It's been awhile since I've been able to talk about a movie. Advanced screenings in my area are usually in San Francisco (aka 45-60 minutes away from home) and usually during the work week. But! I was able to attend a virtual screening of Netflix's new movie The School for Good and Evil recently and am excited to tell you all about it!
(I'm not gonna lie though. I definitely signed up for this screening because I saw that Michelle Yeoh was a part of the cast and, in my eyes, she can do no wrong.)
This film is based on the novel of the same name by Soman Chainani (which has officially been added to my TBR list, naturally). The story follows Sophie, who was told by her mother at a young age that she was destined to change the world, and her best friend Agatha, who is taunted, teased, and called a witch by everyone in their town of Gavaldon.
One day, Sophie and Agatha are told a story about the School for Good and Evil and Sophie makes a wish to be taken away from her boring life in Gavaldon. The wish comes trues - with a twist. Both girls are swooped up to be brought to the school; however, the girls are surprised when Agatha gets dropped in the School for Good while Sophie gets dropped in the School for Evil.
As the movie progresses, we see each girl exhibit traits that show that a mistake was not made. They were, in fact, dropped in the correct schools. Of course there is also a handsome prince (the son of Prince Charming in fact), the girls are treated as outcasts, and everything is not as it seems.
Now, I never read the book so I don't know if the casting is true to the book. However, something about the Black girl being the one called a witch rubbed me the wrong way. It turned me off to the movie right from the start, but I continued watching and I'm not sorry that I did.
A lot of the story and character development felt predictable, but I never felt bored while watching. Sophie annoyed the living crap out of me, but I think she was meant to (or at least I really hope so). There was actually a point while I was watching and Sophie's reaction to what was happening made me literally say, "That's some white people shit, Sophie." I'm not sure I've ever uttered that sentence before in my life, but it was really the only way I could express what I was feeling at that moment.
There was a little bit of a twist at the climax that I both did and didn't expect somehow. I wasn't expecting it to happen, but I also wasn't surprised when it did happen. Something about that makes me happy. At the end of the day, this movie is about the power of friendship and understanding the different parts of yourself. It is also a good reminder that love can come in many forms and has a power that can overcome many things.
Will it be winning any awards? I don't think so.
But was it a fun little escape from the world? Yeah, it was okay.
The School for Good and Evil is available to stream now on Netflix.
