Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)

Director:

Kevin Williamson

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Williamson (written by)

Release Date:

20 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

The story of one girl (Katie Holmes) who is willing to do anything to become Valedictorian; even if it means murdering the one person who stands in her way, Mrs. Tingle.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Valedictorian | Bed | Cheating | Irony

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Helen Mirren	...	Mrs. Eve Tingle
Katie Holmes	...	Leigh Ann Watson
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Coach 'Spanky' Wenchell
Barry Watson	...	Luke Churner
Marisa Coughlan	...	Jo Lynn Jordan
Liz Stauber	...	Trudie Tucker
Michael McKean	...	Principal Potter
Molly Ringwald	...	Miss Banks
Vivica A. Fox	...	Miss Gold
John Patrick White	...	Brian Berry
Robert Gant	...	Professor

Also Known As:

Killing Mrs. Tingle (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic content, violence, sexuality, language and some teen drinking.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Culver City High School - 4401 Elenda Street, Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Interscope Communications

Trivia:

After an incident similar to the Littleton school shooting occured in Germany too, the German release title was changed from 'Tötet Mrs. Tingle' (Kill Mrs. Tingle) to 'Rettet Mrs. Tingle' (Save Mrs. Tingle). However the German video release still shows 'Tötet Mrs. Tingle' on the box.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jo Lynn's hair changes color toward the end of the film from blonde to ginger and then back to blonde for the final scene in Mrs. Tingle's house.

Quotes:

Leigh Ann Watson: It's completely factual, she was burned at the stake.
Mrs. Tingle: Always the victim, aren't we, Ms. Watson?
Leigh Ann Watson: Well there are certain similarities between society today and seventeenth century Salem. I guess that would be the irony of it all.
Mrs. Tingle: Irony is the opposite of what is or might be expected. For example, if Ms. Watson was expecting an A on her history project, she might find the actual result to be rather ironic.

Movie Connections:

References "Dawson's Creek: Detention (#1.7)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

WONDERLAND

That's a big `F' on your report card, Kevin Williamson!

I heard this movie was bad…They even warned me it was terrible, but for some reason (probably Katie Holmes) I still watched it when it came on national TV. Watching Kevin Williamson films means torturing! His scenarios aren't funny, definitely not scary and not the least bit creative. Teaching Mrs. Tingle breathes the same irritating atmosphere as his brainless series `Dawson's Creek' and it's probably meant for the same target group as well. Before the credits even started, 5 people already wanted a hug and they stated that eerie `I love you'-sentence. It doesn't get any better as the soundtrack is filled with annoying pop/rock and the storyline is ultra-thin. Three students on the verge of graduation get caught cheating by the wickedest teacher in school. Every high-school has a teacher like that, you know… To save their skin, they try to convince Mrs. Tingle that it wasn't their intention to cheat but this attempt goes horrible wrong. The typical high-school humor is completely lost on me, the overdose of sentiment is pathetic and the acting (with the exception of Helen Mirren) is abominable. I'm sure Katie Holmes can act – that's a fact proven by her role in `the Gift' – but she urgently needs to stop accepting frumpish girl roles. As said before, the only positive comments goes out to the brilliant casting of Helen Mirren as the shrew. It's like Kathleen Turner in `Serial Mom'! The role suits her perfectly and you can't imagine anyone else playing her. Other than that, this is avoidable teenage nonsense.