Student Seduction (2003)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Admirable film.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This should have been a 15 minute movie. I gave it an extra star because the movie did not actually cause me physical pain.What school on the planet would allow a student to behave the way Josh did, and get away with it? Furthermore, why was the principal so creepy? Her facial expression and tone of voice were disturbing.Where did those police detectives get their training? Why did Josh sound like a serial killer throughout the whole movie? Is there something wrong with his voice?How did he know where his Chem teacher lived? And how did he get in?This story stunk,in my opinion. I didn't even want to waste my time watching the end. I came here and read about it instead. I can see I didn't miss out on anything.

It fills in a familiar template at LMN. Elizabeth Berkley is a friendly and happily married chemistry teacher at a fancy high school. She loves her job and her students, bringing the class small presents and volunteering to tutor students like handsome Corey Sevier who are lagging behind.The problem is that Sevier has more on his mind than just ionic bonding. He begins to put moves on her that she firmly rejects. Sevier is a persistent kid, though, and used to getting his way with girls. Accordingly he winds up assaulting her when she's home alone. She goes to the police.Need we spell the rest out? Hell itself is visited upon the victim. The good-looking and charming Sevier claims that SHE accosted HIM and invited her to her home and encouraged his advances. The police believe him, not her. They Mirandize her, cuff her, and force her to do the perp walk down the school's hallways. She's suspended from her job.Not only do the police not believe her. Her principal has doubts too. Her LAWYER's belief in her innocence is limited in its depth. Her husband is wary, lacking in understanding, and offers ineffective support.Throughout the ordeal, Elizabeth Berkley is staunch and resolute, even as her social world collapses around her. Even as she's referred to repeatedly as a "sexual predator" along the lines of some other famous teachers who couldn't keep their hands off their students.First off, I don't want to hear of any more boys being named Corey. Or any girls named Jillian or Gillian either. I'm sick of it. Then, too, let us drop the use of the word "predator." Let's reserve it for lions and tigers. Not bears, though, because bears are omnivores like humans. While it's true that bears love to catch and eat salmon, given half a chance, they're too fond of blackberries to be predators.Second, we see Corey Sevier's family "doing PR" against Berkley. They give their story to the press, hire great lawyers, and appear on a TV show like Oprah. Berkley, who is now pregnant to add to the general sense of distress, nurses her grievances in private. Well, this is pretty hypocritical. The movie condemns people for watching a talk show on which guests discuss their travails, while at the same time this very movie is nothing more than a dramatization of such a tale.Third, there's nothing wrong with gossip per se. It's a valuable tool of social control and it contributes the community's shared data base. It only becomes destructive when its course is changed or when there is too much of it. In that sense it's like water. We need it. But we need it a glass at a time, or a bath tub at a time. We don't need a flood of it.Right now, in my opinion, there is far too much of it, a raging torrent of it. It sloshes out of our television every day. It fills the magazine racks at supermarket check out counters. Will Jenny Dump Brad? Angie's Dirty Little Secret! It has bled into our political process. Some years ago, Admiral Bobby Inman, a decent and thoughtful man, was offered appointment to a high office in the executive branch but turned it down because he felt the confirmation process had become undignified -- and it has. A nominee for an appointment might be a fan of the San Francisco 49ers. Well, we all know that San Francisco is a hot bed of inversion. Okay. Tell us, General, have you ever had a homosexual experience? The whole culture is crippled by its tabloid sensibility. The end of our civilization may be at hand.So why did I bother watching this passion play? I wanted to see if I might be wrong.

Sarah Ellen did a fantastic job. She is an awesome actress and did this rule well, although it's not her best performance. Elizabeth Berkley, as good as always (SHE KEEPS ON IMPROVING!) and Rick Roberts, not so sure about his acting more like the director's choices that were bad. The movie story line was obvious, yet interesting. The "strong emotional" sense were fast and could have been given more time. The movie failed to get to high dramatic points and focused on the less interesting events. Over all I think this movie was OK, it wasn't bad yet wasn't great. It could have been much better but I admire Elizbeth Berkley's and Sarah Ellen's fantastic job.

Anyone giving this movie a good review obviously must have had something to do with its creation. This movie is a painful suckfest. The acting is stiff, the stock generic soundtrack is laughable, the direction is bland and strangest of all, the teacher really isn't all that attractive (making the student's blatant advances all the more awkward). The creative minds behind this trash should disband and spread out to prevent further displays of such concentrated craptitude. I'm certain that some starving kids in Africa could have used the money squandered on this project. Hell, the funds would have also seen a more enlightened purpose fueling a crack-addict; at least someone would be getting some entertainment out of it. For the sole reason that it didn't give me a terminal illness, I'll give this film a two.