Miss Stevens (2016) User Reviews

Wonderful Early Performance by Timothee Chalamet

[filmguyCI · 7/10 · 13 January 2018]

I caught this charming little indie on Netflix before I heard of Timothee Chalamet or had seen Call Me By Your Name. The plot revolves around a well meaning although slightly sad and lonely teacher, played by an excellent Lily Rabe, who takes three of her students to an out of town drama competition. One student, Billy (Timothee Chalamet), she is warned has emotional and behavioral issues.

From the drive to the festival to the rehearsals and social events leading up to the competition, the film is filled with both funny and poignant moments. Billy develops a crush on Miss Stevens and his charm and youthful energy draw her to him as well, something that both comforts and scares her..

What I loved about Timothee Chalamet's performance was that he was always in character, always reacting in ways that subtly show he has feelings for his teacher. He is a depressed kid with possible ADHD, but he feels deeply and the longing he has for his teacher is moving and palpable. When he performs his monologue from Death of A Salesman, it's clear he's channeled those repressed feelings into his performance. It also may be the best I've ever heard that monologue done. At that moment, a star was born both in the film and in real life.

Unique and surprisingly moving.

[synthprincess · 8/10 · 25 January 2018]

I really enjoyed Miss Stevens in a way I didn't think I would. The story was emotional, felt real and really drew me in. There were some moments especially in the first act that almost felt like something big was going to happen but it never did. But that just added to the feeling of honesty and reality that I love in this movie. All the acting is top notch especially from Timothée Chalamet. His performance is layered and touching and he is incredibly magnetic to watch. Check this movie out if you have 90 minutes to kill and have a Netflix account. You won't be disappointed.

A nice commentary on finding common ground with others

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 31 December 2022]

This is a comedy/drama that centers around a young female teacher who acts as a chaperone for 3 drama students en route to and during a state competition. On the way to the competition, it is painfully obvious to the audience that Margot (Lili Reinhart) and Sam (Anthony Quintal) like their teacher, but are unable to connect with her, whereas, conversely, Billy (Timothy Chalamet) reveals several common interests/characteristics.

Upon their arrival to the hotel, the audience is shown how awkward and socially reclusive the titular Miss Stevens (Lily Rabe) is. She engages in a few activities simply for the sake of doing something. She halfheartedly attempts to forge relationships with men, regardless of if they have anything in common. This led me to believe that Miss Stevens was anxious to do the same sort of things that other girls her age do, even if they aren't necessarily things she's actually committed to or enjoying. Sam and Margot are a little more open and blunt with their teacher, while Billy seems to truly take in the things she says.

I thought this was a nice commentary on how people can be very different from one another, and how sometimes you can find things in common with those you least expect. Over the course of just a few days, Billy and Miss Stevens create a strong sense of camaraderie and kinship. There were a few instances in which (I'll admit) I was preparing myself for the worst, but the relationship between teacher and student remained wholesome, with which I was pleased.

A simple, yet hard-hitting, story

[Dominik528 · 7/10 · 4 April 2018]

Based on how I loved Timothée Chalamet's performance in Call Me by Your Name, I decided to watch this as soon as I found it on Netflix. And here, he stars alongside actresses from American Horror Story (Lily Rabe) and Riverdale (Lili Reinhart). While Call Me by Your Name was touching, I don't know, something about Miss Stevens hit me even harder. Maybe it's because I've never necessarily experienced love and heartbreak like Elio Perlman did; I found myself feeling sorrier for Billy, because he's a young teen suffering from depression, and there's this scene - without giving much away - where he tells Stevens, who he's formed a bit of a connection with, how his medication just makes him feel numb, but has been feeling great for the whole weekend. I also happen to adore stories in which teachers bond with their students. This has pretty much cemented my love for indie films.

Also, I actually thought that Billy and Rachel were going to become romantically involved, and was ready to join in on the meme by saying: "Gee, Timothée! How come your mom lets you have two older partners?"

Strong Base, but Missed Opportunities!!

[horizonbts-206-628336 · 7/10 · 21 November 2017]

A decent movie that was easy to watch! Acting was over the top with Timothee Chalamet, who reminds me of a young Ezra Miller, who can flat out act even with a mediocre script such as this one! Chalamet hits it out of the ballpark on a nasty curve ball. The script felt like it had a strong base, but missed out on a lot of opportunities in areas it could have explored. All along it felt as though it was barely touching on some of the content such as Chalamet's character Billy who is off his depression drugs, the teacher played by Lily Rabe who had deep under lying problems and it just skirts along that edge, and even Anthony Quintal who plays Sam a student who is gay- who meets another gay student at the drama contest they and comes to Miss Stevens hotel room and has been rejected. Again lots and lots of huge missed opportunities!! I knows you can only fits so much into a movie, but still there was a lot left untouched and not explored. Simply put the excellent acting carries what was given to them, still this movie could have easily been much more than it was!!

