A Real Job

Benjamin is a doctoral student who has lost his scholarship and, under pressure from his parents and needing money, takes a job as a substitute teacher at a middle school. He has no training and no classroom experience, and the public school system he enters is struggling. The work turns out to be far harder than he expected, but his committed colleagues give him a new perspective on the profession.

A Real Job is a French comedy-drama written and directed by Thomas Lilti, released in 2023 and running 100 minutes. It follows his earlier features Hippocrates (2014) and The Freshmen (2018), and precedes Secondes chances (2027). Vincent Lacoste plays Benjamin, with François Cluzet, Louise Bourgoin, Adèle Exarchopoulos, William Lebghil and Lucie Zhang among the main cast, part of a credited ensemble of 21 performers. The film was produced by Emmanuel Barraux and Agnès Vallée, with backing from Canal+, Ciné+, France 2 Cinéma and the CNC.

The production had a budget of about 8 million USD and took roughly 3 million USD at the worldwide box office. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.6/10 from around 2,200 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.3/10 from about 282 votes.