John Merrow

Articles

Waiting for Superman a "Mishmash of Contradictions"

Waiting for Superman is a mishmash of contradictions and unsupportable generalizations-even half-truths. Still, I urge you to see it.


There’s much to admire about Waiting for Superman, Davis Guggenheim’s new film about public education. He and his colleagues know how to tell a story, the graphics are sensational, and some of the characters—notably Geoff Canada—just jump off the screen. I hope it does well at the box office, because that would demonstrate that a significant number of us care enough about education to spend a few bucks to see a documentary about it.

That said, the film strikes me as a mishmash of contradictions and unsupportable generalizations—even half-truths. And while it may make for a box office splash, its message is oversimplified to the point of being insulting.

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