The English Teacher: Fulfills w/ Truth & Charm

It seems sometimes that it is very difficult to make “good” art commercial. Of course, the merit of “good” art is always in the eye of the beholder, but as one journeys up the ranks of cultural elitism in the arts—i.e., modern ballet, four-hour existentialist plays where none of the characters speak, Wagnerian Operas—one finds general audiences turned off. The layman audience find themselves wondering what the hell is going on and the purist art snob insists that if the audience was of any merit, they would quite easily “get” the baffling work put before them. It’s a sad circumstance, and it requires an immense talent in order to bridge the gap and make these complex and important ideas accessible to all. Thankfully this sort of talent exists in the people behind the newly released film The English Teacher.

In this charming film Julianne Moore stars as Linda Sinclair, an unmarried, single woman whose only outlet for passion is in the great works of literature she so admires. On the outside, Ms. Sinclair lives a life of lonely banality. But in her true world, the art that she consumes and teaches at the local high school, the whirlwind stakes of romance and intrigue are always turned up to eleven. Naturally “real” life pales in comparison. And so Ms. Sinclair has remained alone, safe from disappointment—but also safe from the volatile style of living depicted in the books she so relishes.

This all changes when she, in fear for her life at a dark, nighttime ATM, accidentally pepper sprays Jason Sherwood (Michael Angarano). Jason, one of her most talented pupils, had gone on to study playwriting at NYU but now he is back in town. Ms. Sinclair holds great esteem for her former pupil and thus is appropriately horrified to find that he has given up on his dream and intends, with lackluster enthusiasm, to attend law school.

Ms. Sinclair assures the dispirited Jason that his talents must not be ignored and welcomes the chance to read his thesis play that he couldn’t get produced in New York. When she finished it, it is a revelation. She decides it MUST be produced, and she’s going to make it happen. She sends the play to the egregiously florid and bombastic high school drama teacher Carl Kapinas (Nathan Lane), who falls just as much in love with the work as she had—also, if he has to do one more tepid production of Being Earnest or Our Town, he’ll end up a tortured, drooling zombie.

As Ms. Sinclair, Mr. Kapinas, Jason, and the high school drama students begin work on the play, The Chrysalis, Ms. Sinclair begins her own transformation. And as is common during periods of change bouts of frenzied life begin to thaw and awaken in her, leading her down a messy, passionate path of delight, jealousy, and regret.

What is so wonderful about the character of Linda Sinclair, and Julianne Moore’s exceptional portrayal of her, is that there is no compromise of autonomy. There is an accepted, and even an expected misogyny in films featuring women where the man will swoop in in the end to “fix” the “broken” girl—or said broken girl will be punished with a bleak and empty life for any audacity of passion. But here Ms. Sinclair runs free, following her heart and making her own mistakes, without intervention of a savior. She owns her actions and saves herself.

Also highlighted are the inescapable vulnerabilities that life can throw at you. The successful doctor unable to emotionally connect and be present with his son after a divorce, the exuberant actor unable to shine despite years of preparation, a young man’s pain brought on by his inability to understand the necessity of compromise. These arrive as moments of hindsight that, in turn, bring moments of insight to both the characters and the audience of The English Teacher.

Every inch of space is full within this story. Themes of loss, hope, triumph, joy, perspective, and impetuous youth all collide as the nuanced performances go beyond to speak far more than any dialog ever could. In real life, one’s own personal headspace is so very full and this film seems to capture all of the glorious roaring fullness of each of its characters while also telling the simple, comedic story of these impassioned, eccentric teachers.

Kinnear brings his trademark charm that we all love so much—seriously, there is not enough Kinnear in the world. Lane bring an effervescent warmth and compassion to his role—there’s not enough Lane either. And Moore shines as she brings us along with her through these life lessons that are so long overdue.

The writers of The English Teacher created something beautiful with this script and they kept it consistent and true despite working within a realm more associated with cutesy cut-and-paste clichés. They also managed to imbue an earnestness into scenes of comedy—heartfelt comedy is one of the hardest styles to pull off as the balance between excellent and schmaltzy is razor thin. Definitely support this one with your movie-going dollars as you will enjoy it and we all need more films like this one.