Dangerous Minds (1995)

An ex-Marine turned teacher struggles to connect with her students in an inner city school.

Director:

John N. Smith

Writers:

LouAnne Johnson (book), Ronald Bass (screenplay)

Stars:

Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Louanne Johnson
George Dzundza	...	Hal Griffith
Courtney B. Vance	...	Mr. George Grandey
Robin Bartlett	...	Mrs. 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:

teacher student relationship | ex marine | pregnancy | reference to dylan thomas | divorcee | 

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Taglines:

Within a week, she got an entire classroom of "unteachable" punks to respect her...trust her...and even admire her. That was the easy part.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released under Michelle Pfeiffer's production company, the movie's success bolstered Pfeiffer's reputation as an actress/producer.

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Goofs

When Louanne walks in on the first day Nikki (girl in the overalls) is sitting, the next scene she is standing, then back to sitting.

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Quotes

Louanne: There are no victims in this classroom.

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Connections

Referenced in The Goode Family: After-School Special (2009)

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Soundtracks

True O.G.
Written by Dalvin DeGrate, Static, Timbaland
Performed by Mr. Dalvin & Static
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Surprisingly Inspirational

I had no interest in seeing this movie when it came out in 1995. It just seemed to be another movie about angry inner city youth struggling to graduate from high school. So running into this tonight, I finally decided go give in and give it a watch.

My final assessment is that although this movie bears comparison to a long list of great-teacher-inspires-kids movies, I now embrace the movie because Michelle's portrayal brings it over the top, also, I was positively impressed with Renoly Santiago's honest and sensitive reading.

It is easy, as I am ample testament, to dismiss movies that appear to be clones, but since this was reportedly based on a true story of an ex-military woman, it either demonstrates that the story does not emerge from the minds of banal-thinking writers, but from fact, or that the stories like these repeat themselves daily in the fabric of America and need to be told under as many guises as there are stories. WHY? Because all of us need inspiration and hope in our lives.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mentalité dangereuse

Filming Locations:

Burlingame High School - 1 Mangini Way, Burlingame, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,931,503, 13 August 1995

Gross USA:

$84,919,401

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$179,519,401

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

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1