Rating: PG-13
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon, Kurt Fuller, Amy Poehler
Directed by: Craig Gillespie

We've all had one. That nasty, sadistic high school teacher, who seemed to enjoy torturing his or her students for no reason. What was it about them that we despised? Was it the scowl that seemed to be frozen to their face? The sarcasm in their voice whenever they would ask a question or give an answer? Maybe it was their uncanny desire to make yours, and everyone else's life a living Hades.

John Farley (Scott) remembers his gym teacher, Mr. Jasper Woodcock, with no less seething wrath than Captain Ahab had for Moby Dick...and given the chance, he would have probably harpooned this jaded jock strap with a spear.

{mosgoogle right} Why? Because Mr. Woodcock took great pains and pleasure harassing poor John during his years as a high school student. John was a pleasantly plump pupil back in public school, and Mr. Woodcock made it his business to make poor John's time in gym class memorably miserable.

Years later, John Farley ascends above his past and writes a best selling book about it. He immediately rises in popularity, having fans from all over coming up to him and sharing their testimonials about how John's book changed their life for the better.

After having looked at most of these people, and where their lives seem to be at the time of their proud proclamations, one is scared to wonder what their lives were like before being enlightened.

John soon finds out through his publicist, Maggie (Poehler), that his home town in "corn country" USA has elected him as the next recipient of the famous "corncob key". Against Maggie's advice, John rushes home to see how the old place has been holding up, and to reunite with his mom, Beverly (Sarandon).

Now, all of this sounds so wonderful. After all, here was this chubby, country boy from a small hick town who rose above his miserable past to gain fame and fortune as a successful author. There's just one teeny weeny fly in the all-too-wonderful, velvety Vaseline. His mommy, who has been a widow and single for many years, due to John's malcontent with her dating other people, has finally found happiness with a man that is an absolute "He-Man the Magnificent" when it comes to the bedroom.

Who is this great athlete? None other than John's old gymnastic nemesis, Mr. Woodcock. Needless to say, this does not sit well with John, and the fact that where ever he goes meandering through his old stomping grounds, people can't seem to help themselves from teasing John about his mother's affair with the old athletic supporter.

Even at the Deep Dish Pizza Parlor, where he meets up with another classmate/victim, John can't seem to escape the harassing. Together John and former classmate conspire to break up Beverly and Mr. Woodcock's relationship. John goes out and conducts his own investigation on Mr. Woodcock and finds out that he had been married before, and in the process, systematically collects more dirt and evidence in order to convince his mother to break off the affair.

All of John's efforts are in vain and he finds this out when his mother announces that she and Mr. Woodcock have taken their relationship to the next level, so to speak. In the meantime, while John is despairing over all of this, he bumps into his old school crush, Tracy (Sagemiller). He figures he has finally found a girl that shares his dread of the infamous physical education fanatic, but instead, much to his dismay, discovers that while he was dreaming over her in seventh grade science, she was dreamily drooling over Woodcock. Can someone say backfire?

Completely oblivious to what's happening with the events surrounding the publicity for his book, John finds out that Maggie has plans for him to plug his book on Oprah Winfrey's show, and has an interview with Tyra Banks. The pressure is on, and everything that John believed so strongly in, enough to write a book about, is slowly dwindling. The wall that closed off his past is crumbling and he is forced to acknowledge a whole new truth. Instead of Letting Go as the title of his book preaches, he comes to realize that "you don't get past your past, you embrace it."

While this movie is in no way a summer blockbuster, it does offer a positive message and makes for a somewhat entertaining flick, if you're in the mood for farce, slapstick, a pinch of crude humor, and a light-hearted theme.

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Sue   |2007-09-25 02:01:24 Enjoyed your review. In fact, from being a movie that I had no interest in seeing -- I am now planning on renting it. Especially liked the Ahab reference, and the line "would have probably harpooned this jaded jock strap with a spear." Ouch! I know some mentally abusive teachers -- and kids -- I can vividly imagine doing that to. Reply 0   0

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."