Entertainment

Lower the ‘Boom’

This basically harmless family comedy presents a view of American education only slightly less realistic than the union-bashing “Won’t Back Down’’ — here, the staff at a Boston high school meekly acquiesces when the principal announces a salary rollback, and elimination of all extracurricular activities.

The sole dissenter is an out-of-shape, burned-out biology teacher (Kevin James). He sets out to raise enough money to save the job of the beloved music teacher (Henry Winkler) — by becoming an Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant coached by a student in his citizenship class.

Directed by one of producer Adam Sandler’s in-house hacks, Frank Coraci, “Here Comes the Boom’’ is low on raunch but even lower on laughs. It also looks like half the lighting crew failed to show up.

The script co-authored by James requires you to believe his schlubby character can step into the ring with fearsome UFC champ Krzysztof Soszynski without being sent instantly into traction — and, arguably even more incredibly, land sexy school nurse Salma Hayek.