spencer-w-hensley Review of Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds (1995)

Worth a watch for Michelle Pfeiffer's performance; little else to otherwise recommend

[6/10 · 5 May 2020]

Looking over Michelle Pfeiffer's filmography I had an interest in this film, knowing she played a discharged ex-Marine hired by a school with very tough kids for her to work with. I wasnt sure if this was going to be along the lines of "Dead Poets Society", "Lean on Me", or the underrated "The Principal" with James Belushi and Louis Gossett Jr. I hoped it would maybe have some differences in its story than the aforementioned but the movie is basically a retread of all of those films with only two different things: 1. Pfieffer's performance and 2. Using good cultural diversity with the students she teaches and not focusing just one specific culture. Those who say Pfieffer was miscast in the role is where my first disagreement begins. Had it not been for her casting, I would have probably hated this film. Yes, she is a very gorgeous woman who may not seem that tough on the surface to teach the students she does, but in this role, she is a pretty face with a lot of backbone that you would expect to see I a Marine and I feel she does a great job balancing both qualities in her character. She in my opinion is really the only reason to see this movie. I think the movie would have been stronger had her character been a school principal or a security guard at the school to deal strictly with discipline. Although we saw all of that in "The Principal", and "Lean on Me", there are less movies about those authority figures than the half dozen there are about inspirational teachers. I think the movie could have been excellent if that were her character, as it stands it is mildly enjoyable for her performance. The story has been done before to death as aforementioned, even Whoopi Goldberg parodied the inspirational teacher act this film has in "Sister Act 2" which came out two years before this film, and even the parody in that film had a slight bit of originality compared to this one. Towards the end, a student is involved in gang activity and murdered because of it. Its almost as if the writer of this movie copied and pasted the ending of Dead Poets Society where a very similar tragedy to a student happened and there is no real reaction because the film moves so quickly to what happened. And then the tragedy seems to have happened because the principal wouldn't let the student in his office because he didn't knock on the door. While that is a naturally stupid thing to do to a student endangered the movie doesnt care about what happened to the principal. In real life he would have been fired, and sued and even possibly served jail time. Why didnt the idiot not have any consequences for that? It just seemed that the writer didnt care about the villian paying the price. Why not have Pfieffer testify against him and give him what he deserved? Just doesnt make sense and the tragedy didnt move me because it just seemed like the movie just didnt care what happened in the outcome. If you like Pfieffer or the genre of inspirational teacher movies, this is worth one watch at least. If you like neither dont waste your time. I still am not sure how this became a surprise hit. I think it gave many people satisfaction of seeing someone as beautiful as Pfieffer have so much power and inspiration with her students. I would put this one behind the aforementioned films, but for Pfieffer fans you still should add it to her films list with her to watch.