counterparts mostly give it their all, but the screenplay by Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer (“Masterminds”) and Kara Holden, based on the novels by airport-king James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, throws in more incidents and.
- 10/7/2016
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Based on the book by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is the next in the line of films featuring kids taking control of their world.
Rafe (Griffin Gluck) is heading into middle school, and he finds himself in the world of Principal Dwight (Andy Daly), who runs a tight ship, and has an overabundance of rules. Rafe and his friends put together a plan to break every rule Principal Dwight has, but he has to keep his plans, and rule-breaking, from his mom (Lauren Graham).
While this one looks like a lot of fun for younger audiences, its success probably rests on Daly’s shoulders, and he’s a great choice for the role. The “bad guy” in such a film can easily go too cartoony, and though Daly could probably aim for that if he wanted to, his work on things...
Rafe (Griffin Gluck) is heading into middle school, and he finds himself in the world of Principal Dwight (Andy Daly), who runs a tight ship, and has an overabundance of rules. Rafe and his friends put together a plan to break every rule Principal Dwight has, but he has to keep his plans, and rule-breaking, from his mom (Lauren Graham).
While this one looks like a lot of fun for younger audiences, its success probably rests on Daly’s shoulders, and he’s a great choice for the role. The “bad guy” in such a film can easily go too cartoony, and though Daly could probably aim for that if he wanted to, his work on things...
- 9/10/2016
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.