Think of the greatest teachers in cinema history and immediately, some obvious, classic educator-roles spring to mind. Sidney Poitier in “To Sir, With Love.” Peter O’Toole in “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.” Maggie Smith in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”
Perhaps, for those who haven’t developed a condition known as Carpe Diem Aversion, even Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society.”
With school officially back in session, this seemed like the perfect time to mention a few recent movie instructors whose lessons can be absorbed on DVD or Blu-ray.
Sister James (Amy Adams) in “Doubt”: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s possibly indiscreet priest and Meryl Streep’s dauntingly judgmental principal may serve as the two magnetic poles in this impeccably acted 2008 drama. But it’s Adams’ Sister James — a Catholic schoolteacher with genuine concern for her students, an ability to find the good in everyone and a stunning abundance of naivete — who emerges from this adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama as the one character whom, maybe, you’d want teaching your own children.
Ms. Rain (Paula Patton) in “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.” The main character in this Academy Award-winning film is, obviously, Precious, the stoic, abused, overweight young woman played by Gabourey Sidibe. But there would be no “Precious” without the patient, tough-loving Ms. Rain, the teacher at the alternative school Each One, Teach One, who shows this movie’s troubled soul the way toward the light.
Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) in “Half Nelson”: When we see him in a classroom trying to impart the importance of history to a group of junior high schoolers, Dunne looks like nothing less than a heroic, amazing teacher. And that’s what makes his drug addiction — an affliction destroying his life off school grounds — that much more heart-breaking.
In an Academy Award-nominated performance, Gosling realistically shows us that even the most inspiring teachers are still fallible humans who, sometimes, learn the most valuable lessons from students, in this case a troubled girl played with quiet power by Shareeka Epps.
Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) in “Notes on a Scandal”: Covett is the kind of teacher no education major would ever aspire to be: bitter, lonely and capable of manipulating a colleague and friend (Cate Blanchett) in ways that are beyond reprehensible.
As portrayed by a beady-eyed, venomous Dench — an Oscar nominee for her work here — this woman is pretty much the opposite of the admirable Jean Brodies and Professor Keatings found in other school dramas. But then, that’s exactly what makes her — and her Machiavellian actions — so icily memorable.
Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) in “A Serious Man”: A physics professor dealing with the disintegration of virtually every aspect of his life, Gopnik is simultaneously grasping to reach tenure, keep his marriage together and avoid accepting a bribe from a less-than- stellar student.
As a man tasked with providing all the answers during lecture halls, this Coen Brothers character becomes increasingly addled as he quickly realizes that when it comes to life, all he has are more questions.
