Hugh Jackman is perhaps one of the most innately likable actors working today. Even when he’s playing awful or violent people, he just radiates a level of charisma that makes him the center of attention. Getting him involved in any project, even a weak one, will at least guarantee a compelling performance from the actor.
But what sort of villain would be be? The new HBO release Bad Education features Jackman as Dr. Frank Tassone, superintendent of a prestigious public high school in Long Island caught up in the largest school embezzlement case in American history. Considering the movie is based on a New York magazine article titled “The Bad Superintendent,” Tassone’s involvement shouldn’t be too surprising, but what will make or break a movie like this is Jackman’s take on the character.
Fortunately, Jackman is up to the challenge. Even before the reveal that the school’s trusted business manager Pam Gluckin (the always-formidable Allison Janney) didn’t act alone in stealing taxpayer dollars from the school, there are enough suspicious acts from Tassone to make one wonder. We see, for example, that even though he is gay, he wears a wedding ring and talks about a deceased wife to keep women from hitting on him. During his off-time, he picks up a former student and begins a sexual relationship with the much younger man. Now, that in and of itself isn’t necessarily wrong as the student-teacher dynamic was 15 years removed by then, but between that and his overly fastidious manner in dress and appearance, plus his constant dieting, we see a man who is, at the very least, slightly dishonest and at least a little vain.
That said, it is also obvious he cares very much for the education of his students. This isn’t some fire-breathing monster. He covers his tracks as well as he can, and some of the ways he does so are rather brilliant, even prolonging the case as much as he can.
Likewise, Janney, set up as an initial scapegoat, brings her usual formidable acting chops to her every scene. There’s a world-weariness to the character, one that doesn’t really regret what she did so much as resent she got caught.
That said, there’s a third plot line here that also works well in the movie. Actress Geraldine Viswanathan plays a student working for the school’s newspaper who just thinks something is up and won’t really quit until she finds out what’s going on. She’s a quiet presence, one that isn’t really flamboyant or scene-stealing, but still isn’t cowed or intimidated by those around her trying to get her to stop in small ways or with obvious lies.
In the end, it’s a story of hubris, as a man who arguably did a lot to make a school better believes that gives him carte blanche to do whatever he wants as long as the children continue to get a top notch education. There’s a level of first world privilege to the world that Frank Tassone lives in, one where even if he does get caught, we have to wonder if he’s really been punished in any meaningful way.
Grade: B+
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