Review: Bad Education
As lines continue to blur between television and film, Bad Education, is a case study that teeters on the fault line. The film, released on HBO’s streaming service, is based on a true story about a scandal that came to light in New York’s Roslyn school district. A major embezzlement case which implicated a beloved superintendent (played off-type by Hugh Jackman) and Financial Administrator (Allison Janney) is cushioned into a drama that confronts greed and grandstanding. Jackman’s two-faced charade is so convincing he seems to have even convinced himself his lying is ok.
The film clumsily handles some of the more compelling aspects of the story like the young high school reporter who uncovered the scandal. Director Corey Finley (Thoroughbreds) seemed more interested in a psychological examination of people who live double lives when it seemed like there was a missed opportunity to dramatize other aspects of the story I would’ve wanted to see explored.
Most of the movie lands and the subject matter is interesting enough, but a few clunky scenes and odd pacing makes it hard to know who we should root for and whether we’re meant to demonize or sympathize with the characters at the center.