d

1. Director: Richie Keen
Released: 2017
Genre: Comdy
Themes: Self development, bravery, school, confrontation, danger, fear.
Mise-en-scene: The specific technic to create meaning using mise-en-scene that I
noticed the most was the costumes. Throughout the film the protagonist, Andy
Campbell, is becoming increasingly distraught as the fight edges closer. This is
made evident not only in his performance but also his appearance. At the
beginning, he wa well rested, smart and a stereotypical, by-the-book teacher. But
as we see him become more and more desperate to try and stop this fight, he
develops bag under his eyes, his clothes become scruffier and scruffier and he
looks visibly broken. He even addresses it in one scene where he threatens a
student and says “I’m a broken man”. The mise-en scene proves this and makes
his desperation all the more apparent and this adds quite a lot to the comedy.
Performance: Charlie Day did a terrific job as the protagonist of gradually
changing his character over time. He begins as a very nervous, nice guy who
follows all the rules and is just trying to get by being a good father to his wife and
child (soon to be children). Bu like I said earlier, due to the fear and desperation
of being humiliated in front of the whole school by fighting a very scary man
(portrayed by the famous tough-guy actor Ice Cube), his mind and sense of
morality start to warp. He starts questioning where being a nice guy has ever got
him and begins to start acting more and more distressed, caring less and less
about reprecussions as he thinks his fate is already sealed. He goes to such
extreme lengths to stop a simple fist fight to the point where he seems to be very
seriously threatening students with quite vile threats. And by the very end, he’s
done a nearly complete turn around, becoming extremely confrontational,
confident and abrasive. Of course the amazing writers; Van Robichaux and Evan
Susser, are also to praise but Charlie Day’s performance made this transition
seem like a very natural reaction to the events of the film, despite being such
extreme reactions.