Bad Education Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Bad Education Blu-ray Movie Review

Requiem for a scheme.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 25, 2020

Cited as the largest public school embezzlement in American history, the 2004 financial scandal of Long Island's Roslyn Union Free School District involved some $11.2M in misplaced funds. It was not widely reported outside of the Tri-State Region and thus barely a radar blip in my home state of Pennsylvania, but with public school teachers in my family I was aware of the story before HBO's TV movie, Bad Education, premiered in April. Featuring great lead performances by Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, it makes for compelling viewing thanks to a solid script, great original score, and blistering source material, which has been sweetened with a little good old-fashioned dramatic license.

It's obvious from the early moments of Bad Eduction that, despite the polished and precise appearance of maverick school superintendent Frank Tassone (Jackman), something is afoot. But from a public perspective, it's all good: he's worked tirelessly with assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin (Janney) for more than a decade to elevate Roslyn High School to fourth-ranked in the nation. This has boosted other facets of the community, including property value, but the dynamic duo won't rest until Roslyn's at the top. A proposed multi-million dollar "Skyway" will certainly help and, while writing a puff piece about it for the school paper, student Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan) is convinced by Tassone to give the story extra care and detail. Unfortunately for him, Rachel's digging reveals a growing number of misplaced funds and questionable spending, much of it on personal items or from ghost companies.

It's not long before the house of cards begins to fall but, as with most administrative scandals, we won't know the full extent of everything until much later. And as much as Bad Education reads like a straightforward treatment of this kind of drama, it's infused with several elements that raise it above similar productions. The direction is steady and built upon a solid script written by relative newcomer Mike Makowsky, who was a middle school student in the Roslyn School District when the scandal first broke. Composer Michael Abels also contributes a very fitting original score with stately classical touches that gradually unravel, much like the scandal itself. It's all anchored by Allison Janney and (especially) Hugh Jackman, who deliver fantastic performances that make you feel for characters who could've just as easily been painted as one-note villains. Also working to the film's advantage are subtle visual and aural clues that hint at their compulsive dishonesty, many of which added to my second viewing of the film.

Nitpicks mostly begin and end with the dramatic license, which includes a few minor spoilers. The first is Tassone's relationship with a former student, an detail that the real-life Tassone flatly denied. The second is young reporter Rachel Bhargava's level of participation: there's no doubt that a scandal first leaking in a student newspaper -- which actually happened, sort of -- makes for compelling story bait, but the way it plays out doesn't seem as believable from a narrative standpoint. Otherwise, the only room for improvement is with its running time: portions of Bad Education feel a little rushed, and the material may have fit more comfortably within the scope of a limited series.

For the most part, though, Bad Education is a great story crafted with care, and one that went way under the radar when it premiered on HBO back in April. Warner Archive Collection presents the film on Blu-ray and, though it's not their strongest disc in recent memory, this is solid treatment of a film that deserves to be seen.

Bad Education Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although Warner Archive's striking 1080p transfer really does look exceptional in most respects, I was very surprised by the occasional presence of dirt and debris...not only because of the film's extremely young age, but due to WAC's near-flawless track record. I'd probably look past occasional white flecks, but it's tough to ignore much bigger damage marks in a few scenes; one particular eyesore can be seen in screenshot #15. These feel like easily avoidable flaws, so I'm not sure why there weren't fixed. Luckily the problem is not persistent and, otherwise, there's almost nothing to complain about here: color saturation is excellent, black levels run deep, the film grain is rich, image detail looks very strong, and the disc runs at a high bit rate. It's just about perfect, aside from that stray damage.

Bad Education Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's less to say about the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track -- by design, this is a fittingly straightforward effort. Dialogue sounds very clean and is typically placed right up front, while the only real surround activity is devoted to larger enclosed rooms (such as the auditorium scenes that booked the film), crowded school hallways, and Michael Abels' stately original score. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature.

Bad Education Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Based on a True Story (3:55) - Although advertised as "a detailed breakdown of the true story that inspired Bad Education", this proves to be a very short overview that doesn't really shed much new light on the subject. It is, however, worthwhile to hear from a few key cast and crew members including director Cory Finley, actors Hugh Jackman & Allison Janney, screenwriter Mike Makowsky, and others.

• The Perception of Perfection (3:13) - Hugh Jackman briefly discusses his role and offers a few thoughts on the real-life Frank Tassone.

• Hugh Jackman & Allison Janney (3:51) - This virtual conversation was shot just before the film's HBO premiere back in April. Like the other extras here, it's disappointingly brief but still passable.

Bad Education Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

HBO's searing drama Bad Education makes for a compelling watch thanks to solid performances and great source material, even if it almost begs for a little expansion in certain areas. But wanting more of a good thing is far from a complaint, and there's something to be said about the film's "less is more" approach. Either way, I'd glad this one earned a Blu-ray release. Warner Archive's disc, however, is a little rough around the edges: its 1080p transfer could have benefitted from manual cleanup -- an especially odd issue, considering the film's less than a year old -- and the bonus features aren't terribly revealing. It's still a highly recommended purchase, even as a blind buy.