My Teacher's Wife (1999)

Overrated

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This movie looks like it is going to be a teen sex comedy, but it really surprised me how seriously it took itself. It actually works to be a drama, and some of it is actually effective.You can't really blame me for being misled--the presence of Christopher McDonald alone seems to suggest an off-the-wall sense of humor. But even he plays it straight in a story that has one foot in a teen fantasy, and several feet in Degrassi-style soap opera.The plot revolves around a high school kid who gets a math tutor who happens to not only be an attractive woman, but the wife of his math teacher. His performance in the math class is given special importance because the instructor apparently had enough pull to help the kid get into a prestigious college. He ends up having an inappropriate relationship with the tutor, almost costing him two friendships and the college recommendation. The climax comes when he finally gets an admissions interview at Harvard and realizes he is not sure it is what he really wants. In the end, he learns a lesson and gets his life back in order. His two best friends are still talking to him, although he now has a platonic relationship with his ex-girlfriend. I thought Tia looked really cute in this movie, but none of the performances or humor really moved me. I thought the Jeffery Tambor character worked WAY too hard at being senstive and understanding while still having high expectations. He made me squirm. I was especially disappointed that Christopher McDonald didn't have any good lines. I didn't dislike this movie, I just don't think I will watch it again.

If Tia Carrere was my math tutor, I want to study too. She is the epitome of beauty. A great smile, piercing eyes, long legs, and most important of all, she thinks of herself as just another girl. She isn't, but it's nice anyway. Much has been made of the sex scenes, but Tia was never very comfortable with body, until she was the Playboy cover girl of January 2003, if that's what you are looking for. This is a passable movie that isn't the raunchy romp that the exploitive cover art makes it out to be. Zak Orth is the center of a more emotional movie. It's that odd combination that brings the movie down. It succeeds as neither. Mute it and watch Tia, unless you feel more like getting in touch with your feelings.

This undemanding comedy has some good moments, but in the end, it's a forgettable film. This movie certainly was fun at times, but the story was ordinary and not particularly original. The reasonably well-known cast does a pretty good job, but the script didn't provide them with an abundance of good material. So, I suppose this is a decent choice the next time that you want to see a film, but I still urge you to look for something better.

Despite the risque title (it was actually released under the even worse title My Teacher's Wife in the US), this is a well-acted and entertaining coming-of-age film. Jeffrey Tambor is hilarious, Tia Carrere proves she can actually act, and Zak Orth as the socially awkward sidekick nearly steals the movie. If you're in high school facing the pressures of college or just remember that time well in your nightmares, you'll definitely relate to this one.