Directed by Kenny Beaumont and written by Jonathan Davenport, F Plus is a family comedy designed squarely for the pre-teen crowd. With a mix of schoolyard antics, high-tech pranks, and a lot of heart, the film follows a group of middle schoolers who turn a simple test score mishap into an all-out school heist.
Ted (Wells Rappaport) and Josh Barker (James Williams Jr.) are best friends who met at the Magnet School for Math and Science. Ted sits at the top of the class and spends his days as a master planner, while Josh builds prank machines and gadgets to pull off Ted’s schemes. No one at school is safe from their mischievous plots—not even head of school security Terry Grimes (Randy Couture). After their latest disaster—a school assembly ruined by a pie-blasting podium—Ted and Josh find themselves on probation. With one more slip-up, Grimes will kick them out for good. As long as they pass their classes, they can continue attending together.
That’s when Principal Neely (Jennifer Esposito) announces the arrival of the Splot Test, the school’s most important exam whose results will go on students’ permanent records. Ted and Josh know they’ve got to pass—but when the scores come back, they’ve failed. Worse, they’re not alone: Penny Pritchard (Lily Jane Chachula), the teacher’s pet and academic rival, also scored an F‑Plus. Convinced something’s wrong with the test, the trio forms a crack team that includes Chad the Magician (Cade Clark) and the computer hacker Gertz Neely (Lily Tricano), setting the stage for their most daring plan yet.
Jennifer Esposito as Principal Neely, discussing the Splot Test results with a student in F Plus.
“…a simple test score mishap into an all-out school heist…”
The school dance becomes the perfect cover for a heist to destroy the test before it’s processed, giving Ted, Josh, and Penny a chance to retake it. But Grimes is on high alert, waiting for them to slip up again. Facing tight security, digital defenses, and their own teamwork challenges, they must execute one last chaotic plan to secure their futures. Ted learns that even the best-laid plans sometimes need a little chaos—and teamwork—to succeed.
First off, F Plus is a kids’ film for the pre-teen set. It rivals, if not succeeds, anything currently on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. At the same time, it’s not Game of Thrones. It’s a very solid film, featuring protagonists Ted and Josh, whom you can root for, along with fun gadgets, hacking, and magic. The villains are easy to laugh at, and there’s a twist I didn’t see coming, which flips everything on its head. Also, as an old man, I loved seeing Tommy Davidson and Jennifer Esposito in anything.
There’s not much I can complain about…maybe the jazz flute. What comes through in the end is the hard work of director Kenny Beaumont and writer Jonathan Davenport. Nothing looks cheap. The sets and production values are top-notch, and the acting strikes the right, sometimes goofy, tone. I need to be fair and say that I want Shakespeare and Gone With the Wind, and someday, someone in the kids’ space will produce that classic film.
F Plus stands tall among today’s family films, rivaling anything you’d find on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. Thanks to strong performances and the sharp direction of Kenny Beaumont, F Plus balances goofy humor with sincere storytelling, creating a fun ride for kids and a little something-something for adults alike.
"…the acting strikes the right, sometimes goofy, tone..."
