osborne-mindy Every year I watch this movie 3-4 times to remind me of why I do what I do. It is relatable, unfortunately, and necessary for most teachers to watch. I cry every time but this movie is crucial to my educational career.

Pedro Cadeia A good movie! In my opinion, very undervalued. I really liked the character that Michelle Pfeiffer created.It is a film that shows the importance of teachers and teaching. The impact that a good teacher can create in their students and the alert to the need for more talented teachers and committed to building citizens and righteous humans. The school principal and Carla are probably allegorical characters of narcissistic society we live in. That is, they tolerate the others but they don't live with them.Sometimes, there are families who don't support their children and teachers often become the ones who can make a difference. The ones who can recognize their existence, be light, be the "Mr. Tambourine Man". Regardless of the intervention of teachers / family, the kids will find a way, a path ... whether it thriving or declining. So ultimately, it is up to the teachers to help them make the choice of going on that bus instead of staying on the outside.As for Coolio song "gangsta's paradise" I must say that, for me, music is just music, we can fit it in different genres, accompanied by several lyrics. I don'r really appreciate the original Stevie Wonder but I like Coolio's version. It's just a matter of taste :)

FlashCallahan 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.And guess what? it works!! In a non-patronising way to the audience..It's been sixteen years since this film was released here in England, and it was a movie I always resisted in seeing. Mainly because it got so much coverage thanks to that awful song, but it never really appealed to me.Seeing it for the first time last week, I now know why. It's a pitiful movie, cashing in on success of Boyz n the Hood, and high school movies, but with the Bruckheimer and Simpson sheen.It just doesn't work. For one thing the class look almost as old as Pfeiffer, and they warm to her way too soon. Secondl, she goes out of her way to look after these 'kids'. it's as if Edward James Olmos and Morgan Freeman are giving her motivation throughout.Pfeiffer is trying to down play her beauty, wearing a leather jacket and eating junk in every scene, but she doesn't convince.There is nothing new to see, it's just another bad class with hearts of gold movie, and they are tiresome.See 187 instead, that is a movie.

raisleygordon I've enjoyed dramas about teachers who help their students make a difference, such as 'Lean on Me', 'Freedom Writers', and 'One Eight Seven', but this is hardly one of them. The teacher doesn't come close to being remotely strict, and the students don't seem particularly indifferent. The movie isn't so much about ethics as it is about getting inside the heads of these people. There's nothing at stake here. The amusement park and restaurant scenes aren't earned, and aren't necessary. Movies like this don't have to be conventional, but they should mean something. The parts of the film that do work, are when Pfeiffer's character is interacting with the other adults. The relationship between her and the students didn't work for me.**1/2 out of ****