Cory Finley’s “Bad Education” starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, one of the best films I saw at TIFF this year, has been struggling to find a buyer ever since its premiere last week. Most were blaming a volatile and unpredictable movie market dominated by franchises, especially after all those Sundance Box-Office duds happened this past summer. However, Finley’s film was finally bought today by HBO for an astounding $16.5million [via Deadline]. This officially makes it ineligible for Oscar contention since it will be premiering on television. A real shame if you ask me since Jackman gives the best performance of his career.
The film is based on the true story of a Long Island school superintendant (Jackman), his “assistant superintendent for business” (Janney) and the embezzlement scheme they concocted as they stole millions of dollars from school funds. All of this happened under the watch of a clueless school board.
Here’s a snippet from my review:
“Jackman and Janney are the perfect match to carry “Bad Education” forward, both delivering darkly comedic performances. In fact, this could very well be a career peak for Jackman, an Aussie actor who has had plenty of commercial hits in his career, but has not always had his talents taken seriously by critics. His Frank is a man who can be liable one second and repugnant the next. “