Customer Reviews

Dangerous Minds

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Former Marine LouAnne Johnson leaves an officer's commission and a nine-year military career to pursue her dream of becoming an English teacher. But while earning her credentials at a Northern California high school, she is assigned to a group of students who change her life forever. And she changes theirs. Although each of her charges exhibits a seemingly inpenetrable facade, these kids are desperate to connect with someone who cares about them. As their new instructor, the feisty Ms. Johnson defies all the rules, creates her own curriculum and instructs this class of tough, inner-city teenagers from college-level texts. This is ultimately a feel good movie with much humanity; one of those movies that you really ought to see.

After I watched Dangerous Minds for the first time I couldn't stop watching it. It was such a good movie. It was sad but that was part of what made it so good. Sometimes in order to enjoy a movie there has to be sad parts or it doesn't seem realistic.

My favortie character in the movie was Callie Roberts. She was such a smart, strong person. I felt sorry for her having to be in a class like that.

If you haven't seen Dangerous Minds, you have to rent it. You won't regret it.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays LouAnne Johnson an ex-Marine teaching a inner-city school. I thought the movie had a good message but, I saw a lot of "Lean on Me" elements, and that's what didn't make it very original in my opinion. I thought that Michelle did a wonderful job, and it's a very inspirational movie. I guess that I just expected more than that. I can say that it is based on actual events that happened so, that's a plus.

It's not often that I write reviews like this, but thought I would in this case.

I remember, eerily enough, when this movie came out in 1995. Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" came out in August of that year and was an instant hit, topping the Billboards for two, three months straight. I was only 13 then.

The movie itself was really good. The acting was great and the depiction of inner-city life was stellar. I thought it was a shame that it was only given two stars by the Movie Rating Association, but what do they know?

Everyone gets to make choices in life regardless of their situation. One must have the drive and ambition to make the right ones. One line that Ms. Johnson has in the film is the response to one student's statement "If we get on the bus, we have to put up with you!" She responds, "Yes, but that is still a choice. You can either [stay where you're at] or get on that bus. That may be a choice you don't like but that's still a choice. There are no losers in this classroom."

I also like her line of "As of right now, everyone in here has an 'A'. It's up to you to keep it."

The movie was filmed at my school where I was the lead science teacher. The classroom they used was mine which made the theme all that more realistic. For most children in problem areas is is a miracle just to get to school alive or undaunted and "Dangerous Minds" extracts this exact fear. I thouroughly enjoyed watching the movie being filmed but more so when it was brought to the screen.

This movie was real good. But it could have gone without the swearing even thought then it wouldn't seem very gangster like. But this movie shows what the kids go through in that kind of a life. It is so sad what happens to Emilio. He was actually starting to change but then the stupid principal wouldn't talk to him. That part just made my mouth hang open when he said he sent him away for not knocking. But I'm not going to tell you the whole story. I think everyone should see it at least once. You don't have to buy it, just rent it or something. It shows you how really gangster life is not really as cool as some people think it to be. But this movie was good enough for me to buy

The storyline of Dangerous Minds is undoubtedly conventional. Former US Marine (Michelle Pffeifer) joins the teaching profession with oodles of idealism, hoping to mould young minds. The rest of the film proceeds to show the challenges she has to surmount to win over a group of underprivileged, mostly black kids, and to convince them that they have options in life. The plot has the potential to be very tired. That's why this DVD sat on my shelf for years, and I never had any incentive to pick it up. When I finally did, the film surprised me with its powerful, emotional acting and characterization. It also imparted some good values without coming across as preachy. In terms of depth, it was also much better than Mona Lisa Smile, or Music of The Heart (both of the same genre). All in all, highly entertaining, feel-good film which unlike most Hollywood movies, also imparts a dose of good values.

Dangerous Minds was a very good movie although the story line was a little predictable. It showed real kids with real problems. It also shows that all it takes is for someone to actually care about kids like that and they can change. There was a lot of foul language and although that's how kids talk, they could have done without it. I like how the writers had Michelle P's character constantly talk about choices. She showed how everything we do and say is our choice. We may not have choices that we like (which she stated) but everything in life is a choice. Good movie for all (especially students).

I watched this yesterday, and can't quite believe I never saw it when it came out... considering I'm a big Michelle Pfeiffer fan and of movies similar to this. Maybe I was tired of THE PRINCIPLE and LEAN ON ME type movies at the time... nevertheless, this is an excellent movie with a very good message. Basically through it all... no matter who you are, no matter what difficulties you face in your life, and no matter what cards are played to you... the fact is that you make your own choices. By making your own choices, you choose the path of your own life... even if you give in and allow someone else to make those choices, that was your choice, too.

There's a lot of rough language, and rough characters... but a much more believable storyline than other movies of this same type. It seems all it takes is one person to care to make a difference, where others may see no light. Michelle Pfeiffer's character is that light... and if you've ever asked yourself "what can one person do," this may be a very rewarding or enlightening movie for you - as it was for me.

Lesson learned haha, this movie is an oldie but goodie, it really shows how youngsters grew up in the 90's!