Tag Archives: The Crush

My Teacher My Obsession is Less Fun Than After-School Detention

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Earlier this year, I reviewed the terrible Netflix film, Bad Match. To date, it’s inexplicably  one of the most viewed posts on this blog. Now several months later and Netflix gives us another stalking thriller. My Teacher My Obsession trades in the Tinder-centric stalker tale for a more Lolita-esque plot. Not too Lolita, mind you. This Netflix thriller takes several opportunities to let the viewer know that its young stalker is 18 years of age. Can My Teacher My Obsession match the true awfulness of Bad Match? Or is there some B-film goodness somewhere in this worn story?

Synopsis

Single-father Chris and his daughter, Riley, arrive in a small town for a new beginning. Initially, things start well for dad and daughter. Chris lands an English teaching job at Riley’s high school and meets a new woman. Shy Riley meets aspiring photojournalist Kyla, and the two instantly hit it off. But things take a dark turn when Kyla becomes infatuated with Chris. As she becomes increasingly obsessed, Chris and and Riley learn that Kyla will do anything to get what she wants.

My Teacher My Obsession Should Be Called to the Principal’s Office

Most people who choose to stream My Teacher My Obsession are going to watch it regardless of reviews. So perhaps the question is not whether My Teacher My Obsession is a good film. Spoiler Alert: It’s not. But is it a ‘fun bad movie’ or just a ‘bad bad movie’? Similarly themed 90’s films like Poison Ivy and The Crush were fun enough to rank as guilty pleasures. Sadly, for the most part, My Teacher My Obsession is just a ‘bad bad movie.’

Think of it like a PG-13 effort at exploitation cinema.

Written by Patrick Robert Young, My Teacher My Obsession wants to have its cake and eat it, too. Think of it like a PG-13 effort at exploitation cinema. The thriller rips its lurid story from tabloid headlines, but proceeds to water it down. It’s actually kind of shocking how lazily the movie moves from each stereotypical plot point. This is the very definition of perfunctory. Protagonist Chris is clueless. Kyla’s mother is clueless. There’s a character whose only purpose is to be victimized to illustrate how far Kyla will go. My Teacher My Obsession cribs and plagiarizes shamelessly, while putting no effort or emotion into any of the developments.

My Teacher, My Obsession is Lazy, Stupid, But Short Enough To Avoid Being Boring

In spite of its lazy and shameless plotting, My Teacher My Obsession isn’t boring. Keep in mind, I’m grading this movie on a curve. Most of my thought process while watching it was that it still wasn’t as bad as Bad Match. There’s absolutely no tension or suspense, but My Teacher My Obsession never overstays its welcome. It moves rather efficiently through its plot contrivances. Director Damian Romay even flashes some stylistic flourishes here and there. She employs an interesting use of colour, bathing her teen vixen in deep shades of red through much of the movie. It’s not quite Dario Argento, but it does serve to separate My Teacher My Obsession from other derivative fare. There’s even one or two decent jump scares in the movie.

Performances Worthy of a Detention

The real villain of My Teacher My Obsession is Young’s screenplay. Nowhere is this more evident than the dialogue. To be fair to the actors, not even a Meryl Streep or Jack Nicholson could make the dialogue in this movie work. It borders on laughable, but at least it gives this dud of a movie some potential B-film credentials. None of the actors walk away from My Teacher My Obsession unscathed. Flat acting abounds in this stalking yawner. I found myself yearning for some scene-chewing to liven things up.

Lazy storytelling is one thing, but My Teacher My Obsession feels like it was written and filmed in a cultural void.

Where My Teacher My Obsession really unnecessarily struggles is its lazy treatment of protagonist Chris. Lazy storytelling is one thing, but My Teacher My Obsession feels like it was written and filmed in a cultural void. English teacher Chris, like most protagonists in this type of thriller, is clueless and easily led astray. While it’s an artifact of noir and neo-noir, the character trope just doesn’t work in 2018. His character gets a free pass in spite of his obvious bad behaviour, while the film absolutely vilifies its teen vixen. The idea that an adult man could be so easily manipulated with no blame attached is a character trope that needs to be retired.

My Teacher My Obsession Neither Good Nor Bad Enough To Recommend

In spite of its utterly generic story and scare-free environment, My Teacher My Obsession is somehow less awful than Bad Match. That’s not necessarily a remarkable feat. But this stinker does show some flourishes of style now and then. As well, Romay manages to capture a little of the lurid fun that similar ’90’s films, Poison Ivy and The Crush, revelled in. Sadly, it’s never stupid nor over-the-top enough to be genuinely fun.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: D

The Crush a Mildly Stylish, But Dated, 90s Thriller

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On April 2nd, 1993, The Crush hit North American theaters, introducing the world to Alicia Silverstone. The Crush itself was a relatively minor success, grossing just over $13 million in North American theaters.  It represented the latter part of a cycle of erotic and stalker-based thrillers that were released in the wake of the success of Fatal Attraction (1987). In fact, The Crush is probably best described as Fatal Attraction for the MTV crowd. Yet it proved to be a breakout role for Silverstone who would go on to star in the hit teen comedy Clueless two years later and a couple of Aerosmith music videos (the less said about Batman and Robin, the better).