It's Alright.

[colorthekid · 6/10 · 21 January 2019]

It's your typical pseudo feel-good/drama indie movie, but it has Timothée Chalamet in it.

I think it's underrated

[keshavptl · 7/10 · 2 October 2021]

This movie touched me the way not many movies have in a very long time. This movie is simple yet so deeply thoughtful and beautifully portrayed. I think I am gonna remember the movie and performances for long and long.

Arrived For Chalamet, Stayed For Rabe.

[osielescalante-59762 · 10/10 · 24 March 2018]

After watching Chalamet's impressive work in Call Me By Your Name, I watched Julia Hart's Miss Stevens and I got to say; I was not disappointed.

Chalamet once again shows range that of an actor beyond his years. His portrayal of a teenager with mental illness is perfect, with just enough maturity and youthful energy to the role. Timothée Chalamet understands what it means to be an actor, he slips away into the character of Billy, making Timothée's performance memorable.

Now, I watched Miss Stevens knowing nothing about Lily Rabe. I discovered her skill as an actress is perhaps just as excellent as Natalie Portman's or Amy Adams. She taps into this very realistic depiction of a young teacher that she depicts with such subtlety; she can break your heart, rebuild it and do it all over again. I frankly find it hard to believe Rabe isn't up with the great actresses of today!

Overall, Miss Stevens is not a masterpiece, but it's performances make it sure seem like it. This is the kind of movie you can watch and always be surprised. I can't wait to see more of Chalamet and Rabe.

So why not Ms?

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 August 2018]

This film is a real sleeper and I can see it's gotten renewed attention because of Timothee Chalamet and his Oscar nominated performance in a later film Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet is real good here, but so are Anthony Quintal and Lili Reinhardt the two other students being driven to a drama competition. And so is Lily Rabe playing the English teacher who chaperones and drives them to the competition.

These kids have a lot of growing up to do. But for Chalamet it's a real problem. He's taking behavioral medication but he feels it robs of his creative urge. His piece at the drama competition is a recitation of a monolog from Death Of A Salesman from the Biff character. It's the highlight of the film. I can sure see Timothee Chalamet doing the part on stage.

Lily Rabe is facing some issues herself and her's is also a performance to be noted and remembered.

I'm glad this film is getting renewed critical attention and acclaim.

A bit lacklustre but Lili Reinhart and Timothee Chalamet both shone.

[rcoakley · 5/10 · 23 March 2020]

I really wanted to like this but it just didn't do it for me. I did love Lili Reinhart's character and thought she was perfect for the part.

Deeper than you'd expect

[kennedyjason-46935 · 9/10 · 2 January 2018]

Another hidden gem. Deep and meaningful motifs that resonate with viewers. The story gives you a glimpse into a optimistic yet accurate outlook on how life could be if we as a people weren't afraid to make risky decisions and were brave enough to trust ourselves and others to let help with problems or obstacles you may not be able to fix alone.

The movie is funny, has a lot of charm and a lot of heart. Driven by great acting performances by the leads including an exceptional outing by a star in the making Timothee Chalamet.

take care pretty Lillies

[andrewcl-31356 · 6/10 · 5 October 2021]

Miss Stevens is Lily Rabe, a youngish single HS english/drama teacher who struggles to stay professional on an acting competition road trip with three students including Timothee Chalomet, who needs antidepressive meds, and the atmosphere brings things out in the leads. Also Lili Reinhart, sane and on point; and other stereotypicals.

A little to relate to...

[hjt15 · 5/10 · 2 February 2017]

Miss Stevens is a mediocre movie with some nice moments but has an air of itchiness about it. What I mean by that is that it doesn't stand alone as a narrative. You are always waiting for something to happen. Itching for something scandalous. Lily Rabe manages to hold a very controlled and uptight character throughout and you can feel her internal struggles as she navigates the reality that she's responsible for these 3 kids she's chaperoning. I resonate with that moment where you realise you're an adult but you just don't feel it. But sadly it just wasn't quite enough for me. Just too bland and the performance weren't quite strong enough to make them believable. Watchable but not memorable.

It's not about the relationship about the teacher and her students.

[haranatsutsmdiaa · 6/10 · 21 November 2019]

It's not a romantic movie. It's not about the love between a teacher and a student. It's about the relationship between a human and a human. But it's not that easy because one human is a teacher and another human is a student. There are rules.

I remember timothée said after he stopped taking medicine, he was sad but also he felt alive. When he was taking the medicine, he was not sad but it's not enough to live in this real world. I feel like this line says we need to be patient if you want to feel alive which means if you want to archive something.

