As Good As It Gets

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

1955, the year that Nicolas Ray showed America the alienated teenagers and consequences with Rebel Without a Cause, quite similarly to this film. Yet, Rebel without a cause approaches the subject through the eyes of the teenagers, Blackboard Jungle talks about the problem as experienced by the adults, immediately making it much more patronising and judgmental.Warner Bros. pictures, the studio behind Rebel without a Cause, has always been a more working class studio, which gives them more authority to handle problems of the public.The fact that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the most middle- class American of the big studios made this film contributes to the mocking character of the film. Especially the beginning text, stating that 'America needs to know about these problems or else the United States are doomed!'As it stands, the film begins with this air of superiority and never recovers from it. The inclusion of 'Rock around the Clock' in addition to great performances of Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier could be considered saving graces if you were able to look past this systematic flaw, I was not.

Richard Brooks directed this drama that stars Glenn Ford as Richard Dadier, a new English teacher at North Manual High for unruly boys that is determined to succeed at his new job, which he takes quite seriously, despite the cynical principal(played by Louis Calhern) who has little hope of his success. Richard Kiley plays another new teacher whose efforts to educate the boys with his jazz records ends disastrously. The boys(played by Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, Jamie Farr, and Paul Mazursky, among others) give Dadier a hard time, though gradually are won over, except for Morrow, who proves uninterested and determined to become a criminal... Landmark film spawned a whole sub-genre of juvenile delinquency films, but remains a prescient and truthful film about generational disconnect and the need to educate youth, even as times change, yet still remain the same.

"Blackboard Jungle" is the movie that describes all teachers aggravations. The kids, making assignments, dealing with family,even a pregnant wife,and the stress of other bias teachers. But being a veteran then becoming an English teacher Richard Dadier has a new type of war coming. It's the inner-city school kids that he has to worry about. This movie showed the affect on kids in a poor living environment and not so caring school system. They all put peer-pressure on each other and thinking who wants to be a nerd anyways? Well teacher Mr. Dadier has to figure a way to get these kids to care about getting education. Not so easy but Mr. Dadier wasn't a soldier for nothing. He can handle being roughed up by a few kids. Trying to make his points and show his ways of teaching don't seem to work after all. This movie is the perfect way to show that caring for people can go only a long way. They have to believe it for themselves and this teacher tries with all his heart to show these kids how it feels to be educated. But already with the thoughts of school being not important these kids could care less.

The classic movie, Blackboard Jungle, which came out in 1955 starring Glen Ford and Anne Francis was banned from many theaters because it promoted teenage rebellion. The first scene opens with male students smoking, dancing, and playing basketball at North Manual High School in New York City to the song "Rock Around the Clock" which instantly became a top rock hit. These corrupt and ill-mannered young men who were impossibly difficult to discipline were introduced to their new teacher, Rick Dadier. Dadier was given his first pitch at this high school teaching career in order to financially support himself and his gorgeous pregnant wife, Anne. Dadier enters the classroom full of rowdy, disrespectful boys, and instantly enforces rules and regulations within the classroom as well as try to make his students gain interest in education. Unfortunately, his efforts create a violent crisis between the students and Mr. Dadier. Many attempts to harm Rick and his wife as well as false accusations and rumors have brought him to question his job placement. Dadier believes that the leaders of this mutiny are Artie West, a good looking smart mouthed boy, or Gregory Miller, the only black student in his class. However, Dadier finds out that the culprit is indeed Artie West. After violently confronting Artie in front of the entire classroom, Artie orders the rest of his gang to help him out and counter attack Dadier, but only one listens. Artie is punished by the school, and the students find themselves being fond of Mr. Dadier. Dadier decided to keep his career and continue to benefit the school.