Movie Review #2

"Dangerous Minds"

9.     Movies. Give a review of the movie “Dangerous Minds”. How did Louanne Johnson change lives of her students?

I would like to tell you a review of the movie “Dangerous Minds” directed by John N. Smiths. The film stars Michelle Pfeiffer as LouAnne Johnson, Courtney B. Vance as George Grandey and others. It is an American drama/hood film which is set in Belmont, California. Dangerous Minds is based on LouAnne Johnson's “My Posse Don't Do Homework”, an account of her teaching experiences in a northern California high school.

“Dangerous Minds” tells the story of an ex-marine Louanne Johnson who comes to a Palo Alto high school in search of a job as a student teacher. What she gets instead is a full-time position teaching English to a group of bright but "socially challenged" students. When her first-day wardrobe choice and meek attitude earn her the nickname of "White Bread", she tries a radical approach: wear a leather jacket, curse as proficiently as the kids, and teach karate as a lead-in to English Literature. It works, and the students start to come around. Despite protestations from an uptight, by-the-book principal George Grandey, lives are changed as a result of Louanne's unorthodox approach of using Bob Dylan lyrics to teach poetry and rewarding completed assignments with trips to amusement parks and dinners at fancy restaurants.

As for the acting, I should say that the film rests squarely on the shoulders of Michele Pfeiffer who puts her heart and soul into her portrait of a dedicated inner city teacher who, day by day, moves closer to burnout, thanks to an uncooperative principal, some antagonistic parents, and the violence of the streets. She is very convincing in her role and I think her performance is really terrific. 

Besides, this movie revolves around several crucial ideas. It relates to sociological events and delves deeper into the problems that these students have to deal with growing up. This type of film will be an eye opener to most people in society, as it shows the hurt and the effects certain things have on the students. It opens your eyes to poverty, equal rights, and how family can be torn apart and how friends that you really care about can be lost in an instant and when it does your life comes crashing down. 

All in all, I like this movie for it demonstrates how a bright person can change ‘‘dangerous minds'' and make them active rather than rejecting them and drive them to the streets selling drugs and the likes. It shows us that every single kid has the same opportunities. All kids have different potential. Just need to encourage him/her to bring it about and use it like LouAnne Johnson did. The passion that LouAnne exudes about teaching and just about life is an inspiration to anyone.