The monologue by Timothée is outstanding. His acting is extremely good, amazing.

YES, I'm big fun of Timothée so I saw it but I really think he is soooo brilliant.

wanted LMS

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 17 May 2020]

High school teacher Rachel Stevens (Lily Rabe) chaperones three of her students to a drama competition on a weekend road trip. Margot Jensen (Lili Reinhart) is the organizer. Sam (Anthony Quintal) is the gay one. Billy Mitman (Timothée Chalamet) is the troubled student. While at the convention, Miss Stevens has a fling with a married teacher and the kids have various emotional dramas.

When the kids say that they didn't know her, the movie seems set up to be a quirky sincere road trip. The ticking clock would be making it in time to the competition. The four characters needed to stay together for as long as possible. I wanted Little Miss Sunshine. This has all the scenes but the problem is that the characters aren't forced to stay together. Once they scatter, the intensity of their journey fades a little. Chalamet and Rabe have some great scenes together. Reinhart almost has a great scene with her. Quintal basically disappears. This could be better. In addition, I do have a minor question about the test. Why is Miss Stevens so far away? It probably has something to do with that first question but it doesn't make sense that the teacher isn't the one administering the test.

Could have been better

[gsalovespandas · 6/10 · 9 April 2018]

Honestly this movie really let me down and was quite slow moving at times, aside from the billy scenes. But thank you timothee chalamet. A king. Really amazing job on this one, inspirational as always.

Miss Stevens

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 6/10 · 4 June 2021]

5/10 - between Lily Rabe, Lili Reinhart, and Timothée Chalamet all starring I thought this would be a new favorite, but the story was quite dull and had a pretty inconclusive ending.

Miss Stevens: Nice to watch and easy to like.

[niutta-enrico · 10/10 · 8 November 2016]

A quality movie, nice to watch and easy to like. An amazing story about love, life and commitment.

Julia Hart, who wrote (together with Jordan Horowitz, her husband) and directed it, created a deeper and more convincing female character (Miss Stevens) than any male Author could ever do. And the talented Lily Rabe played it with infinite art.

Such craftsmanship couldn't go unnoticed. And it hasn't: Lily Rabe already won South by Southwest Special Jury Recognition for Best Actress. And Julia Hart got a nomination for Grand Jury Award - Narrative Feature, at the same conference.

A mention to 'America' (the Band): the movie would not have been the same without their 'Sister Golden Hair, 1975'

Well acted, but lacking a solid story...

[bk753 · 6/10 · 14 February 2024]

I love Lily Rabe, and really wanted to like this. And it's not a "bad" movie... it's just a movie about nothing much at all. A teacher takes three kids to a weekend drama competition... things happen, nothing major, and then they go home. If there's anything unusual in this "coming of age" film, it's potentially that the person who comes of age here isn't one of the teens, but their 29 year old teacher. Yet, even her realization and "growth" is subtle and underwhelming.

Timothee Chalamet does a nice job as a gifted young thespian with emotional issues and a crush on his teacher. His "take my meds and feel numb or stop taking them and feel alive" dilemma is a subplot that we've seen before, and it's barely explored here. And while I'm thankful that the movie didn't stray into a dangerous teacher-student place (I was worried for a sec), I was disappointed in all the non-places it didn't go and could have.

In the end, we're left with a sweet little non-story about a mostly uneventful weekend field trip. There's nothing not to like, but also nothing of note happening here. Impossible to hate this little film, but also not enough there to really recommend.

Two days is too short

[johnjamesdavidson · 5/10 · 5 December 2021]

I must confess to being a wee road movie junkie, because of their escape from the three act formula and slightly more free-wheeling approach (Lousy puns intended).

For an indie directorial debut, Miss Stevens' casting certainly punches about its' weight. I'm just not sure that it has a story to tell. Miss Stevens does a good job of effortlessly establishing imperfect, yet likeable characters and their individual "issues". As essentially a road movie, that is a good start. It's just that after a solid start things, well.... stall (no more puns).

Lily Rabe convinces us that Miss Stevens is a good sort of person, struggling to move away from the shadow of her childhood lost and private grief. She is clearly good at what she does, inspires some despite her imperfections. I'm just unconvinced that her perspective or circumstances are changed by the credits.

There is definite tension and intimacy between Miss Stevens and the supporting cast. Anthony Quintal's Sam is perhaps an exception, portraying a fairly sane and sorted type, perhaps ironically in light of the YouTuber's recent history.

The script gave Lili Reinhart very little to work with as Margot, yet despite this and Margot's thoroughly dislikable traits, Reinhart delivers a surprising anti-hero performance. Of all the characters, it's her's that finds some meaning from this journey.

