Any adult male who preys on minors should be - literally - whipped to within the proverbial "inch" of his life. And if this individual also is a teacher doing so with a student, salt and iodine should be added liberally to the resulting wounds.
However, I don't think we have to praise what we feel is a mediocre presentation simply because it addresses a serious problem. I couldn't disagree more with those who have proclaimed this a strong movie about this important situation.
The parents here, along with their victimized daughter, all moved more slowly than postal workers on Valium for the first 1 hour and 50 minutes -- then screamed like Banshees on "Speed" for the final 10. Gary Cole, as the villainous - and thoroughly vacuous and unctuous - teacher, is a very credible actor. But here his performance and character sounded like Jethro from "The Beverly Hillbillies" displaying a "dark side."
Even though this film was made a few years ago, and this problem is perhaps a little more evident today, the principal's speeches about teachers and school officials hugging and touching students to make them feel good, etc., was incredibly stupid and naive on the part of the writers. Anybody with even minimal intelligence knows that in the workplace, school - or anywhere else, males should avoid even the most cursory of physical contact. There are many, many scenarios where even the most innocent physical contact can be misrepresented by one of parties involved, or by someone observing. And even the most tentative addressing by one of the parties will find attorneys gathered as if there were a chemical plant explosion or a group of ambulances (to "chase") at a massive freeway pileup.
All-in-all, this is a serious subject deserving of a much better approach than this flick provided.
However, I don't think we have to praise what we feel is a mediocre presentation simply because it addresses a serious problem. I couldn't disagree more with those who have proclaimed this a strong movie about this important situation.
The parents here, along with their victimized daughter, all moved more slowly than postal workers on Valium for the first 1 hour and 50 minutes -- then screamed like Banshees on "Speed" for the final 10. Gary Cole, as the villainous - and thoroughly vacuous and unctuous - teacher, is a very credible actor. But here his performance and character sounded like Jethro from "The Beverly Hillbillies" displaying a "dark side."
Even though this film was made a few years ago, and this problem is perhaps a little more evident today, the principal's speeches about teachers and school officials hugging and touching students to make them feel good, etc., was incredibly stupid and naive on the part of the writers. Anybody with even minimal intelligence knows that in the workplace, school - or anywhere else, males should avoid even the most cursory of physical contact. There are many, many scenarios where even the most innocent physical contact can be misrepresented by one of parties involved, or by someone observing. And even the most tentative addressing by one of the parties will find attorneys gathered as if there were a chemical plant explosion or a group of ambulances (to "chase") at a massive freeway pileup.
All-in-all, this is a serious subject deserving of a much better approach than this flick provided.