A Teacher's Crime (2008)

I was immensely disappointed at this halfhearted effort to produce a thriller/crime story. I was expecting some well developed characters who have more than one dimension and an interesting plot.What I watched was nothing like that. Instead, the characters are like paper cutouts with no depth. The main character is just too good to be real. Always perfectly coiffed, even after getting out of bed. Her husband is a no-good philanderer with a failed business. Her father is caricature from the Andy Griffith Show.The basic plot has some interesting potential, but the film makers just didn't have enough guts to find it.I just don't recommend this to anyone who wants to be entertained with a creative and thought provoking film.

The movie puts far too heavy emphasis on the weak dialogue. Simply put, the people in this movie talk like books, and it really shows. The roles of the actors are unanimously archetypal and lack any and all depth. Probably the weakest thing in the film is Ashley Jones's acting, which is clearly not at the level necessary for a dialogue heavy film-- her portrayal of a teacher is completely unconvincing.The plot was not altogether terrible but poor directing simply made this movie an assembly line of clichés (the plot could have been salvaged with strong acting, good script, and a greater focus on either horror, or relevant pressing issues. Not to mention the plot is neither plausible nor remotely menacing. The cinematography is amateurish and the script was overwritten and juvenile.The part of the film that almost makes it comedic, is the score. At scarcely rare moments when i found myself actually feeling sorry for Jeremy Rander's character, a much too over the top song would start playing. This made the movie an almost unintentional satire and hilarious to make fun of.One thing they did right in the film was the pacing; the thanklessly weak plot managed to progress smoothly.Watch only if u get some kind of enjoyment in bad films.

Coming from Canada, I'm dismayed. Let me explain. The movie starts with a great concept -- a frame-up of a young attractive high-school teacher. But the acting (by all actors) is leaden and monotone throughout. All the main actors have done better work before. The script contains a completely unnecessary mob subplot, never really fleshed out. And I won't spoil the ending, but we deserve better than what we get there too. Then, I always watch the credits. So what do I see in the credits? It was apparently funded in part by tax credits from Canada, Ontario, and Quebec. (Credits for credits, eh?) I'm in Ontario so I guess I helped fund it twice. And I wouldn't mind, if I had funded a high-quality film like Water or Cube or The Red Violin or Waydowntown. But that isn't what this is. Although I can't know the motives behind the film, to me it feels very much like a Canadian film-industry make-work project. I therefore apologize to the world for my tiny involvement in this film. Interestingly IMDb currently lists Ashley, Erik, and Chris as also cast in Dim Sum Funeral (2009) which IMDb says is filmed in British Columbia. I hope it is better.

Has anyone noticed that Ashley Jones resembles a rather youthful Hillary Clinton?Jones portrays a recently separated teacher who has won the teacher of the year award for going that extra mile for her social studies students. Problem is that by going that extra mile, she falls victim to a diabolic plot hatched by one of her excellent students along with his crooked uncle. New teachers should take note: Don't get overly involved. Nice to see that factual information is included in one of the teacher's lessons. I am referring to the April, 1949 date of the beginning of NATO. Nowadays, facts are deemphasized for more critical thinking. That's why our students do so poorly on history exams. The lack of basic factual information is not there. Yes, the author of this review is a retired social studies teacher.The movie is intriguing as you are shown how the teacher is set up.It is certainly worthwhile viewing.