Adventures In Public School (Kyle Rideout, 2017): Canada

Reviewed by Madeline Englese. Viewed at Fiesta Theaters in Santa Barbara, CA

Adventures In Public School (Public Schooled) is directors Kyle Rideout’s (Deadpool, Eadweard) latest film. Chronicling a high school senior, Liam’s rebellious outbreak by going to public school after being homeschooled his whole life. After his prom in which his grandmother, mother, and uncle are only in attendance, he realizes he is missing out on the most important part of public school, that his mom could never teach him, friendship. With the reluctant help of his mom Claire, Judy Greer (Arrested Development), he fills in the spot of the maybe dead, maybe sick spot of another student at the local high school. After seeing what he assumes is love at first sight, he chooses to fail his high school equivalency test and his dream of being a physicist at Cambridge to pursue a girl.

Liam and Claire have a hilarious and heartwarming relationship. Greer steals the show as Claire. Claire, who is a single mom and also his home school teacher, takes on the roll of being the teacher of all things rebellion, from parties to cursing. The lovable helicopter mom is the driving force of the film and the humor in it. Screenwriter Josh Epstein (Eadweard) delivered a humorous and playful script, albeit very fanciful script, that transferred beautifully to screen.

This coming of age comedy is a laugh out loud success that I couldn’t recommend more.