Dangerous Minds (1995)

An ex-marine teacher struggles to connect with her students in an inner city schools.

Director:

John N. Smith

Writers:

LouAnne Johnson (book), Ronald Bass (screenplay)

Stars:

Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance

5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Louanne Johnson
George Dzundza	...	Hal Griffith
Courtney B. Vance	...	George Grandey
Robin Bartlett	...	Carla Nichols
Beatrice Winde	...	Mary Benton
John Neville	...	Waiter
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Irene Roberts
Renoly Santiago	...	Raul Sanchero
Wade Dominguez	...	Emilio Ramirez
Bruklin Harris	...	Callie Roberts
Marcello Thedford	...	Cornelius Bates
Roberto Alvarez	...	Gusmaro Rivera
Richard Grant	...	Durrell Benton
Marisela Gonzales	...	Angela
Toni Nichelle Buzhardt	...	Nikki

Storyline

Louanne Johnson is an ex-marine, hired as a teacher in a high-school in a poor area of the city. She has recently separated from her husband. Her friend, also teacher in the school, got the temporary job for her. After a terrible reception from the students, she tries unconventional methods of teaching (using karate, Bob Dylan lyrics etc) to gain the trust of the students.

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Plot Keywords:

student | teacher | school | inner city | teaching | 

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Taglines:

She Broke The Rules... And Changed Their Lives.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Posse Don't Do Homework

Filming Locations:

Burlingame, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

£5,003,433 (UK) (23 February 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Via Rosa Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the last films worked on by producer Don Simpson. He helped pick songs for the film soundtrack.

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Goofs

When Raul gets dragged away by the police from his fight with Emilio you can see that his ponytail is ruined, but in the next shot when they got out of the school his ponytail was back.

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Quotes

Mr. Grandey: This wouldn't happened to have been their reward for reading poetry would it?
Louanne: In my classroom, poetry is its own reward.

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Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: Our First Day of School (2009)

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Soundtracks

"PROBLEMS"
Written by Anthony Forte'
Performed by Rappin' 4-Tay
Courtesy of Chrysalis/EMI Records/Rag Top Records

User Reviews

Great movie!...

I'm not about to call this movie a "feel-good movie" or a "coming-of-age-tale." What am I gonna do is call it what it really is - a great movie.

Michelle Pfeiffer is at her best. She is absolutely fantastic in this movie. The actors in the classroom hold their own against her as well.

Basically, the plot is as follows: White teacher enters a mostly-minority "alternative" (read: group of kids that act out) classroom and commands respect. In turn, she changes their lives as they change hers. It's basically the story of Raul, Emilio, and Carrie, and how they cope with life as a result of Ms. Johnson.

The movie has some really good lines (my favorite: "You asked me how I was gonna save your life. This is it. This moment.") and really good drama. Sure, some of it is hokey-it-only-happens-in-the-movies, but the majority of it is good. I'm a guy, and I shed a few tears.

Overall: 9/10.