StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Josephina
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
malkycombat
Talk about cliched... A female teacher tries a new career move into teaching and is given the bad kids class.... Yaaaawn Zzzzzzzz, the kids have no trust for the new teacher and start giving her a hard time you've guest it she's an ex-marine.... The girl who gives teacher the hardest time turns out to be a very clever black single parent Zzzzzz (sorry I'm falling asleep)... Teacher tries some unorthodox teaching methods and is pulled in front of the principal who asks what she is trying to do and .... wait for it... gives her a time line to prove herself Zzzzzzzzzz... But now you would never believe it the kids all change their ways and start progressing and they all fall in line, but then tragedy strikes and the bright good looking kid who everyone likes gets killed..... snoringzzzzzzzzzzz... Then after she gets the kids all sorted out she decides to leave Zzzzzzzzzz snores loudly Zzzzzzzzzz but hey she changes her mind and decides to stay after all. This film is garbage of the highest order and anyone who thinks differently needs to wake up.
The_Film_Cricket
There are three types of movies that I am really growing weary of and they are (in descending order): The Cop Buddy Movie, The Slasher Movie (complete with iconic killer) and last but least The Inspirational Teacher Movie.This last genre irritates me most because at least the other two genres are made under the impression that it is nothing but entertainment. The Inspirational Teacher Movie appalls me because by it's very definition it has a noble agenda while at the same time telling and retelling the same story from countless other movies while disguising it's intentions with the message that it is 'based on a true story'. It's even worse when it contains a hard working performance by a good actress.'Dangerous Minds' comes with the 'true story' tag but looks, to me, like pure fantasy. Michelle Pfieffer plays LouAnne Johnson an ex-marine who gets a teaching job at The School From Hell, one of those inner-city prison schools where every student is a drug dealing malcontent. I mean no offense while making that statement but to my mind this is the kind of school that you really only find in the movies The standard first-day-of-class scene has her walking into a room full of troubled African-American and Hispanic students who huff at the idea of having a white woman teaching their class. But a one day and a few playful Karate kicks later she has curried their favor.She uses whatever methods are possible to get these kids to learn even going so far as to offer then meal prizes and candy bars to get them to read. Soon she is trying to get them to find a connection between Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas. I never made the connection but the kids did and never really let the audience in on what it was that they had learned.The kids are the usual sort for this type of movie: troubled, gang-related and totally out of step with everything until they begin to learn about Bob Dylan *shrug*. The kids are so standard for The Inspirational Teacher Movie that I sort of started to count down to when one of the girls would end up pregnant.Is there anything to salvage from 'Dangerous Minds'? Yes. Pfieffer who is a wonderful actress in the right roles gives the movie more then it deserves but is forced to settle on dialogue that is of no help. I kept wishing that the kicks that she delivers to get the student's attention would have been in her dialogue.
parsifalssister
One reviewer said "unless you lived the life," and others said what they thought, and yet it got a total of 6 among 72 voices.I'm giving it an 8 and I believe it reverberated as "true" and "truth" with one exception: teachers often love their students and give them candy, but the likelihood of a teacher overcoming the system is nil; hence the story portrays truth among students and teacher, but totally fails to address how a teacher who cares, and cares as much as this one did, overcame the bureaucracy and went on teaching.The performances were great across the board and a movie worth seeing more than once.
raisleygordon
I've enjoyed dramas about teachers who help their students make a difference, such as 'Lean on Me', 'Freedom Writers', and 'One Eight Seven', but this is hardly one of them. The teacher doesn't come close to being remotely strict, and the students don't seem particularly indifferent. The movie isn't so much about ethics as it is about getting inside the heads of these people. There's nothing at stake here. The amusement park and restaurant scenes aren't earned, and aren't necessary. Movies like this don't have to be conventional, but they should mean something. The parts of the film that do work, are when Pfeiffer's character is interacting with the other adults. The relationship between her and the students didn't work for me.**1/2 out of ****
