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Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Family · Comedy · 2016

A quiet teenage artist Rafe Katchadorian has a wild imagination and is sick of middle school and the rules that have been put before him. Rafe and his best friend Leo have come up with a plan: break every rule in the school hand book and as you expect trouble follows.

Movie details

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

“Rules aren't for everyone.”

2016 Family · Comedy 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

A quiet teenage artist Rafe Katchadorian has a wild imagination and is sick of middle school and the rules that have been put before him. Rafe and his best friend Leo have come up with a plan: break every rule in the school hand book and as you expect trouble follows.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Steve Carr

Written by

Kara Holden · Chris Bowman · Hubbel Palmer

Griffin Gluck

Griffin Gluck

Rafe Khatchadorian

Lauren Graham

Lauren Graham

Jules Khatchadorian

Alexa Nisenson

Alexa Nisenson

Georgia Khatchadorian

Andy Daly

Andy Daly

Principal Dwight

Thomas Barbusca

Thomas Barbusca

Leo Khatchadorian

Rob Riggle

Rob Riggle

Bear

Isabela Merced

Isabela Merced

Jeanne Galletta

Court is in session

Put Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.