Synopsis

The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes plays Nick Eliot, an up-and-coming writer with a new job at a hip magazine, a beautiful girlfriend, and the perfect accommodations in the guest house of the wealthy Forrester family. At an evening garden party, Nick meets the Forrester’s 14-year-old daughter, Darian. She’s bright, precocious, and develops an instant crush on the older man living in her parents’ guest house. The innocent crush takes on an increasingly sinister tone as bad things begin happening to anyone who poses a threat to Darian’s dream of being with Nick, and that includes the object of her affections.

The Crush is Fatal Attraction for the MTV Crowd

The Crush probably didn’t feel generic when it was first released. Unfortunately, in the 25 years since its release, we’ve seen several a healthy dose of similarly-themed ‘stalker’ movies, From SwimFan to The Boy Next Door to The Roommate, every generation gets their very own ‘ crazy stalker’ thriller. Of course, it’s hard to argue that The Crush wasn’t a pretty derivative movie even in 1993. It followed at the tail end of a wave of psychological thrillers like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Single White Female, each following a fairly similar blueprint. A regular protagonist meets a seemingly normal, if not exceptional in some way, individual who suddenly shifts from sane to crazy with perhaps a few hints that something is amiss. The villain progressively sabotages the main character’s life. In turn, the protagonist makes increasingly stupid choices that call their innocence into question.

There is nothing inherently bad about the movie.

Everything is eventually set right in a convoluted and convenient climax where the villain is killed or expelled. The Crush doesn’t offer much new to this formula. In fact, it’s almost blandly inoffensive in its workman-like connecting of the above plot points. There is nothing inherently bad about the movie. To some extent, its lack of suspense and tension are offset by a certain technical competence. Most viewers will probably enjoy it while watching and then instantly forget it 15 minutes after it’s over. Yes, it’s a cookie-cutter thriller, but it’s not without some charm.

The Crush Dated By Outdated Gender Politics

Unfortunately, not all films age well. Some fans and critics will argue that art should be considered within the context in which it was released. But sometimes a film just ages poorly. And The Crush has not aged well. It’s not like Fatal Attraction wasn’t controversial when it was released in the 1980s. That movie drew criticism for its demonization of a sexually liberated woman and was considered to be part of a set of 1980s ‘backlash’ films to the progressive 1970s.

Yet perhaps the worst problem with The Crush is how lightly it lets off its protagonist, Nick Eliot.

Today, in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, The Crush feels very outdated. Its ‘Lolita-like’ sexualization of a teenaged Silverstone is uncomfortable at times. Like Fatal Attraction, this teen thriller seems intent on demonizing intelligent, strong women. Yet perhaps the worst problem with The Crush is how lightly it lets off its protagonist, Nick EIiot. At worst, The Crush suggests he exercised ‘bad judgment’ rather than exploited a 14-year-old girl. In 2018, The Crush would probably tank hard with most young viewers.

Alicia Silverstone’s Big Break

Arguably, The Crush’s most noteworthy achievement is its introduction of Alicia Silverstone to fame. Not surprisingly, Silverstone steals the movie. She shows obvious talent and charisma in her role as Darian Forrester, shining with what little she is given in the screenplay. If nothing else, The Crush plays as a good enough vehicle to justify Silverstone’s rise to fame.

Veteran actor Cary Elwes (Saw) does just fine with his role, which doesn’t demand much more than looking constantly frustrated and befuddled. As Darian’s father, Kurtwood Smith looks as disapproving and angry as he does in almost every role, leading one to wonder if the man is ever truly happy. And Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans can get excited with an early role for Amber Benson. Fortunately, all the characters moved on to better things. SIlverstone had Clueless, Elwes got Saw, Kurtwood Smith found That 70s Show, and Benson landed a role in Buffy.

The Crush a Mildly Stylish But A Run-of-the-Mill Thriller

Generally, The Crush is not really as bad as reviews suggest. For the time period in which it was released, it was stylish and paced well enough to play to the MTV crowd. From its lukewarm suspense to its milder Lolita undertones, The Crush was safe stuff for teens in the 90s. Overall, it was a good 90-minute diversion for viewers but not much else. Yes, younger viewers today will probably take a lot of issues with the film’s outdated gender politics, but that’s a good thing.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: C+