Am I the only one who hated this movie?

sleepallday, you are NOT the only one.

I don't know that I HATED it, but it was really pretty boring and just...generic.

Of course Sidney Poitier is over-rated. Hearing people go on and on about him is SO old. I'm not saying he's not a good actor, but he's no Olivier. But he's good.

Also, the music and "dancing" in this movie is ATROCIOUS. That was the torturous part for me. I know it was filmed when that kind of "stomping ants" dancing, in or out of time with the music was "in", but still.

AND THAT THEME SONG...my gawd, did they have to play it FOUR TIMES? FOUR???? (At the beginning, in a montage, at the party at the end, then again over the end credits.) Talk about overkill. Makes me wonder if the movie was made just to sell the song...

I give the movie credit for actually filming on location in the london ghetto, and very slightly addressing some racial issues, but today it is woefully out of date to the point that "the point" is lost. The "issues" aren't issues anymore. Taking flowers to a black house? So what? So a girl burned a sanitary napkin in a fireplace, so we call them all sluts and demand that that DISGUSTING THING be removed. Uh, over-react much? Yes it's gross, but not any grosser than calling a classroom full of teenage girls sluts and disgusting pigs.

This film probably was very poignant the year it was released, but was woefully outdated just a few years later, as opposed to so many other movies from the era, like "Guess who's coming to dinner" to give Poitier some props.

But you do like Being There. I didn't see it since it was in the theatre. Maybe I should check it out again.

One must bear in mind, however, that To Sir With Love is about poor, tough white kids growing up in a poor and tough section of London, and going to a tough school. The fact that the girls burned a used sanitary napkin in the stove was a rather disgusting...and sad scene, and one can't blame the teacher for getting pissed off about that.

While To Sir With Love is an enjoyable movie, the idea of a young girl becoming so close to a teacher, regardless of who he or she is or what the teacher looks like, just doesn't sit well with me. But I understand what the title of this film and book means: The new teacher, who nobody really liked at first was a teacher that the kids grew fond of and respected, in the end, which is the message of this film, imho.

They were like ghetto kids. They weren't working class, they were inner city.

this movie is actually based on a true story. The book and movie are pretty close. In the book there's a 14 yr old girl who is pregnant and it can be one of several boys who live in the same tenement building. girl has NO idea as to who the daddy is. The girl is not one of *Sir's* students. This is not touched on in the film. and these kids, a lot of them did need somebody to straighten them out. sure, kids younger than them today behave far more badly. That doesnt mean it's a cool thing to be going on. And if the movie is bad, dont watch it. i know I dont watch movies i dont like. this is something, 20 minutes in, you should have an idea if you are going to like it, or not.
This movie is before my time, but i definitely see where these kids needed some guidance.

To this day, I still dance like that.

I was 17 when this movie came out, and thought it was a bit dated but not bad allowing for what the censors would tolerate in those days, and the book was even older, so yes, in that sense its dated, and probably not at all relevant to the times now.(certainly not, actually) but that doesn't matter, any more than it matters for any other older movie about older social problems. It was relevant when it was made, and so now is a picture of a slice of life from that time. Watch it as history and appreciate it. Maybe if there had been more Marc Thackerays we wouldn't have the problems we have today. Maybe, though it seems unlikely. As to the songs and the dancing, it was rebellion in those days. The title song was a huge hit both in the movie and as a released song, and made Lulu a smash success. And yes, I still like the movie a lot, and just watched it again last night.

Anyone that hates it is entitled to his or her opinion. I've always loved this movie and never miss an opportunity to watch it whenever it's on. I'm sure there are many people that entered the teaching profession as a result of watching this move. I think the point of the film is that young people need to be inspired and will respond positively to a teacher that helps them to understand mutual respect. It takes a unique and talented educator to accomplish this feat, especially with inner city children that get little or no direction/nurturing at home.