MY OLD SCHOOL

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Storyline (warning: spoilers)

One of those unbelievable true stories so wild it must be true, Jono McLeod’s entertaining documentary My Old School captures 30-year old Brian McKenna’s crazy journey where he was able to infiltrate his high school in Glasgow and attend under the guise of a 16-year old. That’s right: A 32 year old went back to high school 16-years later and nobody, not even his teachers who were still teaching when he was actually a teeanger, noticed.
Featuring testimonials from his former classmates who were duped into thinking McKenna, who used the pseudonym Brandon Lee (after the late “Crow” actor who was tragically killed on set), was their peer. In a weird twist on the usual “talking head” documentary technique, the real McKenna provides testimonial. However, he didn’t want his face to be seen and so the filmmakers enlisted Alan Cumming (at one point slated to play McKenna in the movie that never happened) to give a lip synch performance.
Despite some of the material not being as shocking or as revelatory as the filmmakers think it is, My Old School, which also intercuts several animated sequences into the film, is an often funny, endearing look at this man’s implausible journey. It could have pushed back harder at some of the questionable things he did or the fact no charges were brought forth, still, My Old School gets merit for bringing this story to vivid life on screen. A must-see.