Dangerous Minds (1995)
61%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 8 nominations
Rife with stereotypes that undermine its good intentions, Dangerous Minds is too blind to see that the ones it hurts are the audience
If you’re looking for a movie that’s a bit like To Sir With Love, but with Michelle Pfeiffer instead of Sidney Poitier, then Dangerous Minds might be the one for you. Critics seem to be split on whether it’s a formulaic, predictable, and simplified story or an uplifting, emotional, and inspiring one. But one thing they all agree on is that Pfeiffer gives a scrappy and committed performance as a teacher trying to make a difference in the lives of her students. So, if you’re in the mood for a movie that’s a bit cheesy, a bit cliché, but ultimately heartwarming, then give Dangerous Minds a try. Just don’t expect it to win any awards for originality.
Production Company(ies)
Excelsa Film
Distributor
Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 39m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 1995 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 5, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B Vance, Robin Bartlett, Bruklin Harris, Renoly Santiago, directed by John N Smith, written by LouAnne Johnson, Ronald Bass, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, James Berardinelli, Peter Travers, Kenneth Turan, Edward Guthmann, Joey O’Bryan, Sheila Reid, Margaret A McGurk, Mike Massie, Brian Costello, David Sterritt, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson, R rating, inner-city high school, underachieving teens, Marine, military training, inspiring teacher, tough audience, rebellious students, unorthodox methods, friendship, trust, gang violence, true story, soundtrack, Gangsta’s Paradise, candy bars, stereotypes, good intentions, blind, hurtful, uplifting, formulaic, inspirational, patronizing, sentimentalized
Worldwide gross: $179,519,401
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $352,999,742
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 434
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 38,495,065
US/Canada gross: $84,919,401
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $166,982,101
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 455
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,931,503
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $29,360,708
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 475
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $23,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $45,226,277
Production budget ranking: 868
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $24,354,350
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $283,419,116
ROI to date (est.): 407%
ROI ranking: 339
George Dzundza – Hal Griffith
Courtney B. Vance – Mr. George Grandey
Robin Bartlett – Ms. Carla Nichols
Bruklin Harris – Callie Roberts
Renoly Santiago – Raul Sanchero
Director(s)
John N. Smith
Writer(s)
LouAnne Johnson, Ronald Bass
Producer(s)
Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (29)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
August 19, 2008 | Rating: 2/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Pfeiffer gives a funny, scrappy performance that makes you feel a committed teacher’s fire to make a difference.
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
The tale screenwriter Ronald Bass came up with, and the way director John N. Smith tells it, is stereotypical, predictable and simplified to the point of meaninglessness.
February 13, 2001
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
What makes it work is the integrity of Pfeiffer’s performance and Smith’s direction, and the high spirits of the young, racially diverse supporting cast.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2.5/5
Joey O’Bryan
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
If you liked Sidney Portier in To Sir With Love, this is the film for you.
May 13, 2022
Sheila Reid
Women in the Life
[Dangerous Minds] tells a story that, frankly, we’ve heard before. Yet it tells that story with such piercing emotion that it seems brand new.
August 19, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
The film is able to overcome its faults through an uplifting finale; it may be formulaic, but the inspirational model is entirely effective.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Cliches, stereotypes, mixed messages in ’90s school drama.
July 29, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
Movie stars have tamed sassy kids in movies from The Blackboard Jungle to Stand and Deliver, but it’s hard to remember an example more patronizing or sentimentalized than this one.
March 29, 2019 | Rating: 1/4
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor
None of it rings the slightest bit true; all of it insults the intelligence.
December 26, 2006 | Rating: 1/4
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Dangerous Minds.
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