Storyline
Imaginative quiet teenager Rafe Katchadorian is tired of his middle school's obsession with the rules at the expense of any and all creativity. Desperate to shake things up, Rafe and his best friends have come up with a plan: break every single rule in the school and let the students run wild. Written by CBS Films
Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis
Plot Keywords: middle school | teenager | double cross | principal | male antagonist | See All (9) »
Taglines: Rules aren't for everyone
Genres: Animation | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG for rude humor throughout, language and thematic elements | See all certifications »
Parents Guide: View content advisory »
Details
Official Sites: Official Facebook | Official site
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 7 October 2016 (USA) See more »
Also Known As: Liceu: Os Piores Anos da Minha Vida See more »
Filming Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Box Office
Budget: $8,500,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend: $6,878,437 (USA) (7 October 2016)
Gross: $9,510,795 (USA) (13 October 2016)
Company Credits
Production Co: CBS Films, James Patterson Entertainment, Participant Media See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime: 92 min
Color: Color
See full technical specs »
User Reviews
Fun, adorable, and heartwarming
7 October 2016 | by www.ramascreen.com (United States) – See all my reviews
#MiddleSchoolMovie made me cry. I didn't expect the story to be so sad, but it really was, and it's all in a good way. The film is fun, adorable, heartwarming and it just makes you want to hold your loved ones closer than ever. There needs to be more and more movies like this.
The story is quite simple, it's about this young kid named Rafe (Griffin Gluck) who has an active imagination. He loves drawing stuff on his notebook and the characters come to life in this quirky animation which is part of the film's appeal. But Andrew Daly's character, the school principal is anti-creativity, so he's always on Rafe's case. So Rafe strikes back with all kinds of hilarious pranks. But at home, his mom is dating a jerk of a boyfriend who's giving him and his sister a hard time. So all in all, it hasn't been a good school year for Rafe, not to mention his family is still trying to recuperate from a certain tragedy.
Without spoiling any important plot points, let me just say that the fun parts are fun and the dramatic parts are truly dramatic, this is not a movie that insults anybody's intelligence just because it's a PG movie for younger viewers. Based on James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts' novel that I haven't read yet, but this film sure motivates me to buy a copy, what I think makes MIDDLE SCHOOL effective is that the comedy aspect isn't mean to get your guard down, and the emotional aspect isn't quickly dropped like some kind of anvil. It also opens your eyes, you realize that even a middle-schooler can go through a lot We sometimes underestimate them, we often forget that those formative years are crucial to a human being and so I think the film does a good job of showing that.
Actor Andrew Daly has played this type of douchebag authoritative role before and so has Rob Riggle in a role of a jerk, so both actors are comfortable in their element, they know what they're doing and they got it down to a science. It's absolute pure joy watching them do what they do best even if we may not like their characters. Kudos to all the kid actors as well, especially Griffin Gluck and Alexa Nisenson who seem so effortless in their performances. What other actors may have to learn for years in order to get to that point of exposing their emotions and shedding it for the screen, these kids make it seem like a walk in the park 'cause they wear it on their sleeves. What an incredible talent for such a young age. This movie's got tons of animation as well that will be sure to put a smile on your face. You will come out of the theater a much better person than when you were when you enter in. That's how surprisingly positive and powerful this film is.
