Especially around the holidays, I often enjoy nothing better than curling up in a comfy chair and watching a cheesy, predictable, heartwarming Hallmark movie. However, I must say I was surprised at the quality and power of this simple made-for-TV movie. Based on the true story of Brad Cohen, "Front of the Class" follows Brad as he strives to become, if not the first, certainly one of the first and the few schoolteachers with Tourette's syndrome; throughout this narrative Brad recounts his childhood growing up with the disorder.
The movie is very insightful into living with such a difficult disorder. Most of Brad's experiences, particularly the childhood ones, are outright shocking, and rather startling to me personally, as I never realized how recently people (doctors and therapists included) have begun to understand Tourette's. Brad's teachers are ignorant of his condition and intolerant, believing him to be willfully disruptive, he faces constant ostracism in public and ridicule from his classmates, one of his mother's acquaintances even recommends exorcism. I admit I did not know enough about the disorder and learned a lot from the movie. Tourette's is so much more than just "those people who shout swear words". Brad is very upbeat, understanding people's discomfort and is eager to talk to them about his condition, letting them know that his tics are involuntary and only worsen when he is stressed (i.e. when people insist he stop making the noises or refuse to understand).
The really touching part comes when <*spoiler*> Brad is finally granted a teaching job and his second-grade students prove to be more understanding and accepting than most of their parents and teachers. Brad is a very good educator, and touches many students (one in particular, but I won't spoil any more).
I have a cousin with Tourette's, whose parents are struggling with fully understanding and living with the condition, so this movie hit fairly close to home for me. Though an tearjerker, it's never overly sappy and is rather well-acted. I was also pleased that it was a much more positive look at a disorder than Hallmark's previous effort, "Sweet Nothing in My Ear". I was frustrated at the apparent attitude of that movie that attempts to allow deaf persons (particularly, children) to hear were intolerant and insulting. Though this point is somewhat moot in "Front of the Class", as Tourette's sadly has no "cure", I think Brad's attitude was made clear when he walked out on a "Tourette's support group" full of people and their parents who have given in to their disorder and preferred to be separated from the rest of society. Instead, Brad chooses to conquer ignorance and not let his Tourette's control him. I definitely recommend it.
The movie is very insightful into living with such a difficult disorder. Most of Brad's experiences, particularly the childhood ones, are outright shocking, and rather startling to me personally, as I never realized how recently people (doctors and therapists included) have begun to understand Tourette's. Brad's teachers are ignorant of his condition and intolerant, believing him to be willfully disruptive, he faces constant ostracism in public and ridicule from his classmates, one of his mother's acquaintances even recommends exorcism. I admit I did not know enough about the disorder and learned a lot from the movie. Tourette's is so much more than just "those people who shout swear words". Brad is very upbeat, understanding people's discomfort and is eager to talk to them about his condition, letting them know that his tics are involuntary and only worsen when he is stressed (i.e. when people insist he stop making the noises or refuse to understand).
The really touching part comes when <*spoiler*> Brad is finally granted a teaching job and his second-grade students prove to be more understanding and accepting than most of their parents and teachers. Brad is a very good educator, and touches many students (one in particular, but I won't spoil any more).
I have a cousin with Tourette's, whose parents are struggling with fully understanding and living with the condition, so this movie hit fairly close to home for me. Though an tearjerker, it's never overly sappy and is rather well-acted. I was also pleased that it was a much more positive look at a disorder than Hallmark's previous effort, "Sweet Nothing in My Ear". I was frustrated at the apparent attitude of that movie that attempts to allow deaf persons (particularly, children) to hear were intolerant and insulting. Though this point is somewhat moot in "Front of the Class", as Tourette's sadly has no "cure", I think Brad's attitude was made clear when he walked out on a "Tourette's support group" full of people and their parents who have given in to their disorder and preferred to be separated from the rest of society. Instead, Brad chooses to conquer ignorance and not let his Tourette's control him. I definitely recommend it.