Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life Review

PG:  Rude Humor Throughout, Language, and Thematic Elements

Lionsgate, CBS Films, James Patterson Entertainment, Participant Media

1 Hr and 32 Minutes

Cast: Griffin Gluck, Alexa Nisenson, Lauren Graham, Rob Riggle, Retta, Isabela Moner, Thomas Barbusca, Andy Daly, Adam Pally, Efren Ramirez, Jacob Hopkins

A new student named Rafe Khatchadorian (Griffin Gluck) can't wait to start his first day at Hills Village Middle School, but it's not as glamorous as he believes when Principal Dwight (Andy Daly) and most teachers who are in charge of him, are cruel and worse than the bullies. So after Rafe & his friends have finally had enough of them, they come up with an idea to start a massive "insurrection" to go up against their atrocious principal to humiliate him.

REVIEW: James Patterson the famous critically acclaimed author of books such as Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, and his most popular Alex Cross. He has written series of novels for various demographics from women, teenage girls, men, and also little kids being Middle School. After several Alex Cross films (including the terrible 2012 reboot starring Tyler Perry), it was only a matter of time another series of books Patterson wrote would become adapted into a feature film. As much everyone wanted a Maximum Ride movie (which you now have but most likely won’t see), CBS Films has decided to adapt another popular series of his that is Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. I never read any of the books in the series because by the time it came out my Diary of a Wimpy Kid phase was concluding and I thought this a ripoff similar to Dork Diaries. But with the director of the first Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the writing duo of Masterminds (the film that tortured me earlier this week)? Really them? AGHH! I was gonna make a joke about how meh this movie will be but the writers of Masterminds? Oh boy we’re in for it now. Or are we?

THE GOOD: Nowadays we live in a world of YA adaptations where everything is over familiarized. We pay more attention to the demographic for teens than we do for tweens especially in the department in live action films. The last we had was Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day which was released exactly at this time back in 2014. So with Middle School it is nice to have a distinctly crafted film that is sort of a breath of fresh air especially in we’re swallowed in films about dystopian futures and rebellion. There is a rebellion theme in this film but its one we can relate to. It may have moments where it feels like Wimpy Kid, but it takes much more risks and grab more into character depth than that series ever will.

With films like these, usually our central character is a huge dirtbag. Thankfully Rafe Khatchadorian isn’t. What makes this film work for the most part is how this kid is known to have a record of getting kicked out of school for being a troublemaker, yet somehow everyone in his world is a bigger asshole than you ever get to see him to be. You genuinely feel for Rafe due to his principal being a douche and his mom’s boyfriend being a jerk. It brings you back to the good ol’ days of wanting to choke the crap out of a character which I haven’t wanted to do since Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave.

There are times you think this is a film that should be on Disney XD or Nickelodeon, but then it there are language ever so often that catches you off guard. One of the first things a kid says to Rafe when he is settling into the class is “welcome to hell,” and it gets to you. There are really some messed up yet hysterical lines of dialogue that catches you off guard. A majority of them comes from a pissing contest between Rafe’s sister Georgia (Alexa Nisenson) and her mother’s boyfriend Carl Bear (Rob Riggle). 

The majority of the cast does a great job. Yet something about the casting seems a bit off withkids being in middle school but every now and then you see an extra that lookslike they should be in college. Out of the all the cast who shines through Nisenson is that little girl who gives a range of performances from comedic to emotional that is a better mother figure to her older brother than their mother herself (played extremely well by Lauren Graham). She has some of the best written dialogue with a delivery that is timed and toned just right. I wouldn’t be surprised that some of these kids won’t show up in season 2 of Stranger Things. 

THE BAD: As a family film, Middle School works but has a numerous amount of flaws two of the main ones being its focus and its pacing. The movie every now and then features artistic animated sequences that is both creative and impressively stylized. Though they integrate it way to often into the film. It comes during either a scene that just lingers around too long so its desperately used as a transition or when something remotely exciting occurs you want to see it but won’t let you. It comes in at the worst time and happens way too often. It feels as if you’re watching a completely separate film that just sidetracks itself just only to extend its length. There is so much material for the film to work with that it feels like it doesn’t when you know it does. Even by the time the film ends it has a tacked on ending that should’ve been edited nearly into the climax.

The movie is really short but it feels a bit too short to get more character from Rafe than you need to. We see he’s troublemaker and is mentioned often but most of the film’s major plot points begins in his first day of school. There are even much other cast members you want to see more of. You wanna see more Lauren Graham. You wanna see more Retta. You wanna see more Adam Pally who is that one teacher you bond with and consider them as a good friend (we all have one). 

It has cinematic value that you wouldn’t expect. It may have some sentimentality towards it and gets extremely unfocused but then it hits you with a twist that gets to your heartstrings. If you read the book, you’ll get what it is. But for someone not familiar with the source material, you’ll most likely shed a tear or two. Lord knows I was near to crying. The twist gets you in three stages "ohs." The first "oh," is confusion. Then the second "oh," is acceptance. Then the last "oh," is heartbreak. If a movie like this does that to you,  you won't be disappointed to to see it at a matinee price.

LAST STATEMENT: Though it has numerous of moments that lingers on animation than its story Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is a heartwarming and hilarious family film for tweens and adults that has a nice message about obedience and limiting children’s creativity.

Rating: 3.5/5 | 70%

Super Scene: Anytime Georgia interacts with Bear.