Dangerous Minds

by KASTLE

The trailers would have us believe this movie is an inner-city Dead Poets Society; but what tries to be an inspirational, moving film falls flat on its poetic butt.

Dangerous Minds stars Michelle Pfeiffer as an ex-Marine turned English teacher. She is unknowingly thrown to the lions, a class of trouble infested, educationally challenged, drug employed slum kids who get a kick out of driving teachers to nervous breakdowns.

Based on the true story of Lou Anne Johnson and her book My Posse Don't Do Homework, the movie fails to bring this already unbelievable story to life. While there is no question that Pfeiffer is a good actress who has proven herself many times over, she never seems to grasp Johnson's character. Depicting the school teacher as a waif-turned-tough through using her Marine survival training, Pfeiffer focuses more on Johnson's mannerisms than her passion. Her cracked voice and forced sentimentalism come off too contrived to be believable. And while we really want her to be the whip-smart mentor, she appears more like the nagging mom you wish would just go away.

But the real problem here is the script. We never see a character fully-developed enough to draw us in, or even make us care about Johnson or any of her students. We are not offered any background on any of the characters' motivations. It's all just supposed to be understood; after all, that's life in the 'hood right?

The whole movie is little episodes with Pfeiffer running around from door to door trying to solve everybody's problems. There is never one climactic and poignant event that makes you want to get behind her efforts. We never really WORRY about these people, much less want to see them achieve. Even, when after lots of creative bribery, Ms. Johnson gets through to her students with the poetry of Bob Dylan lyrics, the predictability makes the movie a hopeless clichè.

Just as punk rock's freakish stylings were made a mockery of in film and TV a few years ago, so now is the hip hop movement a target. Dangerous Minds appears to jump onto the trendy bandwagon of media hype surrounding teen involvement in gangs, pregnancy, drugs and illiteracy. The movie, however, does not move us to care.

Interview with Michelle Pfeiffer


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