Customer Reviews

Lower Learning

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

To be honest, I'm not even sure. Part of me wants to give it five stars for the funny bits in it - the kids cussing at the teachers and the positive lesson that the VP learned (to care for kids and all) and the sheer offensiveness of it - and then I want to give it a one star because of that very same sheer offensiveness in there. The positive reviewers are right to like it, the negative reviewers are right to hate it, so I'll give it a 50/50 rating and give it three out of five stars. I can tell you, it's probably not what you would expect.

This movie is rated R and takes place at an elementary school so have that in mind while watching. It does take it to the next level and has many scenarios that you would never want to happen at your kid's elementary school, but that's what makes it so funny. Many times comedies are supposed to change it up and take it to the next level. Starring Jason Biggs, who has never had a problem being in comedies with absurd and crude qualities (ex: the american pies) delivers in this movie. Eva Longoria, is quite hilarious in this too. Yes, very attractive too but if you have seen her in Desperate Housewives you already know that she can deliver when it comes to comedy. Then you have the villain.............Rob Corddry. I'd say he steals the movie. If you haven't seen him before he's always a comedic mastermind. Hot Tub Time Machine would not have been the same without his overthetop character. And anything with kids doing something vulgar has always made me laugh.

Lower Learning is surprisingly funny at times... it feels like one big improv skit (And the deleted scenes seem to attest to that theory, as 35+ jokes are thrown out there, and only the best 5 are used), and for this movie, it mostly works. The cast is tremendous, I didn't expect to see so many familiar faces, and most are well-known for their roles in movies like this. The stand out for me, in a field of all of these other comic actors is Monica Potter. She is relatively unknown to me, other than a few movies she has been in, and she manages to deliver some of the funniest lines as a down on her luck teacher who is going through a bad marriage. Much of the comedy of Lower Learning is based on kids "saying the darndest things", but not all of it. The plot of the story is basically Jason Biggs vs. Rob Corddry in a fight to save a struggling school. Also surprising is some of the stuff Longoria gets to do. She has a running gag as a troubled woman who inhales paint fumes, Cool whip can fumes, chews tobacco, drinks whiskey, abuses pain pills and more. When confronted about her issues, she becomes defensive and asks: "What is this Nuremberg?", "What is this Salem"? She actually had some funny lines here, I'll give her credit for that.

Lower Learning is Hilarious!!! With a cast led by Jason Biggs, Eva Longoria Parker and Rob Corddry, this movie is a gem. The acting is stellar and it is a brand of comedy that rivals The Hangover. It's amazing that this movie was made independently because the production value and style are that of a studio picture. I would recommend this film highly to anyone I know. If you are in the mood to laugh and have a rip roaring, hilarious adventure check out Lower Learning.

Jason Biggs plays a failed hostage negotiator who decides to take a less stressful job as a guidance councelor at a failing elementary school being run into the ground by a crooked principal played by Rob Corddry. Eva Longoria plays a school distict auditor with a "slight" drug addiction that has been hired to determine why the little school is in trouble. For Jason, Eva was the one girl that got away that he never could forget. Laugh out loud funny.

Not only did this movie introduce me to Zacharias' amazing song, "I'm in Edukashun," it almost single-handedly (though not always smoothly) paves over the ham-handed attempt at 'inspiring' teachers with films like "Freedom Writers."

Critics seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to dark humor; it's hit-or-miss depending on who's doing the critiquing. Personally, I loved the blithely satirical reality of an elementary school where the students wait on the Principal hand and foot, and offer relationship advice to their lovelorn and emotionally constipated educators. "Lower Learning" allows kids to say the darnedest things, with the added benefit of Bill Cosby being nowhere in sight. Instead, we get the always-funny Rob Corddry, and Jason Biggs/Eva Longoria, who played their parts well enough.

More than the humor, however, I like to think the reality of the educational world is somewhere between teachers like Erin Gruwell and, well, someone who would threaten a student with the punishment of "being tied to Smelly Alice again". In complete honesty, I'm pretty sure more of them tend towards the latter. "Lower Learning," then, lets us actually see ourselves on-screen, or at least the self we would be if our school principal took chocolate baths every day in his office. Somehow, self-awareness makes "Lower Learning" easier to swallow (and a much more 'fun' ride!) than any teaching movie starring Hilary Swank.

This movie was somewhat funny and goofy. I found my self laughing out loud at various things. Spoilers: for example, the principal with his team of white gloved army of elementary aged butlers who instead of being in class are busy serving wine and lobster. The board of education inspector who randomly does drugs in the middle of conversations (like sniffing spraypaint out of a paper bag). A turtle-obsessed teacher who is best friends with his students and congregates with them as if they are adults.

It seems like it was once a hilarious movie on paper (and maybe even on film) but somewhere along the way, the execution was messed up. Maybe in the editing room if I had to guess: tThere's little if any music, the pacing is too slow, they should have cut the movie down a bit, things like that. I figured it might be a dark comedy at one point, but not long after I came to the conclusion that it was just dry and boring.

It might be worth renting and seeing once, that's about it. It wasn't that great of an experience.

This movie does have STRONG language, etc.., But if you'll understand that is why the movie titled, "LOWER LEARNING" the lowest of the low (Uneducated) tends to associate with bad language. If you are offended don't watch this movie. Giving only Four Star, because the end needs to extend to a happier ending where the principal and superintendent gets punished, but normally movies with single-layer dvd tends to fall short of good endings.

This is without question the worst movie I have ever seen. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this movie. Absolutely nothing. The worst part, it's not so bad it's funny - it's just plain old awful.

Eva Longoria (ultra hot - Desperate Housewives), Jason Biggs (American Pie), and Ed Helms (Andy from the Office) must be out of money. I cannot imagine why these three actors ever agreed to do this film. This has to be a new low for the three of them.

This thing is offensive on every imaginable level. The foul language that was supposed to be in front of 10 year old kids, but was clearly edited so they didn't hear most of it. The horrible sight gags. The jokes in really bad taste - one had to do with candles from the concentration camps. The thought that a school can be this poorly run. It's just awful.

I have a very wide range of tolerance for movies. I'm not easily offended. I found Step Brothers funny. This film is down right needlessly offensive. I can't even imagine why anyone spent money to make this film. Never ever buy this film.

Unlike other reviewers, I was not offended by this movie. It was just complete GARBAGE! I wouldn't even want this movie to serve as a coaster because it would be a constant reminder that I watched it. Thankfully, I rented this movie, and even then I wanted to destroy the Disc. I roughly returned this junk heap back to blockbuster.
The argument that I am not the target audience would not apply to me, because I love movies such as American Pie, Sex Drive, Road Trip, and other raunchy comedies. I believe if a talented writer and director were attached to this movie, it would have been at the least decent. Even the two hot girls in this movie weren't enough to save this POS. It does surprise me that these well known actors agreed to do this. I don't write reviews but I was pissed and this had to be published to save others. I guess that's the humanitarian in me. For the Love of God, stay away, or you shall suffer the wrath of complete boredom.