The nation’s schools are (for the most part, hopefully) closed right now as we tend to the rampaging COVID-19. But at least we can enjoy schools on TV. On April 25 — when, despite the president’s, if you will, rosy estimations, we may all still be locked inside under quarantine — HBO will air Bad Education, in which Hugh Jackman plays a corrupt superintendant whose embroiled his Long Island high school in a massive embezzlement scheme.
Despite airing on the world’s most premium premium channel, Bad Education is a TV show or even a Watchmen-style miniseries. It’s a movie, and by all accounts a quite good one; indeed, it was one of the best-received titles at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. But non-franchise movies, even ones that star franchise superstars like the erstwhile Wolverine/Logan, don’t play mainstream movie theaters much anymore, and besides movie theaters don’t currently exist anyway.
In any case, the movie — whose story was told in this must-read New York piece — looks like it scratches the same tall-tale funny-but-serious-but-funny itch as I, Tonya, which makes sense since Jackman’s partner-in-crime is Allison Janney. Ray Romano also has a key role, proving for the umpteenth time he’s legit, while Geraldine Viswanathan, very good in Blockers, plays the student who brings the whole enterprise down. See you in about a month, although hopefully by then we’ll be able to be as far from our homes as possible.
