Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Rafe Khatchadorian is a shy teenager who spends his time drawing in his sketchbook, escaping into an imagination far livelier than his everyday life. He also has trouble with anyone telling him what to do. Both traits collide when he starts at a middle school run by Principal Dwight, a strict administrator whose code of conduct bans just about anything enjoyable, and Rafe's drawings end up confiscated and destroyed. With his friend Leo, Rafe decides to strike back by breaking every rule in the school handbook, setting off a running contest with Dwight that spills over into his home life, where his mother's boyfriend is another authority he struggles with.

Steve Carr directed the film, the eighth of the ten features listed for him, arriving between Movie 43 and Freaky Friday. The screenplay is credited to Hubbel Palmer, Chris Bowman and Kara Holden, and the story comes from James Patterson's series of novels. Griffin Gluck leads as Rafe, with Lauren Graham as his mother Jules, Andy Daly as Principal Dwight, Rob Riggle as Bear, and Thomas Barbusca as Leo. Thirty cast members and 282 crew are credited.

Made by Lionsgate, Participant and CBS Films, the film was released in October 2016 and runs 92 minutes. Against a budget of roughly 9 million dollars, it took in about 23 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.1 from around 11,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.9 from roughly 467 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 5.7 from 43 reviews.