“Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life” might appeal to kids eleven or twelve, children that may enjoy seeing the middle school students in the film defeat the principal and catch him in a scheme. However, despite solid acting from Griffin Gluck as Rafe, and Andy Daly as the villain, Principal Dwight, the content in the movie is really strong. For example, the story features a boyfriend who moves in with the mother of Rage and Georgia. He plots to send Rafe away to military school and to move Georgia on to another school as well. The movie also features several scenes of the destruction of school property, including personal items when the too-young-to-own-a-driver’s license Georgia steals Carl’s car and scrapes it against a rail with sparks flying. In addition, the kids break into the school too. The principal mentions one mother as being “hot”, even though she is married.
A scene in which Rafe’s teacher, Mr. Teller (Adam Pally), says to a student he must have turned in his homework with invisible ink, is funny. And the kids do get the best of the principal, who plotted to rid the school of one entire class by suspending them so the rest of the school would perform well on a major test. However, the strong content places a shadow on the morality of the film. Due to the sexuality and excessive language, we are unable to award the movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.
