Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life – A Hilariously Relatable Adventure
Who doesn’t have mixed feelings about their middle school experience? It’s a time of transition and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, based on the novel by James Patterson and Chris Tebbets will bring back memories and hysterics. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Ryan R. comments, “Many people can relate to hating school at some point in their life and that is what makes this movie so relatable. I love the animations, because they are child friendly and are very well drawn. It shows that it’s okay for you to have and use your imagination and be creative.” Mia A. adds, “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is the best movie I have seen for middle school kids in a long time! It is fun and creative, and I absolutely enjoyed it.” See their full reviews below.Reviewed by Ryan R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
I absolutely enjoyed watching this movie because I could relate to the characters. Also the humor is great and the cast is superb. Meet Rafe (Griffin Gluck) who is entering another middle school, due to his behavior. Rafe attends his new school, but there is too many rules and Rafe doesn’t like rules. So Rafe and his best friend Leo (Thomas Barbusca) decide to break every rule in the school. Rafe does this because the principal doesn’t promote creativity and destroys his notebook which is filled with all his drawings.
Many people can relate to hating school at some point in their life and that is what makes this movie so relatable. I love the animations, because they are child friendly and are very well drawn. It shows that it’s okay for you to have and use your imagination and be creative. Additionally, the performances of Griffin Gluck, Thomas Barbusca, Isabela Moner, Alexa Nisenson and the entire cast is fantastic. You can tell that the actors took it seriously and when they portrayed their emotions, it doesn’t seem fake. It feels very real. The soundtrack is perfect. It gives the right tone and energy for the scenes. I love this movie so much there is nothing I didn’t like about it.
This is Alexa Nisenson’s first featured film and she gives an amazing performance as Georgia, making me laugh many 
times. Also, she makes you feel her emotions throughout the movie. The humor in this movie is great. I love the pranks Rafe uses to break the school rules which are created by the mean principal. My favorite scene is when Rafe puts post-it notes all over the school because I love how he created artwork with the post-it notes.
This movie is a must see, and I think that most kids will love this movie as well including the adults. I recommend it to kids ages 6 to 18. I give this movie 5 out of 5 amazing stars. I recommend it to people who like adventure, family, comedy and book-based movies. Be aware that this movie contains some mild language and kids under the age of 6 might not understand what is going on. Also, there are a few emotional scenes, so bring your tissues. Make sure to see this film when it opens October 7, 2016 in theaters nationwide.
Middle School: the Worst Years of my Life
By Mia A, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life is the best movie I have seen for middle school kids in a long time! It is fun and creative, and I absolutely enjoyed it.
This movie is based on the book by the same name, about a kid named Rafe (Griffin Gluck) who is in middle school. He is 
one of those troubled kids, although we really like him. He has been expelled from many schools and this is the last school he can get into. His school is very strict and he doesn’t like it at all, so he decides a plan to try to get back at the principal for making all these horrible rules.
My favorite character is Rafe, the main character, because he is hilarious! Rafe is very creative and shows a lot of emotions. His little sister Georgia (Alexa Nisenson) is very funny and sassy. There is one scene where Georgia cries and she almost made me cry. It is so realistic! Lauren Graham from The Gilmore Girls plays the loving mom. The other adults are more like human cartoons. Their behaviors are stereotypical and over the top silly.
The music really sets the tone of the movie and gets the audience involved. I enjoyed the music a lot because it includes some of the most popular songs today. It got me more into the movie and 
made me think it was a real middle school that other kids attended.
I think the animation is incredible! It looks very much like a drawing from a very artistic person and it gives your brain something to think about. The animated creatures are funny and creative and they feel like they are Rafe’s friends. The animation helps us explore more of Rafe’s imagination as the characters come to life. I really like how the characters are very detailed, colorful and look like they are hand sketched, making you think Rafe actually drew them.
The audience was very into this movie and were on the edge of their seats. The plot is very unexpected. The audience seemed to really connect to all the characters, especially one of the main teachers, Mr. Teller (Adam Pally). He is very relatable and seems like a great teacher that a lot of kids would want to have as their own teacher.
My favorite scene is when Rafe puts sticky notes all over the whole school. It’s very creative and funny. I loved the artwork of the vice principal’s face in sticky notes. The use of color and design to the sticky notes is very creative.
I recommend this film for ages 8 to 15 rate it 5 out of 5 stars. It opens October 7, 2016 so go see it at your local theater. Your kids are going to love it!
