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 (as Ramon Menendez)

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:

calculus | inner city youth | institutional discrimination | national film registry | teacher as protagonist | 

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Taglines:

A true story about a modern miracle.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

11 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Walking on Water

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$411,884, 13 March 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$13,994,920

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., American Playhouse, Olmos Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Edward James Olmos, he wrote all of his dialogue with Jaime Escalante, and much of it was verbatim what Escalante had said in the real-life situations that were depicted in the film. For instance, Olmos said the dialogue in the scene where Escalante confronts the ETS investigators about the cheating allegations was word for word what Escalante told the ETS in real life.

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Goofs

When Lupe is studying and her mother comes home from work, her mom asks her to turn off the lamp that is across the room. She is sleeping directly under a different lamp that doesn't seem to bother her.

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Quotes

Jaime Escalante: It's not that they're stupid, it's just they don't know anything.

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Connections

References The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

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Soundtracks

Wake Up John
Lyrics & Music by Willie Herron (as W. Herrón)
Performed by Los Illegals
Courtesy of A&M Records

User Reviews

This Gets an "A"

"Stand and Deliver" is a strong film which is based on a true story. Edward James Olmos received an Oscar nomination as Jaime Escalante, a man who has decided to teach in a Los Angeles school after quitting a high-paying technological job. Escalante is a man who could be described as a "Patton of the classroom". He will do anything and everything to teach his Hispanic students the complicated mathematics of Calculus so they can pass a test which will give them college credit. This is Olmos' show all the way. He proved to be a dominant actor here and it is he who makes the film believable and overall exceptional. The supporting cast is good, led by a young Lou Diamond Phillips. A solid screenplay and smart direction make "Stand and Deliver" a forgotten winner from the 1980s. 4 stars out of 5.