Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life

This review may contain spoilers!

So it seems 2017 is gonna be the year I learn not to judge a book by it's cover. I would give Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life a 7.5/10.

Sometimes keeping things simple is the way to go; this is your classic kid vs. authority film in which pranks ensue and friendships are forged. There's actually a very well crafted sense of humour throughout this feature which will work upon a wide range of audiences, be that from the Drake economics jokes to the slapstick prank scenes. Furthermore this is a film that goes the extra mile to present some depth to the main protagonist through a compelling backstory and plot twist in the film, we learn that Rafe's younger brother Leo died of cancer and it is revealed that the 'best friend' Rafe had been interacting with throughout the film was in fact an imaginary depiction of his brother. It's a poignant moment and adds a lot more gravity to the film's storytelling. The animation used throughout this film served it's purpose well, crafting an interesting imaginary world for the main protagonist while also providing a unique dynamic to the film's visual style. The soundtrack for the film really brought out some great party anthems, these were used to keep a high level of energy going throughout while also adding to the comedic moments of the feature.

Griffin Gluck, who played Rafe, was a great protagonist for this film; Gluck delivered well as an up and coming comedic performer but he also brought a lot of emotion to the scenes where his character had to mourn his lost brother. Andrew Daly, who played Principal Dwight, was immediately a classic and well performed antagonist; his bumbling yet hilarious tyrant principal was a joy in any scene he was in. Thomas Barbusca, who played Leo, has some great chemistry with Gluck in this film; yet it's when we discover Barbusca to be playing Gluck's deceased brother that all the pieces fall into place and this compassionate performance is given the time to shine. Retta, who played Ida Stricker, really was a force unto herself and a commanding antagonist within the film; Daly and Retta bounced off one another well and presented some of the better scenes of the feature. Adam Pally, who played Mr. Teller, has charisma aplenty in this film; hard not to like and the sort of role who is easy to connect with. Rob Riggle, who played Bear, was yet another great antagonist in this film; his tirade of insults and bullying behaviour towards Gluck and Nisenson set him up as quite a nasty and stand out role.

However the best performance came from Alexa Nisenson, who played Georgia. In a film filled with entertaining performers, both young and old, it was really cool to see the youngest of them constantly stealing the spotlight. Her humour and line delivery was incredible, often throwing out some of the best lines of the film. This was a character who felt more mature than she was, had a tough exterior and a 'no holds barred' attitude. One of the best scenes of the film is when Nisenson delivers her character's breaking point, an emotional delivery about her fear of seeing Gluck's role sent away to military school leaving her alone.

This is a film that relies on it's great comedy to see it through, so while you enjoy what you watch there is a feeling like you're watching an array of slapstick skits assembled throughout the narrative at times. Furthermore the story isn't always great at delivering it's more important moments that well; the big plot twist around Leo was good but could have been better presented, Jules decision to break up with Bear is sudden and feels very motivated by a need to shift the plot, even the success of some of the pranks get s a bit questionable from time to time. The cinematography doesn't do anything spectacular, in fact visually the film looks like it would normally belong as a straight to TV flick. The editing is probably the worst aspect of the film, cuts come at awkward times and transitions are jarring; some of the transitions really pulled me out of the film.

Lauren Graham, who played Jules, just did not seem like she wanted to give her all in this film; she certainly did not feel like a very strong motherly figure to Gluck or Nisenson. Luke Hardeman, who played Shon, was this awkward kid performance that never really stood out; I think he was supposed to be a gag character but he got no laughs out of me. Jacob Hopkins, who played Miller, was the only antagonist of the film to let the narrative down; Hopkins never really portrayed a clear motivation for his character's bullying so his sudden change to protagonist by the end of the film felt off. Isabela Moner, who played Jeanne, was a pretty standard set-up love interest from the start of the film; she nver got much agency or did anything of her volition so Moner never really got to contribute to the film much. Efren Ramirez, who played Gus, was about the least comedic role of the mature cast; his weird racial comedy really didn't suit the general tone of this film.