Review of Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999) by Josh J — 23 Jun 2009

I feel like this movie is both A) unjustly reviled, and B) totally and utterly justly reviled.

There are many issues with this. The best way to describe it is that it's too much, but not enough. I'll elaborate.

The plot itself goes too far to not go all the way. They take it to the point of attempted murder, when they either should've left it at kidnapping or gone all the way into murder. The characters are almost entirely despicable, but not enough so that you begrudgingly root for them. The comedy is amusing but not truly funny. The twists are diverting but not thrilling.

The movie is hateful at its core. The characters are not likeable and the plot is mean-spirited. However, it never finds the right tone so that the audience can revel in its hatred. This is most notable with the ending, which is far too flighty with the "heroes" getting their way and the "villain" getting her comeuppance. For it to justify what came before it, the ending needed to strip away the lame attempt at comedy and have truly serious consequences for either Mrs. Tingle or the trio of students...preferably both.

As it stands, this isn't a terrible movie, it's just a fun flippant flick that was a missed opportunity for something better.