Timothee Chalamet strongly delivers on Bill's manic episodes after he stops his bipolar meds. However his feelingless medicated stage lacks depth and doesn't really work. Chalamet is excellent when portraying inner feelings, but the challenge of playing "blah" seems to have beaten him.

Overall I felt that the script was more of a diary entry than something which significantly impacted the characters lives. I'd have enjoyed it more if greater creative emphasis had been placed on the impact of these events, rather than simply the chronology of them. Even leaving behind one's disbelief, two days is too short for those impacts to happen and be digested. It's not a bad movie, but I left feeling rather unsatisfied.

Unexpected Original Plot with Wonderful Acting

[chron · 8/10 · 10 November 2020]

There is so much that must come together to create a special movie. The acting, the plot, direction, editing and that intangible something extra.

This movie scores high on all of those. The plot is not formulaic. It doesn't always take the viewer where they expect to go. I appreciate that so much. While it is fundamentally a character study of Miss Stevens, there is a multi-layered plot that intertwines many, smaller, but all deep, and enjoyable subplots.

Timothee Chalamet once again proves why he is one of the best actors of his generation. He is extraordinary. Lily Rabe is wonderful in this as well. I've always enjoyed her work, typically as a supporting actor, but seeing her in a lead performance reinforces my belief that she is underrated. She is a great actor.

Some elements of the plot may be uncomfortable, but that's what makes for good art.

I highly recommend this movie.

Yawn...

[Ladiloque · 4/10 · 3 May 2021]

N-hundredth installment of the genre "teacher & students dramedy" neither poignant, nor funny, nor sufficiently thought provoking.

Everything already seen (unless you're watching it for specific actors...): whatever you're looking for there's way better elsewhere.

Chalamet just giving us a glimpse at how talented he really is!

[chris_robbo_23 · 9/10 · 11 September 2018]

This movie caught me off guard and I stumbled across it on Netflix last night. I must have a hundred movies in my watch list on IMDB but for some reason I gave this a chance. I'm glad I did as it didn't disappoint.

A very simple storyline with very strong acting holding the whole movie up. Basically the English teacher takes 3 students to a state Drama competition for the weekend. Chalamets character is a concern due to the medication he takes so Miss Stevens has to keep a closer eye on him.

This is the first time I've seen Lily Rabe acting and she did a stellar job with the role!

I honestly can't say enough positives about Timothee Chalamet, he is showing potential to be the greatest actor of this generation. I honestly think he will win multiple Oscar's in the future. It's exciting to see someone master the craft at such a young age. His performance in this movie is exceptional.

This movie is only 1 hour and 25 minutes, so just watch it and I know you won't be disappointed.

Miss Boring

[myronlearn · 3/10 · 28 May 2023]

This slow moving, Cali-setting film moves at a snail's pace. There's very little here to remember despite the appearance of the very talented, Timothee Chamalet in one of his earliest and most forgettable roles. One thing I found strange was the writing. Julia Hart (also it's mediocre director) and Jordan Horowitz crafted the screenplay. We have an almost entire NYC cast and for reasons that, in my opinion, defy human logic, they set this movie in Cali. Venue has a great deal to do with a film, this one in particular. It should have had a NYC background, again given the origins of the main cast. Chalamet and Lily Rabe give 'Miss Stevens' their best shot but despite their efforts, 'Miss Stevens' is a 'miss'.

A successful film in telling a brief two day story of just growing up and living life!

[cekadah · 10/10 · 23 October 2016]

As the synopsis states this movie is about a teacher who chaperons a group of three high school students to a state drama competition. That's just the opening page, so much more happens during these two days the four characters are with each other.

An adult and three teens experience a walk through their own personal drama while participating in a drama competition. The English teacher Miss Stevens (Lily Rabe) is dealing with the recent death of her mother and her feeling of loneliness, Billy (Timothée Chalamet) is dealing with his personal depression and the meds he is forced to take, Margot (Lili Reinhart) is discovering her real call in life through her attempt at acting, and Sam (Anthony Quintal) is looking to find love and fun.

The main focus of the story is of course is Miss Stevens as she strives to handle her own private life while trying to bring direction and focus to her students. The problem is direction and focus is minimal in her own life. Billy obviously has a crush on her and it's left unclear if Miss Stevens actually realizes this but she opens her soul to him. Billy misinterprets this into thinking she's interested in him. Billy has stopped his meds. Margot learns her talent, by failing at acting, that she is great at organizing as she is the only one that was able to get the school to fund the trip. The wild card is Sam because he knows who he is and just wants to find that special friend.

At movies end everyone returns to the school and is met by their family. Each student has had a real learning and personal growth experience. We see Miss Stevens standing alone by her automobile watching them leave - just what did her experience with these students meant to her and has it actually changed anything in her life?