Barry Goldwater Elementary is on the brink of collapse: the lowest test scores in the state, teachers who are either drunk or having sex on school grounds, and a principal who extorts money from parents. It's up to Tom, the down-on-his-luck vice-principal, to rally the lazy teachers, expose the principal's corruption, and turn the school around before an end of the day board decision.
Acting
Rob Corddry's unhinged vice-principal steals every scene he's in.
Writing
Surprisingly sharp satire of No Child Left Behind era education panic.
Production
Gloriously cheap-looking sets that somehow enhance the cringe comedy.
Director
Mark Lafferty
Jason Biggs
Tom Willoman
Eva Longoria
Rebecca Seabrook
Rob Corddry
Harper Billings
Monica Potter
Laura Buchwald
Will Sasso
Jesse Buchwald
Nat Faxon
Turner Abernathy
Jill Latiano Howerton
Nurse Gretchen
Kyle Gass
Decatur Doublewide
Hayes MacArthur
Digdug O'Shaughnessy
Ryan Whitney
Carlotta
Zachary Gordon
Frankie Fowler
Ed Helms
Maurice
Kiernan Shipka
Sarah
Nadji Jeter
Sling Shot Kid
Uriah Shelton
Prep School Kid
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Mark Lafferty's only feature directorial credit; he pivoted to TV and produced several episodes of Silicon Valley.
Released in 2008, it satirized Bush-era education reform just as Obama was about to continue similar policies—making its cynicism accidentally timeless.
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