Dangerous Minds (1995)
Directed by John N. Smith / Eric Schwab
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Biopic [feature], Urban Drama |
Release Date - Aug 11, 1995 (USA) |
Run Time - 99 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - R
Share on
Synopsis by Mark Deming
In this drama, a school teacher discovers that it takes more than the ABCs to get through to a class of "uneducatable" kids. When Lou Anne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer), a nine-year veteran of the Marine Corps with a degree in education, begins a new job at an inner-city school in California, the principal (George Dzundza) warns her that her class will be the "rejects from Hell" -- kids with severe social problems and no interest in education. While at first her African-American and Latino students scoff at Lou Anne, she ultimately gets them to open up to learning and literature, through a combination of bribery (candy bars) and intimidation (her karate training from the Marines comes in handy), and she's able to reach out to the students who need her the most: Callie (Bruklin Harris), a bright girl who believes she's thrown away her future when she becomes pregnant; Emilio (Wade Dominquez), a macho bully whose violence is stifling his academic potential; and Raul (Renoly Santiago), the brightest kid in the class, who is afraid to show his intelligence. Dangerous Minds was adapted from a memoir by Lou Anne Johnson entitled My Posse Don't Do Homework.
Characteristics
Moods
Keywords
student, bribery, friendship, Marines, martial-arts, school, teacher
Attributes
High Historical Importance