This was a great film until the somewhat bizarre ending.
Dr. Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) is the superintendent of Roslyn High School on Long Island which is ranked fourth out of all the public high schools in the country, which is super great but he's determined to be number by building this SkyWay, a multimillion dollar project which will connect both ends of the building together. However, the project isn't all what it seems as student journalist, Rachel (Geraldine Viswanathan) uncovers a bunch of lies and deceits, fraud runs rampant. First, business manager, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) is forced to resign but the problems runs far deeper. Rachel's the fearless one, though the board tries to get them to press charges but Frank won't as that would ruin the district's reputation so no charges are pressed until the deception is uncovered as there are plenty of fake companies who've been taking money from the school for years. Needless to say, the public's trust in their school district is ruined and several people are jailed, as they should be, yet, thanks to a loophole, Frank still receives a hefty pension despite all of his wrongdoings.
Fortunately, the acting is superb and the screenwriting is tight except for the odd ending when Frank's wildest fantasy comes true, only it doesn't but at least it makes national headlines. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The important side plot involves Frank cheating on his long-term domestic partner with one of his former students and his long-term partner has been part of Frank's crazy schemes.
-Also pay attention to the scene-stealing Annaleigh Ashford as the naïve niece of Pam who also unwittingly falls into the scheme of fraud.
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