The Final Grade

The Final Grade is a 2023 TV movie. It follows Calvin as he is required to complete some homework assignments to pass first grade, but Dr. Brainstorm has a problem as well when his ex-girlfriend shows up.

Cast

 * Jackson Kelley as Calvin
 * Nathan Fillion as Spaceman Spiff
 * Taika Waititi as Hobbes
 * Ty Burrell as Sherman
 * Tom Cruise as Dr. Brainstorm
 * Mark Hoppus as Jack
 * Kathy Bates as Miss Wormwood
 * Kevin Smith as Socrates
 * Griffin Gluck as Andy
 * Emma Stone as Veronica Bell
 * Sophia Lillis as Susie
 * Ben Schwartz as MTM

Plot
Spaceman Spiff is battling a Zorkon empire, but it is revealed to be a fantasy of Calvin (Jackson Kelley) while in class. Ever since Calvin was able to absorb the godlike powers of the Collective equation and made the group age, Miss Wormwood (Kathy Bates) notes that the end of the year is coming upon them and that they will be moving on to second grade. However, after class, Miss Wormwood pulls Calvin aside and says he has to complete a load of assignments with perfect scores before the end of the year or else he will repeat the first grade. Calvin reluctantly takes it and goes home, beginning a rushed job on the assignments. Hobbes (Taika Waititi) shoots down Calvin's logic of making up plausible answers and says he needs a tutor, so Calvin heads to Sherman's (Ty Burrell) lab. Elsewhere, in Yellowstone, Dr. Brainstorm (Tom Cruise) shows Jack (Mark Hoppus) his new invention that can control the speed crops grow in another world dominating scheme. As he goes to test it, Jack observes a female life form in their elevator. When the woman enters the lab, she knows Jack by name, going by the name Veronica. When Jack goes to tell Brainstorm, he asks if it's the same Veronica who was his ex-girlfriend.

Brainstorm and Veronica make some awkward small talk, catching up on the past twelve years. Brainstorm eventually brings up his new invention, to which Veronica is impressed by. Meanwhile, Andy (Griffin Gluck) guides Calvin to Sherman in his lab. Sherman notes that Miss Wormwood has Calvin busy, but agrees to help. However, Calvin shows stubbornness towards completing the assignments, and when Sherman asks if Calvin is going to sit around and let his brain atrophy into nothing, Calvin says he will and Sherman says he can't help if he is going to be stubborn. Calvin angrily leaves. Meanwhile, Brainstorm buries himself into upgrading his machine to avoid Veronica. Jack asks Brainstorm if he can get her to leave, to which Brainstorm tries. However, Veronica says she is impressed by the crop speed machine and says Brainstorm can definitely use it to take over the world. Brainstorm asks Veronica out for dinner, to Jack's frustration.

Calvin tries to explain to Hobbes what happened in Sherman's lab, but Hobbes points out Calvin got defensive when Sherman spilled inconvenient truths to him. Just then, Socrates (Kevin Smith) arrives, and acts like he's on Calvin's side against Miss Wormwood, and when Calvin asks why he should do the work when he's so smart, Socrates asks him what's stopping him. Calvin tries saying he has G.R.O.S.S. meetings to attend, TV shows to watch, running around in the outdoors, and inventing a new thing, but Hobbes says they are booked solid on G.R.O.S.S. meetings, reruns on TV, rain all week, and Calvin's overload of inventions. When Calvin says Miss Wormwood is out to get him, MTM (Ben Schwartz) states Miss Wormwood is giving Calvin a chance to escape first grade. Inspired, Calvin gathers his homework and heads back to Sherman's lab. MTM says he has a call coming in from Jack, who tells Hobbes and Socrates Brainstorm is on a date. While Jack explains the dilemma, Brainstorm and Veronica are shown on their date, making jokes about their romantic history. Jack reveals Veronica almost talked Brainstorm into destroying the planet and asks for Calvin's help. Hobbes says he can't because of school. Calvin goes back to Sherman's lab and apologizes for his behavior, and Sherman accepts the apology and they begin to work on a moon landing assignment. Back in the lab, Brainstorm happily waltzes back in, tricks Jack into thinking he and Veronica got married, and then says Veronica will be helping Brainstorm with his machine, controlling livestock as well.

