Front of the Class

Front of the Class

Having seen a lot of (relatively) recent biopics about musicians, it's nice to see one based on an unassuming everyday person. Front of the Class is very much a "made-for-TV" movie with the requisite amount of cheese, sappiness & life-affirming good people aesthetic. Luckily Wolk's charm & his restraint in portrayal of Tourette's elevate the film slightly. While the plot feels stuffed, had the 95 min film tried for more the pacing would have dragged. Watchable, sweet & fluffy.

For a feel-good TV movie, this was enjoyable. Tourette tics bring a lot of humorous bits. Naturally this is safe and ideas repetitive, but James Wolk makes the tics feel unforced and with that it becomes a very pleasant one to watch.

Proof that an inspiring story doesn't always make a good movie. In the right hands, this film might have been magical. Unfortunately, in these hands, it's just a bore. There are worse films but it's an ultra conventional, hopelessly predictable, cheesy, disease of the week movie.

This movie probably has a lot of flaws (it's made for TV), but is a truly heartwarming movie and sometimes that's enough.