TEACHING MRS TINGLE
US, 1999, 96 minutes, Colour.
Katie Holmes, Helen Mirren, Liz Stauber, Barry Watson, Jeffrey Tambour, Vivica A. Fox, Marisa Coghlan, Molly Ringwald, Michael Mc Kean.
Directed by Kevin Williamson.
Teaching Mrs Tingle (originally Killing Mrs Tingle) is the directorial debut of screenwriter Kevin Williamson. Williamson is best known as the collaborator of Wes Craven, especially in the Scream series.
This is not so much a horror film as a teenage drama with touches of macabre comedy. Helen Mirren dominates the screen as the sarcastic and cruel Mrs Tingle, a teacher who enjoys humiliating her students. Katie Holmes is the student who is best in class but doomed by Mrs Tingle to failure. When she is falsely accused of cheating, she and her friends go to Mrs Tingle’s home and one thing leads to another – the students virtually kidnapping her in her own home.
Katie Holmes (Jackson’s Creek) went on to some stardom with such films as First Daughter and Batman Begins. On the other hand, former star Molly Ringwald appears as the registrar and substitute teacher.
The film works quite well when it focuses on the students and their control of Mrs Tingle as well as her fighting back. However, it has a rather cop-out and amoral ending.
1. The work of Kevin Williamson, best known for horror films? His switching his attention to drama?
2. The town atmosphere, homes and school? Mrs Tingle’s home? The credibility and authenticity for this drama?
3. The title, Mrs Tingle as teacher, her stated aims of teaching the students, their teaching her?
4. The plausibility of the plot, the teenagers and their types, the prospect of graduation and studies, work? Relationship with teachers? The role of teachers?
5. Leigh Anne and her mother, her mother and her drinking, smoking, risking setting the house on fire? Leigh Anne lying to her mother, fostering her hopes? Her school project on Salem? Her friendship with Jo Lynn? Luke? In classes, presenting a project, humiliated by Mrs Tingle? The need for high marks? Trudy as the valedictorian? The extra work, the extra credit, the irony of Luke and the stolen paper, his putting it in Leigh Anne’s bag? Being caught by Mrs Tingle?
6. Jo Lynn, her acting aims, friendship with Leigh, infatuation with Luke, stopping him and kissing him? Her Marilyn Monroe impersonation, Mrs Tingle’s harsh comments about American history interpretation? Luke, his bringing the arrow to class? Setting the scene?
7. Mrs Tingle, first seeing her walking the corridors, the encounter with the principal, her threats, wanting more money for projects? The class, the projects, her sarcastic comments? Going to the gym, finding the exam, going to the principal to complain?
8. Leigh Anne’s situation, the three in the gym, the preparations, Luke, caught?
9. Leigh Anne trying to handle the situation, going to the principal’s office, going to Mrs Tingle’s house, Jo Lynn and her pleading guilty, Luke and his trying to take the blame? Leigh Anne, the threats by Mrs Tingle, Luke and the arrow, knocking out Mrs Tingle? Their decision to tie her up?
10. Mrs Tingle, her tricking Jo Lynn and trying to strangle her? Being seductive towards Luke? Taunting Leigh Anne with failure? The sports master, his visit, their luring him on, his drinking, the taking of the compromising photos? Mrs Tingle struggling with Jo Lynn, freeing herself, the final fight, the arrow and her firing it and hitting Trudy, the irony of Trudy once again getting hit with the book? The principal’s arrival, Mrs Tingle defeated?
11. Jo Lynn, staying, listening to Mrs Tingle’s stories about herself (true or not) and untying her, feeding her? Luke and Leigh Anne away, covering, Leigh Anne going home for her mother, changing the marks in the book?
12. The final confrontation, Jo Lynn truly acting, the arrow, Trudy complaining about a B?
13. The graduation, the amoral ending and everybody happy – despite what they had done and the changing of the book?
