Film THAT'S WHAT I AM-Ed Harris is Wonderful in a WONDER YEARS Similar Script

The 2011 coming-of-age movie set in 1965, THAT'S WHAT I AM is culled from the childhood of its  writer/director/producer Michael Pavone's childhood. It's also a facsimile of the highly successful TV series THE WONDER YEARS which follows a 13 year old boy navigate his high school years during the turbulent 1960s and early '70s. This show began in 1988 and ran for 7 years. The film "THAT'S WHAT..." focuses on male high school senior, Andy (TV sitcom/movie veteran, Chase Ellison). Both are set in white/middle class suburbia). Andy like his doppelgänger, Kevin is neither part of the coveted cool crowd or the ostracized "cootie" i.e. geek group. The Viet Nam War is background fodder, the fashions of the era are spot on and both make use of an ongoing narration by the protagonist looking back at events. Greg Kinnear does an excellent voice over job much like Daniel Stern did in THE WONDER YEARS.  We watch Andy and Kevin experience their first, serious kiss.  But, I would be remiss to limit the scope of the show of film to only this. The prominent, shared motifs deal not only with burgeoning hormones but dawning self-awareness, empathy and inner-strength. Ed Harris plays Andy's beloved English teacher Mr. Simon.  It's Mr. Simon who first sees something special in Andy. The student's final paper is a team project and Mr. Simon assigned partners. Andy's partner is Stanley, a.k.a. "Big G" for his ginger hair, gargantuan statue and oversized ears. "Big G" is a bona fide member of the geek squad. Associating with him equates to social suicide. The well intentioned plot is predictable.  It's predicated upon Andy learning to stand up for the "Stanleys" who are bullied or overlooked as well as for himself. Andy's pushing back on his overly,  domineering father is no wonder at the end. Still, this gentle movie dealing with themes of tolerance and prejudice is not without its splendors. Harris' performance as an exceptional teacher who instills dignity in his students raises the grade of this simplistic and unoriginal C+ script to a B. There's a rampant rumor that Mr. Simon is a homo. This causes an uproar with some of the parents who demand the school's principal (played fervently by Amy Madigan) fire him or extract a denial from Mr. Simon. This storyline and how it's handled earns an A+.  Other highlights included the high school's talent show, Andy's infatuation (much like Kevin's Winnie) was winning.  She knew a thing or two about getting to first base. Kinnear delivers a grand slam joke when Andy traded his Mickey Mantle baseball cards for an ID bracelet for his heartthrob. The epilogue of where the players are today was amusing. You don't need to seek out THAT'S WHAT I AM but should you tune in, you'll likely to be entertained and will probably wonder where is the cast of THE WONDER YEARS today.