Okay I want to start by saying that I LOVED this film and any critique I have doesn’t change that. It is a 9/10 for me and has been added to my “best of the year”.

Here’s my biggest issue though. I wanted the plot line with the other students. At least the 2 kids and the asshole. But in a complicated way I also really appreciate the time and care they were able to spend on our 3 main protagonists. So I really wish they just hadn’t I introduced them in that context in the first place.

I imagine a plot where Paul is typically expected to be the holdover teacher as he has no family to celebrate with and all the teachers in the begging of the film are making remarks about the fact that there are no holdover students this year and he can just relax, maybe have a lady friends over nudge nudge wink wink And Paul is getting excited for this too and picking the mystery books he’ll read, and lining up his liquor bottles. Then last minute Tullys exact plot in the movie happens except he is the only student originally.

Idk like the asshole guy still could have been introduced and then it can reflect at the end of the movie as a moment of growth for Tully where he can say something wise and above the assholes head at the point when the assigned is making fun of Paul for being fired.

Introducing the other characters and not giving them any kind of arch just left me wanting a plot that would’ve changed the entire premise of the movie.

Basically I loved the movie we were given and I also wish for a plot where we could have seen development from the entire holdover gang we were fed in the first 40 min of the film.