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To Be and To Have (2003)
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Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:54
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: A small, sensitive, and moving portrait of a teacher and his students.
Theatrical Release:Sep 26, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $455,043
Synopsis: At a rural school in the Auvergne region of France, teacher Georges Lopez presides over a class of thirteen children, ages 4 to 11. Lopez teaches the different age groups separate lessons, making... At a rural school in the Auvergne region of France, teacher Georges Lopez presides over a class of thirteen children, ages 4 to 11. Lopez teaches the different age groups separate lessons, making rounds to ensure that each child understands the task at hand--whether it is coloring a picture, learning math, or making crepes. Problems do arise, though--one student is threatened with missing playtime if his work isn't finished, shoving matches must be mediated, and another student appears to have a significant problem communicating. Lopez, a 20-year teaching veteran on the verge of retirement, is a model of sensitivity and understanding in dealing with the children. Never raising his voice and never talking down to them, the trust and respect they have for him is as palpable as his affection for them. Director Nicholas Philibert's camera is a casual observer, choosing to capture, in an unfettered manner, Lopez's special way with the students--whether explaining to them that he will be retiring soon, or diffusing a long-running rivalry between two of the oldest boys. Inspiring, meditative, and delightful, TO BE AND TO HAVE is a bittersweet portrait of a man in the noblest of professions. [More]
Director: Nicolas Philibert
Director: Nicolas Philibert
Studio: New Yorker Films
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Reviews for To Be and To Have
It demonstrates without overreaching what an actual teacher can do to shape lives.
This is a film that all aspiring teachers should see, as well as veteran teachers who might have lost track of what teaching is all about.
As touching as Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), this is an excellent companion to Spellbound, another beguiling documentary about children.
The American school system would do well to take a page from Mr. Lopez's slow-but-steady curriculum.
A counterintuitive film about a small schoolhouse in rural France, To Be and to Have gets its punch from simple scenes and conversations.
To Be and to Have is a movie every teacher should see, and every parent, too.
At times, it feels as stultifying as watching paint dry, without the recompense of sniffing fumes.
(Lopez's) teaching is simply one of the purest expressions of love I’ve ever seen on film.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 40% 40% | Surrogates |
| 83% 83% | Whip It |
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| 81% 81% | Michael Jackson's This… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 87% 87% | A Serious Man |
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| 11% 11% | The Stepfather |
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