SYNOPSIS
Waiting for
Superman
On DVD:
February 15, 2011
For a nation that proudly
declared it would leave
no child behind, America
continues to do so at
alarming rates. Despite
increased spending and
politicians’ promises,
our buckling public— education system, once
the best in the world,
routinely forsakes the education of millions
of children. Oscar®— winning filmmaker
Davis Guggenheim (AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) reminds us that edu-
cation “statistics” have
names: Anthony, Fran-cisco, Bianca, Daisy, and
Emily, whose stories
make up the engrossing
foundation of WAITING
FOR “SUPERMAN.” As
he follows a handful of
promising kids through
a system that inhibits,
rather than encourages,
academic growth,
Guggenheim undertakes
an exhaustive review
of public education, surveying “drop—out
factories” and “aca-
demic sinkholes,”
methodically dissecting
the system and its
seemingly intractable
problems. However,
embracing the belief that
good teachers make
good schools, Guggen-
heim offers hope by
exploring innovative
approaches taken by
education reformers
and charter schools that
have—in reshaping the
culture—refused to leave
their students behind.
Lowest recommended age:
12 years
MPAA:
PG 13
Genre:
Family
Sexual content:
None
Alcohol/Drugs:
None
Violence & Gore:
None
Language:
None
Message:
Although in a state of disarray, our public educational
system could be greatly improved if not fixed, through
the use of a much needed innovative overhaul, sparked
by, talented teachers, honest bureaucrats and parents—
on behalf of children.
Variety I By John Anderson Exhilarating, heartbreaking and righteous, Waiting for Superman is also a kind of
high-minded thriller: Can the American education system be cured?
Screen Junkies I By Fred Topel “The honesty of children is sobering. You see first graders without any ego or
melodrama, yet talking about what school isn’t giving them, there’s your story
right there. ”
rec.arts.movies.reviews I By Drew McWeeny “A smart piece of agit-prop that picks the right targets and hits those targets
with precise aim.”
Read more>
Cinematical.com I By Scott Weinberg “Full of refreshingly honest insights and some powerfully upsetting statistics.”
