Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- witty
- breezy
- irreverent
- family movie night
- school holiday viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found the film amiable and visually colorful, with appealing young performances and accessible school humor, while noting its formulaic writing and implausible hijinks.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rafe's creativity and inner world are expressed through animation alongside the live-action school story.
Rafe organizes systematic rule-breaking against a school administration obsessed with control and conformity.
Critics specifically described the film's comedic world as a candy-colored facsimile of reality, balancing school pressures with buoyant humor.
Rafe and his friends navigate bullying, first crushes, overbearing adults, and the uncertainty of middle school.
Films like Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, and why
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
shared tween rebellion, school-rule satire, and breezy youth comedy
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
shared middle-school setting, imaginative mischief, and child-centered humor
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
shared school hijinks, anti-authoritarian prankster energy, and coming-of-age comedy
Max Keeble's Big Move
shared colorful family comedy, youthful rebellion, and exaggerated school authority figures
Movie Details
- Director
- Steve Carr
- Release Date
- 2016-10-07
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (469)
Cast
- Griffin Gluck
- Lauren Graham
- Alexa Nisenson
- Andy Daly
- Thomas Barbusca
- Rob Riggle
- Isabela Merced
- Retta
- Adam Pally
- Luke Hardeman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life about?
- A creative middle-school outsider turns systematic rule-breaking into a colorful revolt against an imagination-killing administration.
- What is Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.
- What did critics think of Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life?
- Critics generally found the film amiable and visually colorful, with appealing young performances and accessible school humor, while noting its formulaic writing and implausible hijinks.
- Which films are like Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life?
- Films with a similar feel include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Max Keeble's Big Move.
- How long is Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life?
- Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life?
- In United States, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life streams on fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
