MartinHafer This is an amazingly dreary and uninteresting mockumentary about a fictitious school. In this school, all the teachers seem to be idiots and the administration isn't any better. The students are uninterested in learning and based on the school environment, I wouldn't be either.The problem with this film is that the acting and the characters are too broad and stereotypical. There just isn't a lot of depth to the thing and the acting is rather amateurish. Heck, if I said "teachers are stupid" then that is about as deep as this film.Because it's so dull and doesn't offer a lot of insights, I don't really know who this is written for or who would want to see it. I am a school teacher, and I found it unfunny since the teachers were so bad and so incompetent that it really wasn't something I could connect with or appreciate. There is no subtlety or insight for me--perhaps you might enjoy it more.Not without some minor laughs, but that's about all. It's easy to say teachers are stupid (and I'll admit, some really are), but there isn't any message beyond that in this film.

Roland E. Zwick The low-budget comedy "Chalk" provides a welcome antidote to all those inspirational, cookie-cutter crowd-pleasers like "Freedom Writers" and "Dangerous Minds" that Hollywood routinely proffers in answer to our troubled schools.Although this is a scripted, fictional film, co-writers Mike Akel (who is also the director) and Chris Mass (who also plays one of the teachers) have given "Chalk" the look and feel of a slice-of-life documentary. Director Akel has trained his cameras on a handful of young teachers and one first-year administrator as they go about the business of molding young minds at a fictional school called Harrison High (though the location remains unidentified, the movie itself was filmed in Austin, Texas). Yet, these are not your typical movie "super teachers" who, through sheer force of personality and a series of well-crafted lessons, are able to convert their initially hardened students into lifelong lovers of learning. Rather, the teachers here are well-meaning but imperfect mortals who wage a daily battle with students who won't learn, copiers that won't copy, and colleagues who often don't see eye-to-eye even on the most rudimentary aspects of teaching and learning, let alone on how best to run a school. Frankly, it's a good day for these teachers if the students aren't fighting in the lunch area, hiding the chalk as a lame practical joke, or arguing about why they aren't allowed to use a cell phone in class. And there are times in which the teachers themselves come across as more insecure, petty and immature than even their own students. Yet, there are also those special moments when the teachers and pupils manage to connect on a meaningful level - those little flashes of hope that the whole frustrating ordeal might just possibly amount to something worthy in the end.With a droll sense of humor and a flair for gentle satire, the filmmakers poke affectionate fun at the life of a teacher, while at the same time evincing a genuine respect for the characters and what it is they are trying to do. The movie acknowledges that teaching is a difficult profession, yet it doesn't insult those who dedicate their lives to it by pretending that all one need have to be successful is a magical combination of motivational speeches and good intentions.The cast members, most of whom are newcomers to the movies, never undercut the joke by winking at the camera or treating the material with anything less than total earnestness. They genuinely appear to be ad-libbing their lines, lending to the film the air of spontaneity and improvisation befitting a documentary. And the movie ends on a note of quiet poignancy that reminds us of just how powerful a tool restraint can be in making a point.By refusing to resort to either melodrama or hyperbole, "Chalk" paints about as realistic a portrait of life in the classroom as I've seen in quite some time.

jared-215 I'm a big Christopher Guest fan and honestly went into this film expecting to be disappointed, but wound up being pleasantly surprised. Chalk was very entertaining, often hilarious, at times touching, and even managed to pull everything together to actually tell a story pretty well. The development of the Mr. Lowery character from start to finish was great. There were only a handful of actors in the film (the rest were real students, principals, teachers, etc.) and they were great. Troy Schremmer was excellent. Anyhow, I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys finding comedy in the ridiculousness of life or basically anyone who enjoys good mockumentaries. Or, people who are teachers or are related to teachers and know that world. Two thumbs up.

jbarnes-10 I saw this movie at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) last night. This is a very touching and funny documentary set in a Houston high school. The acting is fantastic. given that the cast is pretty much unknown. I loved Mr. Stroope (Chris Mass) in fact I loved all of the featured "Teachers" the character development was great and you really end up liking all of the teachers, regardless of their faults. The production values are very impressive as well and I believe that all of the kids in the film are actual kids from the high school and if so they did a great job. Do yourself a favor and see this movie if it comes to your town!