The School for Good and Evil

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The School for Good and Evil

PG-13

2022

2h 29m

Drama

Action

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

38%

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66 Reviews

66%

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1,000+ Ratings

In the village of Gavaldon, two misfits and best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie), share the unlikeliest of bonds. Sophie, a lover of fairy tales, dreams of escaping her ordinary village life, while Agatha, with her grim aesthetic, has the makings of a real witch. Then one night under a blood red moon, a powerful force sweeps them away to the School for Good and Evil -- where the true story of every great fairy tale begins. Yet something is amiss from the start: Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, run by the glamourous and acid-tongued Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), and Agatha in the School for Good, overseen by the sunny and kind Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington). As if navigating classes with the offspring of Cinderella, Captain Hook, and the dashing son of King Arthur (Jamie Flatters) wasn't hard enough, according to the Schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne), only true love's kiss can change the rules and send the girls to their rightful school. But when a dark and dangerous figure (Kit Young) with mysterious ties to Sophie reemerges and threatens to destroy the school and the rulebook entirely -- the only way to a happy ending is to survive the fairytale first.

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Critics Consensus

The cast is game and the visuals are dazzling, but a deeply derivative narrative means The School for Good and Evil flunks on the storytelling front.

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Audience Says

The School for Good and Evil stumbles after a solid start -- and fans of the books may be annoyed by some changes -- but the star-studded cast will keep you watching.

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Amy Nicholson

FilmWeek (LAist)

The movie really is star-studded, but it has almost no momentum.

Oct 24, 2022

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

It’s too nakedly derivative and too crudely assembled (Feig is hardly a visual stylist). Yet the central conceit is consistently compelling...

Rated: 3/5

Oct 21, 2022

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

An exhaustingly long, overstuffed movie that probably would’ve worked better as a TV series.

Oct 21, 2022

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Olivia Truffant-Wong

Refinery29

In the end, The School for Good and Evil speaks to a modern audience’s desire for complexity, even in beloved fairy tales.

Feb 16, 2023

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Lindsay Press

Culturess

The movie lacks a severe amount of world-building, character development, and follow-through.

Nov 15, 2022

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Jack Bottomley

Starburst

An overlong and over-packed uneasy mash-up of Harry Potter's Wizarding World and The Descendants which starts off threatening to be nigh on unwatchable, never finds its groove enough to be magical, and in the end just emerges as a mess.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 14, 2022

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Sam M.

I read this entire book series. More like I devoured this book series. So when I saw there was a movie on Netflix. I turned it on with my little brother at around 11 PM at night, and boom! My night turned sour. All the acting was good. Especially Sophie and Agatha. They were how I imagined them. It felt like someone was given the vague plot of the first 3 books, and made a movie. Why in the name of the School Master did Soman Chainani do a cameo in this! They misunderstand almost every single concept (the ones that put in the movie) in the books. They misunderstand the Trial by Tale, and that’s one of the only things in the book they include. They ignore the biggest mystery of the first 3 books by just name dropping Rafal in the literal beginning of the movie! When in the books it took three, 400 page, full length books to get their names! Then at the end of the movie they dare to propose a second movie. Even the way they represent a 2nd movie is horribly diluted from the book. They imply Tedros is the one who wants Agatha back in the world of fairy tales instead of the opposite! I’m so mad at the direction of this movie the only good thing I can say about it is that I liked the character of Hort in this movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/25/25

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VITALII H

I love this movie. Watched it 2 times already and I gotta say that the industry needed this sort of movie. Not 10 because in my opinion they could've went even further with the visual effects because sometimes they felt a bit "cheap" but maybe that's just me... Soundtrack is very fitting. Loved everything about it but with the bigger budget it would be even better.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/25

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kaiz b

Terrible acting , I feel like even a bunch of students could act better than this. Way too corny and cheesy with just the most random jokes that aren’t needed . The only good thing about this film is the VFX other than that nothing is good

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/25

Full Review

D S

What can I say? It’s fun and had great acting. If you’re a millennial who enjoyed Sky High, give it a try, I’ve watched it several times and love it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/25

Full Review

Rachel C.

I know there is a lot of cheese to this movie but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is fun and entertaining. I always love movies with lots of fantasy. I really enjoy how it is narrated, the characters and the music.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/11/25

Full Review

Phisa K

Please make a season 2. I still remember the end of the movie said ( this is just a beginning).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/19/25

Full Review

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Paul Feig

Director

Sophia Anne Caruso

Sophie

Sofia Wylie

Agatha

Charlize Theron

Lady Lesso

Michelle Yeoh

Professor Anemone

Laurence Fishburne

School Master

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The School for Good and Evil: Trailer 2

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The School for Good and Evil: Trailer 1

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The School for Good and Evil: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

In the village of Gavaldon, two misfits and best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie), share the unlikeliest of bonds. Sophie, a lover of fairy tales, dreams of escaping her ordinary village life, while Agatha, with her grim aesthetic, has the makings of a real witch. Then one night under a blood red moon, a powerful force sweeps them away to the School for Good and Evil -- where the true story of every great fairy tale begins. Yet something is amiss from the start: Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, run by the glamourous and acid-tongued Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), and Agatha in the School for Good, overseen by the sunny and kind Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington). As if navigating classes with the offspring of Cinderella, Captain Hook, and the dashing son of King Arthur (Jamie Flatters) wasn't hard enough, according to the Schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne), only true love's kiss can change the rules and send the girls to their rightful school. But when a dark and dangerous figure (Kit Young) with mysterious ties to Sophie reemerges and threatens to destroy the school and the rulebook entirely -- the only way to a happy ending is to survive the fairytale first.

Director: Paul Feig
Producer: Paul Feig, Laura Allen Fischer, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Jane Startz
Screenwriter: David Magee, Soman Chainani
Production Co: Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, Feigco Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Roth Films, Jane Startz Productions, Netflix
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 19, 2022
Runtime: 2h 29m

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