Dangerous Minds (1995)

Nothing special here

I haven't seen Dangerous Minds for ages, apart from bits on TV on holiday, which I wasn't really paying attention to at the time. When I found it on DVD for cheap, I bought it.

As soon as I put this DVD on, and it started up, I remembered all the characters instantly. I even remembered what happened in the movie.

But really, there's nothing new here that hasn't been done a thousand times before, and better. The story is pretty generic, and is almost a direct copy of what happens in Sister Act 2. Even the cast look pretty similar. A former marine comes in to teach the 'bad' kids, who have managed to be unteachable up until now. She teaches them karate (without actually touching them of course), teaches them a few choice phrases about choosing or wanting to die, and boom, she's the best teacher ever.

The kids are pretty stereotypical too, there's the choice bad guy, with the girlfriend who wants to protect him, the other bad guy who wants to be bad, but has a good family behind him and all the other stereotypes you can think of. Any fans of Hackers will recognise Renoly Santiago from that. What's shocking is that Wade Dominguez, who played Emilio (the bad guy), actually died at the age of 32 in 1998, from respiratory failure. I couldn't believe it when I read that.

The only real lasting impression that Dangerous Minds will leave you with is the song that was everywhere when it was out "Gangster's Paradise". Otherwise, it's pretty forgettable. August 10, 2008

dangerous Minds

the best real life drama I have seen in years it is one of my favorite movies it took some time to find it on DVD have worn out the VHS tape I had of this movie. December 11, 2007

Give me a break!

Louanne Johnson really needs to stop patting herself on the back for her work as a "teacher." She was not a teacher - she was a SUBSTITUTE teacher, one who quit after only a few months. People like Luanne Johnson are the exact OPPOSITE of what students, especially urban students, need. She was just one more person who walked out on them. The real heroes in education are those who stay in the fight with their students, managing to balance their passion for education and dedication to their students with the necessary evil of jumping through beaurocratic hoops. This movie is a farce. November 1, 2007

Great film with an awesome message

It's not often that I write reviews like this, but thought I would in this case.

I remember, eerily enough, when this movie came out in 1995. Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" came out in August of that year and was an instant hit, topping the Billboards for two, three months straight. I was only 13 then.

The movie itself was really good. The acting was great and the depiction of inner-city life was stellar. I thought it was a shame that it was only given two stars by the Movie Rating Association, but what do they know?

Everyone gets to make choices in life regardless of their situation. One must have the drive and ambition to make the right ones. One line that Ms. Johnson has in the film is the response to one student's statement "If we get on the bus, we have to put up with you!" She responds, "Yes, but that is still a choice. You can either [stay where you're at] or get on that bus. That may be a choice you don't like but that's still a choice. There are no losers in this classroom."

I also like her line of "As of right now, everyone in here has an 'A'. It's up to you to keep it." October 26, 2007

Danger Never Looked So Good!

Or plodded along so predictably ... now I'm not trying to say Michelle Pfeiffer isn't convincing as a tough-as-nails, kick your tail instructor, because I don't have to. Anyone with an IQ over 120 will figure that out instantly.

Now, we all know that inner-city youths don't deserve as much attention as rich kids, so let's stop pretending that one teacher with a mission is going to make a difference in these loser kids lives. They aren't going anywhere except to a street corner or a stoop. I'm not judging anybody, just stating my perspective from a life filled with wisdom and multiple degrees on public policy, psychology and metallurgical engineering.

February 24, 2007

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