September 02, 2020
'Dangerous Minds'
Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, and Van Lathan try to figure out who Mr. Tambourine Man is after rewatching 'Dangerous Minds,' starring Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, and Renoly Santiago.
Cast
Michelle Pfeiffer as LouAnne Johnson
Wade Dominguez as Emilio Ramirez
Renoly Santiago as Raul
George Dzundza as Hal Griffith
Courtney B. Vance as Mr. Grandey
Notes
- This was the last Don Simpson movie (Simpson/Bruckheimer partnership) before his death.
- Michelle Pfeiffer was pregnant during filming. Shot out of sequence; scenes feature long skirts, bulky sweaters, and large purses to hide the pregnancy.
- Andy Garcia was cast as LouAnne's love interest, filmed a whole arc, then was completely cut. Garcia: 'They wrote up a whole arc. We played it out, had a great time... was determined later that it was really unnecessary. But I did cash the check!'
- Gangsta's Paradise was originally offered to 'Bad Boys', but they didn't want to pay for it. Stevie Wonder agreed to let Coolio sample 'Pastime Paradise' on two conditions: remove curse words and Stevie gets 95% of the publishing.
- The real LouAnne Johnson used rap lyrics to teach poetry; the movie changed this to Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas – a deliberate whitewashing of the real story.
- The real Emilio did not die – spent four years in the Marines, became a dad, still alive. Wade Dominguez (who played him) tragically died in 1998.
- Brooklyn Harris (Callie) asked the real LouAnne Johnson on set: 'Why does it always have to be a white person lifting up the poor little Negroes?' Johnson's response: 'I wrote the book. I have to be white.'
- $23 million budget, grossed $179 million. Soundtrack was 3x Platinum. Gangsta's Paradise was the #1 song of 1995.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“We have seen this basic story before in Stand and Deliver, Lean on Me, Teachers, Dead Poets Society and so on. This version is less than compelling.”
Bill: 'Words hurt.'
Most re-watchable scene
- Shea and Van: The dinner scene with Raul at the Flowering Peach restaurant – Raul borrows money to get a coat, is intimidated by the waiter, then loosens up and tells the waiter 'Hey man, we're talking.'
- Bill: The ending, when the kids fight for LouAnne to stay and she comes back.
- Emilio sticks up for Miss Johnson in class ('Read it again, Miss Johnson').
- LouAnne's second day 'badass' entrance with the leather jacket.
What aged the best?
- The chemistry between Emilio (Wade Dominguez) and LouAnne (Pfeiffer).
- Pfeiffer's star power and likability.
- The score by Wendy and Lisa (from Prince's band The Revolution).
- The Dylan vs. Dylan contest – 'good teaching.'
- The Gangsta's Paradise music video directed by Antoine Fuqua, featuring Michelle Pfeiffer.
What aged the worst?
- The movie title itself – 'What does that mean?'
- Courtney B. Vance's low-talking principal character.
- The portrayal of Black parents – the two Black parents she visits don't seem to care about their kids' education. Van: 'I've never heard of that before, ever.' The real LouAnne Johnson was also upset about this.
Casting what-ifs
Andy Garcia was cast as LouAnne's love interest, filmed a whole arc, then was completely cut from the film.
Best "that guy"
- Callie (Brooklyn Harris) – Bill says every time he sees her: 'Oh, that's Callie' but had no idea what her real name was.
- Robin Bartlett (the guidance counselor) – also in Baby Boom, Moonstruck, and Lean on Me.
Over-acting award
Bill nominates Emilio's girlfriend Angela (Marisela Gonzalez) – 'dials it up a couple times, ramps it up to eleven.'
Re-casting couch
- Van suggests Michelle Rodriguez for Angela's role, but Shea rejects it – Rodriguez is 'too tough' for a role that needed 'big doe eyes' and vulnerability.
- Van says the movie was 'perfectly cast' overall.
Best "heat check" performance
- Raul (Renoly Santiago) – though he's in it too much to be truly eligible.
- Van's pick: Courtney B. Vance as the principal – only in about four scenes but makes a massive impression. 'One of the most vile characters I've ever seen in a movie.' Nicknamed 'Whisper Daddy.'
Apex Mountain
- Coolio: Yes, without a doubt.
- White savior complex schoolteacher movies specifically: Yes, this is the apex.
- Michelle Pfeiffer: No – her apex is The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Picking nits
- Michelle Pfeiffer as a Marine – Bill doesn't buy it.
- Why does LouAnne have no friends or dates? She's freshly divorced, her only friend is George Dzundza.
Sequel, prequel, prestige TV or untouchable?
Rare unanimous rejection. Bill says it has to be self-contained; 'you start to ask too many questions' in a second semester.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
- Why did LouAnne take the kids to a fancy French restaurant instead of somewhere they'd actually feel comfortable?
- Did LouAnne only teach one class? What was she doing the other seven periods?
- Why does the bell always surprise teachers in teacher movies? Shea: 'No teacher has ever been caught off guard when the bell rings.'
Who won the movie?
Raul (Renoly Santiago) – unanimous. 'He's the most important guy, threaded through, has most of the best moments and the whole arc.'
Half-assed (internet) research
- The movie was spun off into a TV show (1996-97): 17 episodes with Annie Potts as LouAnne Johnson, got canceled.
- Filmed mostly in Burbank; exterior was Burlingame High School in Burlingame, CA.
- Gangsta's Paradise music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua.