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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Khaztiel Delbod D

Al final termine encantando con esta historia, no le tenia expectativas pero termina gustando.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/19/25

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Cassondra L

I haven't read the books yet, but watching this movie makes me want to read them! I really enjoyed it as something just to watch, it's nice to have on while doing homework, since you can get the gist of the movie without paying too close of attention. Really hoping for a 2nd movie, but will go read the books while I wait! :D

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/17/25

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Hayden G

Despite all the backlash I am seeing, I believe this was a great movie! It has an amazing message of how nothing is ever truly black and white in the world! It’s a story of friendship sticking and holding together through the storm! I was in love with this book series when I was in middle school! When I realized there had been a movie adaptation, I was ecstatic! And though I agree that the movie lacks details and insights from the book, it still was an amazing watch for me! I hope there will be a second movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/12/25

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Michael C

Rubbish rip-off of Harry Potter and aspects of other much better earlier movies. Unimaginative, dull, not recommended.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/05/25

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Hex x

Very good movie, I'm impressed honestly by how a lot of it took after the books, you don't usually see that with book adaptations. Overall I think it did a great job getting the story across. Though it was a bit rushed, which is fair as the first book is almost 600 pages long!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/30/25

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Mia B

The film is so horribly embarrassing. The way Sofie is acting, is horrible.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/12/25

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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