There are many flaws with this film. It is not gut busting funny, irrespective of what the couple behind me in the cinema thought. It is not even toilet flushing humour. It is simply not funny.<br /><br />It does not contain amazing, thought provoking insights into education, relationships or manipulation of the public and media.<br /><br />All it does contain is 6 basic characters / stereotypes. The nasty PE teacher whose methods affect children, the fat kid who has overcome Mr Woodcock's teaching to become good who has become famous, the widowed lonely mother who has found happiness in the arms of the bully, the nasty bitch who drinks and is abusive to all, the nice girl who stayed in the town and is a teacher herself and the loser, a loser at school and now a loser as an adult.<br /><br />This could have had the makings of a very funny, thought provoking story. By limiting it to a 12A, in the UK, Mr Woodcock is not the devil incarnate, but a "pussy with a whistle". If he had made the kids' lives really hell, and this shown on the screen, it could have been both very funny and yet at the same time a poignant reminder of the responsibility of educators to ensure the welfare of their students.<br /><br />The ending prevents any clear message or purpose in the film. If Mr Woodcock is such a horrendous teacher / person with a history of such abuse of power, how is it that the mother does not know? Surely in a small town in Nebraska, the local PE teacher, who is single, would surely attract attention. Kids talk all the time. If this mistreatment was occurring in every lesson, a teacher would have seen something, a pupil would have said something. Why did no parent see any bruising from the impact of the balls on their child's body? At the award ceremony for 'Educator of the year' numerous people stand up to sing the praises of this supposed monster. The fact that he is the best educator, despite his flawed approach suggests that every other teacher in the town is useless or the way to motivate students to achieve is to throw balls at them, or make them do pull ups in their underwear, or to stand on their backs whilst they perform press ups.<br /><br />In writing my report on Mr Woodcock, it would have to say that whilst potential was shown, the end result is a disappointing overall effort. Must do better!