My Old School

Released Jul 22, 2022

1h 44m

Documentary

Drama

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92%

99 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years would become the stuff of legend. Brandon had been privately tutored in Canada while he accompanied his mother, an opera diva, on tour before her tragic death. The preternaturally bright student surprised teachers by blazing toward his goal of entering medical school, displaying a wealth of knowledge beyond his years. Brandon found friends despite his initial awkwardness, taking bullied students under his wing, introducing classmates to seminal retro bands, and even starring in the school's production of South Pacific. But then his unbelievable secret was revealed. Filmmaker Jono McLeod returns to his old school for a nostalgic look at the strange but true story of his former classmate, Brandon Lee. Utilizing playful, period-specific animation, a pitch-perfect soundtrack, the memories of students and teachers, and the talents of Alan Cumming to bring the tale to life, My Old School offers more than one surprise along the way.

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Critics Consensus

My Old School's unique approach to an outlandish true story makes for entertaining -- and ultimately rather thought-provoking -- viewing.

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James P

I was vaguely familiar with elements of this story but I was unprepared for both the bizarre and shocking deceptions and also just how entertaining it was. The former pupils and teachers are the real stars, with at times their caustic anecdotes and at others, their forgetfulness and "did that really happen moments". The central character would put Walter Mitty to shame, although at the end of the production I couldn't help but feel real sympathy for him. A funny, crazy, outlandish but touching tale of human frailities.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/02/24

Full Review

Roger T

A reasonably interesting story with some good animations - some of the recollections by former pupils were entertaining but the whole thing went on and on and on and on. Fairly underwhelming on the whole.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

Tristan C

A fascinating and unbelievable story and well delivered albeit a little lengthly for my liking.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/01/23

Full Review

Greg R

This is an incredible story. Even more incredible are the kind hearts of those who had been had. See this.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/14/23

Full Review

John E

Perhaps I missed the point…but this 1:44 min movie had about 11 minutes of plot.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/15/23

Full Review

dave d

A fascinating film in which the focus of the feature documentary, Brandon Lee, refuses to appear on camera, but allows the filmmaker, Jono McLeod, to use audio interviews he took with his school mate for the film. Visually the film is captivating. There are several twists and turns and I knew nothing about this scandal from the 1990's in Scotland. The less you know about the story the better. McLeod in the third act does something very interesting. He questions the story and uncovers further details. More fascinating is McLeod does this with the talking heads he interviewed for the film. He uncovers footage from their High School days and this brings up an entire set of questions. There are time the film hunkers down on a branch and stays there a bit too long, but overall this is an immersive and thought-provoking movie! Final Score: 8.3/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Jono McLeod

Director

Alan Cumming

Actor

John Archer

Producer

Olivia Lichtenstein

Producer

Mark Thomas

Executive Producer

Berny McGurk

Film Editor

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My Old School: Trailer 1

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The film achieves a Rashomon-like complexity of viewpoint, although it’s a lot funnier than Kurosawa’s classic film. It’s partly the Scottish sense of humour, so rich in its understanding of human frailty.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 20, 2023

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

It’s a fascinating story that starts as an affable, strange-but-true tall tale but ends in a decidedly minor key.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

A labyrinthine network of self-deception, snobbery and megalomania as MacKinnon’s antiseptic arrogance creeps through...

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Serena Seghedoni

Loud and Clear Reviews

It’s in its thoughtful analysis of humanity’s hopes and fears that McLeod‘s documentary excels, using its “unimaginable” story to tackle universal struggles and anxieties.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 20, 2023

Full Review

Graeme Tuckett

Stuff.co.nz

McLeod reveals some astonishing discrepancies between how the former classmates collectively remember events -- and what actually happened.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 19, 2023

Full Review

Stephen A. Russell

ABC News (Australia)

Go in knowing as little as possible... absolutely trippy... go see!

Jan 19, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years would become the stuff of legend. Brandon had been privately tutored in Canada while he accompanied his mother, an opera diva, on tour before her tragic death. The preternaturally bright student surprised teachers by blazing toward his goal of entering medical school, displaying a wealth of knowledge beyond his years. Brandon found friends despite his initial awkwardness, taking bullied students under his wing, introducing classmates to seminal retro bands, and even starring in the school's production of South Pacific. But then his unbelievable secret was revealed. Filmmaker Jono McLeod returns to his old school for a nostalgic look at the strange but true story of his former classmate, Brandon Lee. Utilizing playful, period-specific animation, a pitch-perfect soundtrack, the memories of students and teachers, and the talents of Alan Cumming to bring the tale to life, My Old School offers more than one surprise along the way.

Director: Jono McLeod
Producer: Mark Thomas
Screenwriter: Jono McLeod
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Hopscotch Films
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 22, 2022, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $103.4K
Runtime: 1h 44m

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