DVD Review - Teaching Mrs. Tingle

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Site created 12/15/97.

review added: 1/10/00

Teaching Mrs. Tingle
1999 (1999) - Dimension (Buena Vista)

review by Todd Doogan of The Digital Bits

Film Rating: B-

Disc Ratings (Video/Extras): A/C-

Audio Ratings (DD/DTS): A/A

Specs and Features

95 mins, PG-13, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 enhanced, single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 48.19 in chapter 8), Amaray keep case packaging, theatrical trailer, film-themed menu screens, scene access (18 chapters), languages: English (DD & DTS 5.1), subtitles: English, Closed Captioned

Teaching Mrs. Tingle is not one of those teen slasher flicks we're all used to from Kevin Williamson, but he doesn't stray too far from his tried and true formula. The film is pretty straight forward -- Katie Holmes plays a super student, who gets caught looking like she might be cheating on a test to be given by ice queen teacher Mrs. Tingle (Helen Mirren). When Holmes and her two friends head over to Tingle's house to talk some sense into her, things get a bit out of their control. Head games ensue, where only one mind can win. Will it be Tingle or Holmes who wins the mental chess match?

Not as good as Scream, but better than I Know What You Did Last Summer... is where Teaching Mrs. Tingle finds itself. Helen Mirren helps give it a bit of credibility -- she's magic on screen and is worth watching this film for all by herself. But little Katie Holmes helps the cute factor out a little (at least for me). The rest of the cast is okay, but the 7th Heaven dude doesn't do much for me, and the blond chick overacts a little too much. The dialogue is obviously witty, and there are only a few forced film references that stand out. Still, it's an okay movie that should entertain the teen in all of us.

On disc, Tingle shines. It's a dual-layered DVD, boasting a 16x9 transfer and audio in both DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. Disney is starting to take DVD seriously, at least when it comes to presentation. The picture is fantastic with good blacks, strong colors and no real flaws anywhere. The sound is pretty good as well. The DD 5.1 is solid and active. A lot of the audio action takes place in the front of the soundstage, which makes me a bit surprised there's a DTS track here. But oh well... I'm not going to pooh-pooh the extra effort. Both tracks sound good enough to me. There are no real extras, which is a bit disappointing considering this is Williamson's baby. A commentary track would have been nice. But all you get is a trailer.

If you're a fan of these types of flicks, then check out Teaching Mrs. Tingle. If you're not, then it isn't going to bring you over.

Todd Doogan
todddoogan@thedigitalbits.com