A few days later, Calvin has completed a portion of his assignments. Susie (Sophia Lillis) quizzes him on it to prove he actually learned something. Calvin turns the assignments he completed so far in to Miss Wormwood. Meanwhile, in the lab, Jack can only watch with frustration as Veronica and Brainstorm work on the invention while flirting, going out for dinner again. Sherman teaches Calvin about World War I while Hobbes and Socrates get another call from Jack about Brainstorm's plan. MTM notes that Jack is the only one to keep Brainstorm in check, and with Veronica keeping Brainstorm away from Jack, Brainstorm can do anything he sets his mind to. Jack says Brainstorm is trying to find a source of knowledge to control the minds of livestock. When Brainstorm returns that night, he gets frustrated at Jack for not turning off the computer and says he's worthless, but Jack says that's what Veronica told him to think. However, the computer locates a mind worthy enough to control the livestock - Sherman's.

Miss Wormwood reads over Calvin's assignments and looks back on the time he was in her class, and how she can't understand children without a value for education. When the class comes into the room, she begins a math lesson and calls Calvin up to solve a problem, where he uses Sherman's teachings to solve it. Brainstorm prepares to take Sherman and use his knowledge to control the livestock. Jack expresses disdain and Veronica says Jack needs to be supportive, which pushes Jack over the edge and he quits right then and there, leaving the lab. Veronica comforts Brainstorm, saying all Jack ever did was hold him back. Brainstorm begins the process of getting Sherman into his lab with a stasis chamber, which teleports him into the lab during a lesson with Calvin. Sherman learns in horror that Brainstorm and Veronica are a couple. Calvin and Andy head to Hobbes and Socrates and they head for Yellowstone as Sherman tries to make an escape, which fails and he is locked up.

The gang flies to Yellowstone when Hobbes sees several cows marching in a straight line. MTM finds out they're mind controlled. They arrive in the lab and find Sherman, but with all his intelligence removed, and he's an ordinary hamster now. They find the device and attempt to shut it down but Brainstorm is the only one who can. A distressed Andy asks what they will do, and Hobbes says they will restore Sherman. Andy stays back with Sherman as Calvin, Hobbes, and Socrates head to Washington, D.C., where the cows are frightening the citizens. Brainstorm orders some cows to attack the gang when they teleport over and they get away. Brainstorm moves to his next phase, storming the White House with the mind controlled livestock. Veronica kisses Brainstorm for luck but then kicks him to the ground, taking control of the intelligence device and doing the evil deed for herself. She states that she will become the new leader of the world, leaving Brainstorm behind, betrayed.

Calvin and the gang approach Brainstorm who wonders how he could have been decieved by Veronica. They call Andy over and he gives Brainstorm some advice to move on from his heartbreak and take Veronica down. They all move in on the White House as Veronica uses some cows to chase politicians. However, Veronica gets stuck when she realizes she doesn't know how to get planetary control. As the gang rushes towards Veronica's location, Jack appears out of nowhere and points out that Veronica has no idea what she's doing. When the gang arrives in the location, Jack says he would never leave Brainstorm's side and they realize how much they need each other. When they prepare to defeat Veronica, Jack says she only wanted to take over the world due to credit card debt. When Brainstorm can't attack Veronica, Calvin steps forward, declares her a slimy girl, and then he, Hobbes, and Socrates bombard her with water balloons. While she's down, they switch her intelligence and Sherman's, and Sherman is restored. They find out Calvin knew about the inside of the White House when he looked it up during his and Sherman's lessons. Brainstorm destroys the machine and says he will get knowledge the old fashioned way. Veronica is arrested, the livestock are returned to their farms, and Calvin and Sherman continue their lessons until finally, Calvin has turned in all his assignments and has raised his grade to a C+, allowing him to pass. Miss Wormwood holds Calvin back and asks if Calvin has learned the value of education. However, Calvin says learning can be fun only if made fun, which Miss Wormwood did not do and treated him like he was a parrot. Calvin arrives home, satisfied he's finally moving on. When the gang is united, Socrates gets a transmission from Galaxoid and Nebular, saying they have an intergalactic bounty on their hands and they need to run. Calvin states that they're going to be going on the lam for a while as aliens descend upon them.

Production
The Final Grade is the second installment of the Times Are Changing trilogy, where there would be three films released within two months of each other. At San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that Jackson Kelley, Taika Waititi, Ty Burrell, Tom Cruise, Mark Hoppus, Kathy Bates, Kevin Smith, Griffin Gluck, Sophia Lillis, and Ben Schwartz would reprise their roles from previous installments, with Emma Stone joining the cast as Veronica, Dr. Brainstorm's ex-girlfriend.