Stand and Deliver (1988)

Director:

Ramón Menéndez

Writers (WGA):

Ramón Menéndez (written by) &
Tom Musca (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In 1982, a new troublemaker hit Garfield High. He was tough. He was wild. He was willing to fight. He was the new math teacher.

Plot:

A dedicated teacher inspires his dropout prone students to learn calculus to build up their self-esteem and do so well that they are accused of cheating.

Plot Keywords:

Calculus | Dedicated Teacher | Cheating | Dropout | Mathematics

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 10 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Eliot	...	Tito (as Mark Eliot)
Edward James Olmos	...	Jaime A. Escalante
Estelle Harris	...	Estelle (Principal Molina's secretary)
Mark Phelan	...	Cop
Virginia Paris	...	Raquel Ortega
Adelaida Álvarez	...	Sexy girl
Will Gotay	...	Pancho
Patrick Baca	...	Javier Perales
Ingrid Oliu	...	Guadalupe 'Lupe' Escobar
Carmen Argenziano	...	Mr. Molina - Garfield High Principal
Richard Martinez	...	Heavy metal boy
Mark Everett	...	Heavy metal boy
Tyde Kierney	...	Joe Goodell
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Fabiola Escalante (as Rosana De Soto)
Bodie Olmos	...	Fernando Escalante

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1989) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | USA:PG | West Germany:12 (f)

Filming Locations:

Garfield High School - 5101 E. 6th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Playhouse

Trivia:

Edward James Olmos went through a hair thinning process and gained an estimated 20 pounds for the role of Jaime Escalante.

Goofs:

Factual errors: According to Jamie Escalante, he suffered a gall bladder attack, not a heart attack as was implied in the movie.

Quotes:

Dr. Ramirez: How'd you do it?
Angel: I got the test ahead of time and passed it out to all the others?
Dr. Pearson: How did you get it?
Angel: The Mailman
[pause]
Angel: I strangled him and his body's decomposing in my locker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Girlfriends: Stand and Deliver (#8.13)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Cada Quien Por Su Camino

Edward James Olmos delivers!

I know, there are a million movies made like this. The story about a teacher handling tough students has been told quite some times. "Dangerous Minds", To Sir, With Love", "The Substitute"-movies, "The Principal",... The stories often look a lot like each other and "Stand and Deliver" isn't any different, but that doesn't bother. This is a fine movie!

I don't know if Edward James Olmos' Academy Award nomination was a big surprise at the Oscars or if his performance was indeed one of the 5 best performances of 1988, but I can only confirm that he gave a great performance. Funny, smart and touching as well. I think all the students were great as well, even so I didn't knew any of them, except from Lou Diamond Philips of course.

"Stand and Deliver" might not be the most original movie ever made, but that doesn't change the fact that it's highly enjoyable to watch. The story is good and the performances are great. Nor melodramatic, neither comic, just excellent Saturday night entertainment without being cheap. Worth watching!

8/10