Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life – movie review

Combining live action with animation and fantasy, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is a feel-good early-teenage comedy.

Rafe Khatchadorian (Griffin Gluck from Red Band Society) has a last name that’s difficult to pronounce, an epic imagination, loads of artistic ability and an ever-so-slight problem with authority. More kid with a cause than rebellious anarchist, he has nonetheless found himself heading toward his latest first day of classes at his third middle school (that is, as the name suggests, the institution between primary and high school). It is regarded as a last-ditch transfer that his hard-working single mother (Lauren Graham – Parenthood) hopes will prove a good fit for her son. But at Hills Village Middle School, individualism takes a back seat to the institution’s oppressive Code of Conduct, and no infractions go undetected by officious Principal Dwight (Andy Daly – Review).

Dwight strives to maintain his record as head of the best testing school in the district. He even has a shrub shaped into a “one” (as is number one) in front of the school. Rafe’s first day goes from mediocre to awful when the Principal confiscates his beloved sketchbook. In it is every doodle, comic book scenario and creature that has emerged from Rafe’s ingenious mind. Dwight finds the work in violation of Rule 26, which covers written material deemed inappropriate or offensive. Now, with battle lines drawn, Rafe teams up with his best friend Leo (Thomas Barbusca – Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp) and they set about to expose Principal Dwight. They do so by creatively smashing every rule in the ridiculous Code of Conduct playbook.

At the same time, Rafe has caught the eye of an attractive, socially aware classmate, Jeanne Goleta (Isabela Moner – 100 Things to Do Before High School). Rafe also has to navigate his mother’s sleazy, jack-of-no-trades, “up himself” boyfriend, Carl (Rob Riggle – 22 Jump Street). He has a nine-year-old sister, Georgia (played by Alexa Nisenson), who has a strong presence in her own right and dotes on the family’s pet pug named Mr Giggles, for whom her mother’s offensive beau has no time.  Nisenson gets some of the film’s best lines.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is based upon the New York Times bestseller by James Patterson. More than 2.5 million copies of the book have been sold in 28 languages in 59 countries. Peppered with several animation sequences and characters drawn from Rafe’s comic and original perspective, the movie tips its hat to the canon of filmmakers such as Chris Columbus and John Hughes. It is directed by Steve Carr (Paul Blart: Mall Cop).

As in Patterson’s book – which features illustrations by Chicago-based cartoonist Laura Park – reality doesn’t always sufficiently convey Rafe’s story. Part of the fun, part of the challenge of bringing the book to the screen for the creators was seeing how they could visually get into Rafe’s mind. Animation constitutes about 10 per cent of the movie and working on incorporating these special sequences into the film fell to visual effects supervisor Christopher LeDoux. The animation director is Chris Sauvé.

The material they have created works and works well. The artwork and animation are extremely impressive and slip seamlessly into the story. They provide a quirky touch that elevate it beyond the ordinary and give it a slice of magic. In keeping with the audience that the film is aimed at, the key character Rafe isn’t a bad guy at all, simply misunderstood. Griffin Gluck is well cast and comes across as personable. I liked the moxie that Alexa Nisenson brought to her role as Rafe’s sister, while Isabela Moner is assured and sweet as Rafe’s young love interest and brainiac. I wasn’t as taken by the characterisations of the Principal and mother’s boyfriend, whose preposterousness and pomposity was so exaggerated they appeared almost as caricatures rather than characters.

One of the reasons Rafe’s life has taken the direction it has is revealed as the movie unfolds, but a couple of scenes where that is played out are also less than convincing. In fact, I found them quite jarring. It appeared to me that they were almost introduced as an afterthought that the film could have done without. Nevertheless, as a gentle anti-establishment pic with heart and humour, overall Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life deserves more than just a mere pass mark. Rated PG, it scores a 6½ out of 10.

Director: Steve Carr
Cast: Griffin Gluck, Lauren Graham, Rob Riggle, Thomas Barbusca, Andrew Daly
Release Date: 12 January 2017
Rating: PG

Alex First