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Recess: School’s Out (2001)

Recess: School’s Out was not made for me. I've never see a single episode of the show and at my age, I'm too old for it. That wouldn't have stopped me if it was good. It’s been a while since a movie based on a television series displeased me to such an extent that I would never, EVER want to give a show a chance.

From what I can gather the show is a Mission: Impossible and Great Escape parody featuring the students of Third Street Elementary School as they use their set of unique skills to escape/foil the authorities. There's the Bart Simpson-y T.J. (Andrew Lawrence), gentle giant Mikey (Jason Davis), ultra nerd Gretchen (Ashley Johnson), hot-heated tomboy Ashley (Pamela Segall), weenie Gus (Courtland Mead) and token black kid Vince (Rickey D’Shon Collins). As the school year ends, most of the children are looking forward to summer camps, while T.J. is doomed to spend the summer alone. That is until he spots something nefarious going on at the school and he summons his friends to get to the bottom of it.

If a fan of the series told me that they enjoyed this movie, I could see why. The film opens with a big event that will change the lives of every character (the school year ending). You also get important character development and quite a few sights that you would have never seen. I bet you never imagined you'd see T.J. finds teaming up with teachers! Additionally, the stakes are significantly higher than on an average day. There's a sense of an epic story that demands to be seen on the big screen. If (unlike me), you're a fan of the show, I think this is what you want to see out of a Recess movie.

If you're not already in love with the characters, this adventure will not appeal to you. The six protagonists are merely a collection of tired stereotypes and lack any depth. Obviously, the tomboy likes wrestling and the nerd likes to talk about space when not making astute observations about gadgets and science. So what? To my surprise, the teachers felt much more real than the people I came to see.

This is meant to be a light-hearted comedic film, but I didn’t laugh very much. I found the wacky villain to be ridiculous to the point of frustration and the execution is sloppy. The villain is kept in shadows for a time, but when he's revealed... he's a nobody. His identity isn't a twist, so why do that? I had problems before then as well. As the film opens, T.J. is shocked to learn none of his friends are staying home for the summer. Did they never discuss their plans ever? The biggest issue has to do with the antagonist's plan. I can’t tell you what it is, but when the scheme is explained, you’ll think to yourself “and with the resources you have available... THIS is what you choose to do?” You don't use a Death Star to shut down a rec center is what I'm saying.

Recess: School's Out is dull to watch and often downright painful, even embarrassing. The characters aren't interesting, the villain bland. It might feel like a movie to those who grew up with the show. To me, it felt like a bunch of tired jokes strung together. (On VHS, March 11, 2015)

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