Review of Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999) by Alison O — 12 Aug 2005

Best in Show: Helen Mirren.

One for the future: Katie Holmes.

Stand-out scene: Yearbook.

Brainer or no-brainer: No brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: One.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

TV.

The writer of Scream and creator of Dawson's Creek, Kevin Williamson, made his first foray into directing with this high school teen comedy back in '99. He appears to have moved into a writer-producer niche now and retired his directing reigns following this movie's reception. Released in the wake of the Columbine tragedy (with its title amended from Killing Mrs. Tingle) this bombed spectacularly in the US and suffered the ignominy of a straight-to-video release in the UK. Former Creeker Katie Holmes stars as Leigh Ann Watson, a bright high schooler hoping to be made valedictorian (a term I had to look up being a Brit) at the end of the school year. A stereotypical swot stands in her way and when tough nut teacher Mrs Tingle (Helen Mirren doing an American accent as Jane Tennyson's American Aunt) gets a chance to scupper Leigh Ann's veledictory-related hopes she and two friends confront the teacher at her home. After some crossbow-related shenanigans the crotechety academic is held prisoner in her own home as the three teens mull over their predicament. This wasn't an unwatchable movie and it wasn't exactly badly done but the frankly loopy subject matter fails to hold your attention and in comparison with the likes of Rushmore and Election, this is a poor addition to the genre. The now US-based Helen Mirren is a great actress and to see her waste her talents on this puffball piece is a shame, Molly Ringwald has a minor role as Tingle's substitute teacher and she must have hoped that this would be a stepping stone towards revitalising her career rather than the lame duck it turned out to be. Williamson's prior successes probably had something to do with this story being greenlighted, but it really should have stayed put in Williamson's imagination rather than stalling the big screen careers of all those involved. Poor show.