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Lower Learning

Play trailer Poster for Lower Learning R 2008 1h 37m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 18% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
All is not well at Geraldine Ferraro Elementary, home of the Fighting Seals. When accreditation official Rebecca Seabrook arrives for a routine inspection, she discovers an ineffective, foul-mouthed faculty headed by the devious, light-fingered principal, Billings. When the state threatens to pull the plug on the school in light of her report, Seabrook and bumbling vice principal Tom Willoman struggle to save the place from closing.

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Lower Learning

Critics Reviews

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Chuck Wilson L.A. Weekly 10/09/2008
Lafferty is all about expletives and sexual innuendo of the frankest kind, some of it so raunchy (and unfunny) as to make one wonder if the parents of the film's many child actors bothered to read the script. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sharon J. @Mearth518 Sep 1 Sucks. Stupid. Idiotic dumb. See more Yuri B @RyuBlack 04/18/2025 OMG, this was hilarious, I couldn't believe I've never watched before now. The teachers were the worst, & those kids, some of them were something else entirely. But Monica Potter's character had me rolling, watching her breakdown in front of a bunch of 2nd graders & them calling her out on it was epic. See more mark g @Mark_Alan_G. 04/17/2025 Not a masterpiece, but hard to not have laughs with this much talent. And there are plenty of laughs. Enjoyable enough, lighten up See more j t @bluecat 11/02/2021 Calling this a terrible movie is actually an insult to other terrible movies. See more Sodazart R @RT12545463 10/18/2021 I thought it was hilarious. Definitely a light hearted dark comedy. I enjoyed the movie. See more 10/18/2020 Horrible watch, will not watch again, and actively recommend you avoid this movie. This is the first movie where I felt the need to call child protective services and put all the adult actors involved on a watch list. I'm just saying that some of the things these kids say, see, and in which they participate are potentially traumatizing, especially in the atmosphere they're performed. I'm sorry if this movie is supposed to be funny, but it's an awful story about awful subject matter, and none of the jokes land. Even Jason Biggs calls out the inspector's use habits throughout the movie, and these are the people we're supposed to get behind. There is a difference between characters being silly and detrimental, and this movie is a great example of what crossing that line looks like. Maybe it's just too real, maybe the idea of the circumstances of this movie being real is terrifying and I can't see the humor. Regardless, there is nothing I found funny about this movie, and the only redeemable acting came from a young Zachary Gordon ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid"). See more Read all reviews
Lower Learning

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Cast & Crew

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Mark Lafferty

Director

Jason Biggs

Tom

Eva Longoria

Rebecca

Rob Corddry

Billings

Ryan Newman

Carlotta

Monica Potter

Laura
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Lower Learning

Lower Learning (2008) Lower Learning (2008) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis All is not well at Geraldine Ferraro Elementary, home of the Fighting Seals. When accreditation official Rebecca Seabrook arrives for a routine inspection, she discovers an ineffective, foul-mouthed faculty headed by the devious, light-fingered principal, Billings. When the state threatens to pull the plug on the school in light of her report, Seabrook and bumbling vice principal Tom Willoman struggle to save the place from closing.
Director
Mark Lafferty
Producer
Matthew Leutwyler, Sim Sarna
Screenwriter
Shahin Chandrasoma, Mark Lafferty
Production Co
Starz!, Ambush Entertainment
Rating
R (Some Drug Content|Language|Crude and Sexual Humor)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 10, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 2, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.5K
Runtime
1h 37m
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