Even though I'm not a teacher, I laughed so much I had to rewind a few times to catch the next lines. My daughter is a teacher & it reminded me of some of the stories she tells me about her experiences with crazy kids & crazy parents. This is a very funny film. I liked the different style used as well. It was kind of like a day in the life.... Really cool. Something out of the ordinary. Not the same old stuff you typically see in movies. You have to pay attention to catch everything cause there is a lot going on & you don't want to miss any of the witty comments. The writer did a great job. A very smart comedy is a wonderful thing to behold. I was very impressed with the cast as well. Top notch all the way. I know the movie has won a few awards, but in my opinion it deserves a lot more. Everyone will get something from watching this film.

OK, so what is this? This movie is part comedy, part drama. Horribly mixed together. Awfully inconsistent, the drama is cringe worthy, and very little of the comedy is actually funny. I think I get what they are going for with the comedy, but it does not really work. They are trying that: "awkward, dorky, boring people taking things really seriously, not understanding that everyone thinks they are losers"-type humor. Ann there are a lot of scenes like that, but then, right the next moment things are supposed to be touching, and heart felt. The scenes with Keegan-Michael Key are the most funny. He succeeds at what he's trying to do. Also the strange twin brothers, are almost good. But the rest are forgettable. Matt Letcher, which is sort of the main character, is doing most of the drama, and it does not work. You can see that he is trying to act in a realistic manner, and it is just embarrassing on his behalf. I think the director is to blame, though.Teacher of the year is supposed to be a quirky, heart warming comedy- drama, (at least I think it is) but fails at both. There's some good talent here, but it does not work.

Aah the forever neglected school education system. Its almost criminal how media overlooks the state of schools and teachers despite the fact that they play such substantial role in every kid's life. Films are often made on legendary educators and coaches (like Monalisa Smile, Dead Poet's Society, Coach Carter or even School of Rock) but those are highly dramatic tales of teachers either in extraordinary situations or creating extraordinary situations. Films rarely capture the ground reality of an everyday teacher's humdrum life. Truth is that majority of teachers employed by the schools are just doing their work as a day job and they really don't have the bandwidth nor the energy to get past the classroom let alone give individual attention to the students. That's physically not possible in countries like India where there are 60-70 students per class. Teacher of the Year tells a grim reality of modern day school education, albeit with humor and kudos for that.Teaching is a thankless job but it is also devoid of dignity these days. Stuck amidst bureaucracy and bad parenting, teachers are expected to keep their calm, be nurturing to their students and also be prepared to take the blame if anything goes wrong. The management's apathy towards teachers is heartbreaking, the mediocrity in classrooms is mind numbing, the nepotism for promotions and favours is deafening. "Are you here for the kids?" asks one teacher in the film. That question goes to all. Parents don't have time for their kids but they expect a teacher to mend their kids. Many parents come from a belief that since they pay the tuition fee, they've hired a patsy for their mistakes. ____________Some Spoilers Ahead_____________Public school English teacher Mitch Carter is right in the middle of a big career shift as he finds it tough to decide whether he should keep at his low paying yet fulfilling job or should he move on to work in the interest of rich kids as a lobbyist for independent schools. "Basically everything that I've fought against" as Mitch puts it. The money they're offering is good. "Opportunities like these don't come by everyday" as Mitch's wife confesses with a bit of reluctance as she mentally prepares to adjust to new lifestyle. Mitch, his wife and his little daughter haven't lived a day apart but this new job will keep him travelling constantly. Common men are at times so worried to take such big steps. Its true, family comes first to good people but the economic realities of our times are worse than the proverbial devil. Mitch decides to take up the new job after an unfortunate incident involving his fellow teacher and the school management. ______________end of spoilers___________________Despite the blatant reference to Spinal Tap, Teacher of the Year would never be remembered in the same way because unlike rocknroll and rock stars very few people care about public school system and teachers. Although it is my personal wish that this should be preserved by the academy much like Spinal Tap because this mockumentary talks about a subject in a time that is both massively relevant as well as deeply concerning. Just the way how Edge from U2 wept while watching Spinal Tap, my mom didn't laugh while watching Teacher of the Year. She's a high-school teacher for past 20 years. I don't need to say anymore.

I have to tell you, this is not a "comedy", this is actually a very seriously crafted, scripted drama, like a true story, an in-your-face/up-close- and-personal documentary, recorded right on the site, at the school, at home, with candid camera works, faithfully caught all important moments of how those teachers dealt with the students and with themselves. When you watched it, you just felt that you were right in front of the teacher the camera was shot at and recording, it felt like it's you who was holding the camera, following the teacher(s), into the classrooms. The camera realistically exposed what the true colors of all the teachers, what they really were, what they were thinking. Some of the teachers in this film just gave you the impression that they really existed in all the public/charter/private schools. Some of them were self-centered, self-righteous, self- important, obnoxious, arrogant, moronic, evil, stubborn, or self- serving only to themselves. And unfortunately, some of the teachers were just helpless, frustrated, even hopeless and failing to get connected with their students. But some of the teachers indeed were very good, very decent and so passionate in teaching, loving and caring. This movie really showed us how a teacher could be greater to the other ones, and some of them were just pricks, like the science teacher, the two brothers who did the poor college counseling, and the vice principal who kept issuing penalty tickets to students without any probable cause. And the principal in this film just looked so real, and we completely believe there were principals just like him in our education system, they are bureaucrats instead of educators, they are only self-centered and self-serving to their own careers.This is an amazing movie that have caught my complete attention and focus during viewing and it also turned out to be such a great viewing experience; a rare one, by the way.