Front of the Class
| Front of the Class | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Peter Werner |
| Produced by | Andrew Gottlieb |
| Written by | Thomas Rickman |
| Based on |
Front of the Class by Brad Cohen Lisa Wysocky |
| Starring |
Jimmy Wolk Treat Williams Patricia Heaton |
| Cinematography | Paul Elliott |
| Distributed by | Hallmark Hall of Fame |
|
Running time
|
95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Front of the Class is a 2008 American drama film based on the book by Brad Cohen, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, co-authored by Lisa Wysocky.
The book was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie starring newcomer James Wolk—a 2007 University of Michigan graduate—and featuring Treat Williams and Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton as Cohen's parents; the movie aired on CBS on December 7, 2008.
Brad Cohen's story starts when he is a young boy and his mother helps doctors to realize that he has Tourette syndrome. With his mother's help and the support of his school principal, Brad eventually becomes an award-winning teacher.
Thanks to his mother never giving up, Brad is a success story and shares his success with everyone around him.
Twelve-year-old Brad lives in Missouri with his divorcée mother, Ellen, and younger brother, Jeff. He constantly gets into trouble with his father Norman and his teachers at school due to his tics. In one class, his teacher calls him to the front to make him apologize to his class for disrupting the class and promise he won't do it again. Determined to find out what is wrong with her son, Ellen seeks medical help. A psychiatrist believes that Brad's tics are the result of his parents' divorce. One lady suggests an exorcism. Ellen takes her search to the library and comes across Tourette syndrome (TS) in a medical book. She shows this to the psychiatrist, who agrees with the diagnosis, and says that there is no cure. Brad and his mother attend a support group for the first and last time. From then on, Brad aspires to never be like the other members of the support group and to become successful.
At the beginning of middle school, Brad is sent to the principal's office for being disruptive. The principal invites him to the school concert later in the afternoon. At the end of the concert, he calls Brad up to the stage and asks Brad to talk about his TS. As Brad makes his way back to his seat, the school applauds him.
As an adult, Brad lives with his house mate Ron in Georgia, and is looking for work as an elementary school teacher. He is turned down after 24 interviews because of his TS. He finally gets an interview where the staff are accepting and they give him the job.
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