Stand and Deliver (1988)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Fans of inspirational dramas about the life-changing power of education will be touched by this moving, mostly true story of famed East L.A. math teacher Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos), who finds himself in a classroom of rebellious remedial students. Escalante stuns fellow faculty members with his plans to teach the kids AP calculus. But no one expects the mostly Hispanic teens (including Lou Diamond Phillips) to overcome the odds.
- Actors:
- Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan, Virginia Paris, Eliot, Adelaida Alvarez, Will Gotay, Patrick Baca, Ingrid Oliu, Carmen Argenziano, Richard Martinez, Mark Everett, Tyde Kierney, Rosanna DeSoto, Bodie Olmos
- Directors:
- Ramón Menéndez
- Producers:
- Tom Musca
- Writers:
- Ramón Menéndez, Tom Musca
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Back to School: Best Films Featuring Teachers, Films & TV by topic
More like Stand and Deliver
Found in these customers lists
Reviews (1) of Stand and Deliver
Flat Equation - Stand and Deliver review by griggs
I’d been told this one was inspirational, but I didn’t find much to inspire. Stand and Deliver tells the story of Jaime Escalante, a real-life maths teacher in East Los Angeles who pushed a group of struggling students to tackle advanced exams normally thought beyond their reach.
On paper, it sounds like a stirring victory. On screen, though, the effect is blunted. The staging is functional rather than cinematic, closer to a primetime drama than a feature film. Performances don’t help: Edward James Olmos throws himself into the role but often tips into caricature, while the students are acted with a stiffness that makes the classroom feel more like amateur theatre. The result is earnest but unconvincing.
There’s sincerity in its message — that expectation matters as much as education — but sincerity alone can’t make the film compelling. It’s well-meaning, but not especially memorable, and certainly not the rallying cry its reputation suggests.