Stand and Deliver (1988)

The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout prone students to learn calculus.

Director:

Ramón Menéndez

Writers:

Ramón Menéndez, Tom Musca

Stars:

Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward James Olmos	...	Jaime Escalante
Estelle Harris	...	Secretary
Mark Phelan	...	Cop
Virginia Paris	...	Raquel Ortega
Eliot	...	Tito (as Mark Eliot)
Adelaida Alvarez	...	Sexy Girl
Will Gotay	...	Pancho
Patrick Baca	...	Javier
Ingrid Oliu	...	Lupe
Carmen Argenziano	...	Molina
Richard Martinez	...	Heavy Metal Boy
Mark Everett	...	Heavy Metal Boy
Tyde Kierney	...	Joe Goodell
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Fabiola Escalante (as Rosana De Soto)
Bodie Olmos	...	Fernando Escalante

Storyline

Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a Hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods help gang members and no-hopers pass the rigorous Advanced Placement exam in calculus.

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Plot Keywords:

student | teacher | calculus | dedicated teacher | mathematics | 

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Taglines:

A true story about a modern miracle.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

11 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Con ganas de triunfar

Filming Locations:

Garfield High School - 5101 E. 6th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$13,994,920 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Olmos Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in December 2011 as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

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Goofs

According to Jamie Escalante, he suffered a gall bladder attack, not a heart attack as was implied in the movie.

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Quotes

Pancho: [Escalante is driving Pancho's car] Kemo, I don't wanna let you down but the money I'd be making'll buy me a new Trans Am.
Jaime Escalante: No one cruise through life, Pancho. Wouldn't you rather be designing these things than repairing them? Can't even do that, things got fuel injection -
[grinds gears]
Pancho: Kemo, you're gonna strip my gears, man!
Jaime Escalante: Don't panic, Johnny, just watch out for the other guy -
[grinds gears again]
Jaime Escalante: Right or left?
Pancho: GO RIGHT! GO RIGHT!
Jaime Escalante: [Kemo turns right, screams to halt in front of a dead end]
Jaime Escalante: All...

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Psycho Cha-Cha"
Lyrics & Music by W. Herrón
Performed by Los Illegals

User Reviews

I wish there were more movies made by minorities showing their own perception of life.

Based on a true story Stand and Deliver was written by Ramón Menéndez and Tom Musca, and directed by Ramón Menéndez. I wish there were more movies made by minorities showing their own perception of life. I especially think that this movie was a triumph because the directors, the actors, are mostly minorities. The story is well told and is sad and shows the urban life of students in Los Angeles. I must say that I take my hat off to any teacher, especially those in the inner city. I would never have the patience to deal with teenagers at all, regardless of race, religion, etc. It is a hard age where the kids think that they are invincible. The teacher "Edward James Olmos" Jaime Escalante, did a wonderful job with those students, as Jaime Escalante did a good job teaching. He was nominated for several awards. The most unfair thing is to think that just because those kids were poor they could not excel and had to take the same exam twice. What a system is this? I loved the fact that Mr. Olmos expected more from the students than mediocrity and they lived up to his expectations. Favorite Scenes: When the students passed the second test. Unfortunately I think that there were instances in American history that certain minority groups would not had even the chance to go to school, much less to have a second chance to prove how good they are. Favorite Quotes: Edward James Olmos: Claudia: "You're worried that we'll screw up big tomorrow, aren't you?" Edward James Olmos: "Tomorrow's another day. I'm worried you're gonna screw up the rest of your lives." Edward James Olmos: "Tough guys don't do math. Tough guys fry chicken for a living!" Edward James Olmos: "They learned that if you try really hard nothing changes." We don't live in a perfect world. I recommend this movie although I found it somewhat sad, because it is very realistic. But reality is not always pleasant.