Teaching Mrs. Tingle

"Before school lets out, Mrs. Tingle's class is going to need a substitute teacher."

1999 1h 36m EN

😐

5.5

MID

★5.5TMDB · 375

ComedyThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A bright high-school senior has her impending status as valedictorian jeopardized when her bitter history teacher, Mrs. Tingle, gives her a poor grade on a project. When an attempt to get ahead in Mrs. Tingle's class goes awry, mayhem ensues and friendships, loyalties and trust are tested by the teacher's intricate mind-games.

“Before school lets out, Mrs. Tingle's class is going to need a substitute teacher.”

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Cast

Helen Mirren
Mrs. Tingle
Katie Holmes
Leigh Ann Watson
Barry Watson
Luke Churner
Marisa Coughlan
Jo Lynn Jordan
Michael McKean
Principal Potter
Jeffrey Tambor
Coach Wenchell
Liz Stauber
Trudie Tucker
Molly Ringwald
Miss Banks

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kevin Williamson
Writers: Kevin Williamson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 69% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kevin Williamson, shot by Jerzy Zieliński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Frizzell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Debra Neil-Fisher shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Helen Mirren and Katie Holmes and Barry Watson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Before school lets out, Mrs. Tingle's class is going to need a substitute teacher.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0133046 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kevin Williamson directs. Jerzy Zieliński behind the camera. John Frizzell scores. Debra Neil-Fisher cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 69% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Kevin Williamson, shot by Jerzy Zieliński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Frizzell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Debra Neil-Fisher shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Helen Mirren and Katie Holmes and Barry Watson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Before school lets out, Mrs. Tingle's class is going to need a substitute teacher.".
8IMDB entry: tt0133046 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "pornography", "scholarship", "parent child relationship", "class".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jerzy Zieliński
Original score: John Frizzell
Editing: Debra Neil-Fisher
Production design: Naomi Shohan
Costume design: Susie DeSanto
Makeup / hair: Sean Smith
Stunt coordinator: Steve M. Davison
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,000,000
Box office: $8,946,237
Return: 69% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)

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What people are saying

John Chard2014-08-28
★ 2/10
Caught between its aims? Three students get more than they bargained for when a theft of a test results paper leads to a deadly battle of wills with their kidnapped teacher, Mrs. Tingle. It seems to me that director and writer, Kevin Wiliamson, got confused as to which direction the film should go in. At times it's jaunty when the scene appears to call for menace, and at others just plain boring if the scene was meant to be actually funny (in that sarcastic, almost satirical way). The film could have worked at either being a comedy or a thriller, but the fusion of the two just doesn't work, and this failing has to fall at Williamson's door, it's as if Scream was all a fluke after all? The cast struggle with the meanderingly dull screenplay, only the stoic (and sexy) Helen Mirren salvaging any sort of dignity by realising early on that the core of the film calls for deft nastiness instead of outright villainy. Poor and practically unwatchable these days. 2/10

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