Dangerous Minds

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance, Renoly Santiago, Wade Dominguez, Lorraine Toussaint, Bruklin Harris, Marcello Thedford, Danny Strong
Directed by: John N. Smith
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A former marine (Michelle Pfeiffer) agrees to teach a tough class of inner city kids who have given up on education.

Review:

Tim: I'm actually a big fan of Dangerous Minds. I know there's some criticism of the film, but I found it to be a powerful, entertaining, thought-provoking film. It's not without a few flaws, but it's really an entertaining movie.

It helps that the film is based on a true story. There's a bit of an uncomfortable "white savior" vibe at times, but it helped me greatly to know a version of this actually happened. There really was a white ex-Marine who dedicated herself to teaching teenagers whom most of the world had given up on. That's an inspiring story and it's one that is worth telling in fictionalized form. Through the course of the movie here, we get to know these characters and understand them at a deeper level. We get invested in their stories. Now, the movie never delivers a powerful emotional knockout punch. Towards the end of the movie, we get scenes that should have really tugged at our heartstrings. The impact isn't quite there. I was interested in these characters, but they never got to my heart of hearts. That might have made this a great movie. Without that deep emotional resonance, we're left with an interesting movie whose emotional impact is somewhat blunted.

A big reason why I liked this movie so much is the performance of Michelle Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer goes all in on this performance, pouring a ton into the role. She's tough, yet heartfelt. At times funny, playful. She brings so much energy to this role that you can't help but get invested in her story. I was a huge fan of what Pfeiffer did onscreen here. Now, the one thing that felt incongruous is that we're told she is a former Marine and then we don't really see much of that toughness in the early scenes. Yes, eventually she throws on a leather jacket, but she seems too intimidated, too deferential. I'm not sure why these choices were made, but it threw me off a bit in the beginning. It matters less as the movie goes on, though, and Pfeiffer wins us over with her impressive performance.

George Dzundza gives a terrific supporting performance, too. His role might seem like an afterthought, but everything he does on screen is memorable. I really enjoyed every second of his screen time. He brings humor and heart to the film. I always love seeing Courtney B. Vance. His role was a bit odd- very restrained. He's also supposed to be extremely unlikable. So, Vance is limited here. Still, his performance works. Renoly Santiago emerges as a standout, giving a truly memorable performance. I didn't like Wade Dominguez at first- his performance felt too forced. He eventually wins us over, though. The cast as a whole is good.

As I mentioned, the film did receive criticism for its portrayal of stereotypes. It's definitely a bit uncomfortable- the teachers are mostly white. The students are mostly black or Latino and there's sex, drugs, gangs- all easy stereotypes for youth in the mid-90s. That being said, I was slightly less bothered by this. Maybe it's because I'm white, but I think the fact that this was based on a true story alleviates a bit of my concern here. Still, it's not great and it's another reason this isn't a great film.

The other big attraction in this film is the soundtrack, most notably, Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. This is an absolutely incredible song and it perfectly sets the mood and the tone for the entire film. You almost can't think about this film without hearing that song. It was a perfect vehicle for a truly excellent song by Coolio.

I have to say, I'm pretty surprised critics didn't like this movie much. Yes, it has flaws, but it's a really entertaining film that has inspiring moments. It has a killer soundtrack and features some good performances. For me, it did enough for me to consider it a wholly worthwhile and effective film. Dangerous Minds is far better than the critics would have you believe.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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