Rate this Movie 
The Class (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:136
Fresh:132
Rotten:4
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Energetic and bright, this hybrid of documentary style and dramatic plotting looks at the present and future of France through the interactions of a teacher and his students in an inner city high school.
Theatrical Release:Dec 19, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $3,642,327
Synopsis: Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, master French director Laurent Cantet's THE CLASS is an absorbing journey into a multicultural high school in Paris over the course of a... [More]
Starring: François Begaudeau, Nassim Amrabt, Laura Baquela, Cherif Bounaidja Rachedi
Director: Laurent Cantet
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for The Class
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
The Class has considerable urgency and growing humor Full Review |
||
|
3.5/4 |
creates dramatic energy without a tightly delineated storyline Full Review |
||
|
|
But ultimately it's a fascinating, sometimes exhilarating movie that seems to make a genuine contact with the classroom, and shows us an educational system struggling, and managing, to survive. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
A great achievement in cinematic realism...when conflict arises, and it frequently does, the filmmakers refuse to instruct us on who's right and who's wrong, making the film its own kind of Socratic lecture. [Blu-ray] Full Review |
||
|
3/5 |
Un film tan realista que parece un documental ficcionado, y que se beneficia de la naturalidad de sus "actores". No es un film dramático tradicional, es más bien una reflexión sobre el sistema educativo y los vínculos dentro del salón de clase. Full Review |
||
|
|
Cantet's film lulls the spectator into the rhythms of the everyday reality of school, belying a very carefully coordinated narrative structure that only becomes apparent in its final act. Full Review |
||
|
8/10 |
The most authentic and honest film about high school students and teachers to date. Full Review |
||
|
B+ |
An astonishing achievement for writer-actor François Bégaudeau who adapted his own book for the screenplay and also stars in this absorbing film about the challenges of teaching in a public school. Full Review |
||
|
A |
One of the best school pics ever made. Full Review |
||
|
Click to read the article Full Review |
|||
|
3.5/4 |
A tonic to the Hollywood teacher movie. Full Review |
||
|
3/4 |
...this doesn't fall into the easy cliches of the teacher at the bad school miraculously winning over the kids. Full Review |
||
|
89/100 |
...so low key and naturalistically realized that it could easily be mistaken for a documentary Full Review |
||
|
4.5/5 |
What sets The Class apart isn't simply its less-than-cozy tone, but the fact that it constantly plays against our expectations. Full Review |
||
|
3/4 |
A piercing look at a generation gap that only seems to be gaping ever more widely. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
Aposta na ambigüidade e na sensação de estarmos acompanhando os fatos à medida que estes se desenrolam num ambiente de improviso que sempre valoriza o acaso. Full Review |
||
|
4/5 |
So truthful and engaging that you feel part of the class, sitting at a desk in the room as the events slowly unfold. Full Review |
||
|
3.5/4 |
Every student has some potential, we see, which is why it's so heartbreaking to see them caught in the gears of a public education system that's doing its best, but hampered by limited resources and an institutional mind-set. Full Review |
||
|
|
The Class offers a compelling and naturalistic look at contemporary teaching and the challenges of a diverse classroom. The film eschews big Hollywood moments and instead goes for quiet telling ones. Full Review |
||
|
|
Most impressive, Cantet tracks the racial and ethnic resentments that simmer beneath the classroom discussions but become harder to quell when the parents get involved. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for The Class
August 10, 2009:
RT on DVD: A Sweet I Love You, Man Deleted Scene, Zooey Deschanel's Latest, and More
You're in for some sweet, sweet movie watching this week, starting with the latest in bromantic comedies (I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel). Those with a High... More...
May 24, 2009:
Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report - Critics Pick Their Awards Favourites
With the Cannes Film Festival winding down this weekend, talk is now turning to who will win the Palme d'Or this evening. We tracked down several journalists covering the fest... More...
January 13, 2009:
Academy Names Nine Foreign Film Finalists
The Academy has narrowed its choices for this year's recipient of the Best Foreign Language Film Award, choosing its favorite nine releases from a field of 65. More...
December 09, 2008:
L.A. Critics Love WALL-E, The Dark Knight
The 34th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, held January 12, honored Manoel de Oliveira -- as well as a number of outstanding films and filmmakers, all listed... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.
TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds