Over the years it's been good to see that Christina Ricci has not only stayed in control of herself but has stuck to good roles. Her appearances in movies like "The Ice Storm", "The Opposite of Sex" and "The Laramie Project" proved that she wasn't going to be another one of these child stars who turns into a train wreck. One of her latest efforts is "Around the Block", in which she plays a woman teaching poverty-stricken Australian children Shakespeare. I understand that the movie focuses partly on the 2004 Redfern riots, which resulted from the death of an Aboriginal boy. The movie gives one a sense of what things are like for Australia's indigenous population. The Aborigines are 1% of Australia's population but 40% of its prison population (this even though Australia's white population is descended from people sent to jail). But anyway, it's a really good movie. I recommend it.

This is another teacher saves the underprivileged kid movie. Dino (Christina Ricci) is an American teacher working in Australia. She is engaged to Simon (Daniel Henshall) and has issues with him and PLOT SPOILER her sexual identity. She teaches 11th grade drama at a predominant Aboriginal school, "kids at risk." She plans on saving Liam Wood (Hunter Page-Lochard) by having him perform Hamlet.

Liam has his own issues. His father (Matt Nable) is in jail. His brother Steve (Mark Coles Smith) is a hooligan. He has a love interest that doesn't develop. His uncle was killed and Steve wants Liam to help him perform an honor killing, something Liam is clearly not cut out for. The film also attempts to show that Hamlet has universal themes that transcend cultures.

This is an okay film, but clearly not the best in the genre. It has one or two light scenes, but could of had some more. The girl/girl action could have been deleted. That was a WTF scene that didn't bode well with the rest of the film.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. Brief FF sex scene. Brief nudity.

Many people will see this as the stereotypical "rich white teacher reaches out to urban kids" film, but it worked for me as it adds a wrinkle to the old plot.

Christina Ricci player her part well as the enthusiastic teacher; however, the side plot concerning her sexuality was far less interesting than the main play revolving around Liam and his family. What really made it work for me was integrating Hamlet into the story and loosely basing the kid's experience on the play. That does tip the viewer off that it will end in tragedy, but it keeps the ending more realistic as well.

Spillane direction in Around the Block is great overall and just has a few cheesy scenes involving music montages. What bumps this from a below average movie to a slightly above average movie is Hunter Page-Lochard's acting. With any less, this movie could have been abysmal. He does a good, believable job and naturally acts out the part making this worth the view.