Charm School

Adela León is eighteen, rebellious and covered in tattoos and piercings, with an arrest for misconduct already on her record. Her father is preparing a run for mayor of Mexico City, and he fears her behaviour will damage his campaign. His solution is to enrol her at an academy for young ladies run by Maca Ribera, a headmistress who claims her method can turn even the most difficult girl into a proper lady. Adela has no intention of cooperating, and every attempt to reform her throws the school and its students into disarray.

Charm School is a 2007 Mexican comedy directed by Fernando Sariñana, who had previously made Love Hurts and Dark Cities, and who also produced. It is the third of four features he directed, ahead of Erotica: Moonlight the following year. The screenplay is by Issa López. Martha Higareda plays Adela opposite Blanca Guerra as Maca Ribera, with Camila Sodi, María Aura, Alejandra Adame and Ximena Sariñana as Adela's classmates. At 102 minutes, it stays within the bounds of a brisk ensemble comedy.

The film's reception splits sharply by audience. On IMDb it holds 5.3 out of 10 from around 2,400 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7 out of 10 from roughly 153 votes. The smaller, more self-selecting TMDB group rates it considerably higher than the larger IMDb sample, suggesting the film plays best to viewers already drawn to Mexican teen comedy.