''Front of the Class'' is a 2008 American

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...

film directed by Peter Werner that is based on the 2005 book ''Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had'' by Brad Cohen and co-authored by Lisa Wysocky, which tells of Cohen's life with

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...

and how it inspired him to teach other students. The book was made into a ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'' TV movie starring newcomer James Wolk—a 2007

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

graduate—and featuring

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

and

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning actress

Patricia Heaton Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1989–1991) and later appearing in the comedy film ...

as Cohen's parents; the movie aired on CBS on December 7, 2008.

Plot

Twelve-year-old Brad Cohen lives in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

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

tic A tic is a sudden and repetitive motor movement or vocalization that is not rhythmic and involves discrete muscle groups. Tics are typically brief and may resemble a normal behavioral characteristic or gesture. Tics can be invisible to the obs ...

s. 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. Ellen takes her search to the library and comes across Tourette syndrome 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 soon attended a support group. 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, which Brad's Tourette's tics had disturbed, he calls Brad up to the stage and asks Brad to talk about his condition. As Brad makes his way back to his seat, the school applauds him. From that moment on, Brad aspires to become a teacher, just like the principal. As an adult, Brad lives with his roommate Ron in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and is looking for work as an elementary school teacher. He is turned down after 24 interviews because of his Tourette syndrome and finally gets an interview where the staff is accepting and they give him the job. On his first day, Brad explains the syndrome to his students. He helps a boy with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

and OCD, Thomas, with reading and makes an impression on Heather, a girl with terminal cancer. Another student's father pulls her out of Brad's class as he fears Brad will distract her. When the little girl tries to sneak into Brad's class again, he expresses his gratefulness but doesn't oppose the girl's father's wishes and reminds her that her father is doing what he thinks is best for her. Brad meets a woman named Nancy Keene on an online dating site. After dating her for some time, he invites her over for

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

back at Ellen's house, where he tells Nancy he loves her, and the feeling is reciprocated. He confides in Ellen his concern that Nancy will get fed up with his tics, but she reassures him that he must not let his condition get in the way. An observer at the school assesses Brad's teaching, and the head teacher announces that Brad has been chosen to receive the Teacher of the Year award, which he accepts in front of his family, friends, and students. A textual epilogue reveals that Brad got his master's degree, dressed up as the Atlanta Braves' mascot, and married Nancy in 2006.

Cast

* James Wolk as Brad Cohen ** Dominic Scott Kay as young Brad Cohen *

as Norman Cohen; Brad's father *

as Ellen Cohen; Brad's mother * Johnny Pacar as Jeff Cohen; Brad's younger brother * Charles Henry Wyson as young Jeff Cohen *

Sarah Drew Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980) is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series ''Everwood'' (2004–2006) and April Kepner, Dr. April Kepner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama se ...

as Nancy Keene; Brad's girlfriend. Based on Cohen's real life wife Nancy Lazarus * Charlie Finn as Ron; Brad's roommate * Kathleen York as Diane Cohen; Brad's stepmother and Norman's second wife * Joe Chrest as Jim Ovbey * Mike Pniewski as Principal Myer * Katherine Shepler as Heather; one of Brad's students who dies of cancer * Zack Miller as Thomas; a trouble student in Brad's class * Anna Rappaport as Amanda; a former student's of Brad's whose father takes her out of his class because of his Tourette's * Ashley Young as student #3; one of Brad’s students who is friends with Heather

Production

The script was adapted from the book by Brad Cohen, and the movie was directed by Peter Werner. Production was in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. Following his 2006 appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', in 2007 Cohen spoke at a conference after Timothy Shriver of the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

. According to Shriver, "The audience 'was laughing, then crying, then laughing, then crying, then cheering, and at the end, they gave him a huge standing ovation.'" Shriver suggested the movie to Cohen and became the executive producer one year later. To portray Cohen's tics accurately, Wolk and Kay viewed videotapes and worked with a dialect coach, describing their preparation as a "Tourette's boot camp". Cohen said the portrayal of his tics is "very, very authentic". Heaton, the mother of four children, was attracted to the script because she related to the strong mother: "Finally, she went to the library herself—as mothers will do to fight to the end for their kids and find out what's wrong—and realized he had Tourettes," Heaton explained. Although tics steadily decline for most children as they pass through adolescence, Cohen still has frequent and loud vocal tics and barking. He joked: "I'm hoping I don't get kicked out of my own movie."

Release

The movie was released on DVD in January 2009. A signed copy by author Brad Cohen was also released on DVD.

Reception

Cohen was concerned that the movie should stay truthful and avoid sensationalizing Tourette syndrome. He was pleased with the overall result, although he noted some dates in his life were sped up for effect (for example, the date of his wedding).

References

External links

*
Brad Cohen Official Website
{{Peter Werner 2008 television films 2008 films Films based on non-fiction books American biographical films CBS films Films about educators Films about Tourette syndrome Films about disability in the United States Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Films directed by Peter Werner 2000s English-language films 2000s American films