Career Day with obstacles

It's supposed to be a big day at a Los Angeles school: all the parents will come to tell the kids about their careers. But today, of all days, a gardener lies dead in front of the school building. The principal (Allison Janney) is completely overwhelmed with the situation and tries to keep the discovery of the body a secret. But that's far from the only problem that could turn this day into absolute chaos. A just-fired father (Common) who might embarrass his daughter (Storm Reid) in front of her entire class, an unlucky boy in love, and a teacher with suicidal thoughts all ensure that this career day will be remembered by everyone involved for a long time.

Career Day with Obstacles is the directorial debut of actress Judy Greer, who has managed to attract an inherently great ensemble cast for the comedy. Even small supporting roles are top-notch with stars like Keanu Reeves. The script also marks the debut of an actor, in this case Gary Lundy, whose credits include the cult film Donnie Darko. His turbulent story is made up of numerous different plot threads that come together in a grand finale at the end. The individual stories are full of good ideas. But the execution is not really successful in the script itself, nor in the staging.

Greer's direction lacks any sense of comedic timing. Rather, she often just has her actors bouncing hysterically around the scenery. Alternatively, she relies entirely on the dialogue, which unfortunately isn't as witty or mature as Greer and Lundy must have intended. That's not to say there aren't some genuinely funny moments. But they are never followed up on consistently. Part of the reason for this is that the film can never decide whether it wants to be a deep black comedy, or more of a harmless comedy.

When Greer dares to be a little more evil and abysmal, the whole thing works quite well. But unfortunately, she keeps slamming on the brakes at the crucial moments, so the proceedings tend to plod along inconsequentially rather than offer any real biting laughs. Career Day with Obstacles is never really bad. But the movie just doesn't manage to grab the audience and entertain them well. And that's why there is here auhc only with very clear restrictions just so a worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp