If you think about late 1990s rap, I am guessing one of the songs that comes to mind is “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio.  It was ubiquitous at the end of the last century, so much so that it was spoofed by “Weird Al” Yankovic into Amish paradise.  That was funny twenty-five years ago, though as I have grown in my Faith, I have come to see the tune differently.  Getting back to the original, the movie that made it popular was 1995’s Dangerous Minds.  I am a little surprised I had yet to review it, and you might be surprised to know that today marked the first time I had seen it.  What is less surprising is the way it made me think about how God reaches people, even if I would hesitate to call new teacher LouAnne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) a Jesus-figure.

Indeed, it is difficult to think of a former United States (US) Marine as Christ-like, but then again her appearance at the beginning of Dangerous Minds does not bespeak military.  She is dressed like one might expect of any teacher, and she has come to Parkmont High School at the behest of her friend and future co-worker, Hal Griffith (George Dzundza).  She is recently divorced and looking for employment, having nearly earned a teaching certificate while serving.  We later learn that she is trying to make better choices, having gotten an abortion as a result of being abused in her marriage.  She is desperate for a job, and the school is desperate to hire her.  Their reason is simple.  They have a group of students with particular educational needs that nobody has been willing to stick with in the classroom for more than a few months.  As such, they are willing to waive her last certification requirement, and she ignores Hal’s attempts at warning her as to what she is getting into with her new charges.  The next morning marks her first day and though Hal reassures her that he is next door if she needs anything, she does not expect to seek that assistance within minutes of her being in their presence.  With a few exceptions, they are aggressive in their unruliness, and she tells Hal that she has nothing to offer.  He preaches patience, and the following day she shows up early with a new attitude.  The studying she had done overnight, as well as some advice, leads her to realize that she has to do something to get their attention.  Her approach is to tell them about her time in the military, proceeded by an impromptu karate lesson.  The display is reported to the principal, George Grandey (Courtney B. Vance), who summons LouAnne to his office.  Once the niceties are observed with her knocking on the door before being allowed to enter, she is told that giving instructions on how to be violent is a fireable offense.  She takes the word of caution, but uses a different tact to command the room.  Because it is an English course, they have to go over vocabulary, so she uses words they might recognize, like death.  Once again, she is called to George’s office and told to stick to the curriculum.  Nonetheless, the process has started, and she is able to gradually introduce poetry into their lives through the medium of Bob Dylan.  As the walls come down, she forms more personal relationships with the students.  The one she is told is key is Emilio Rodriguez (Wade Dominguez), one of the more troubled cases.  At one point, LouAnne steps between a fight about to take place between Emilio and his classmate, Raul Sanchero (Renoly Santiago).  She threatens to turn them in for expulsion if the boys do not agree to be peaceful, but they end up coming to blows when she is out of sight.  Instead of dismissing them as juvenile delinquents, she goes to their homes to talk about the matter.  With Raul’s parents, she not only comments on how the situation is not their son’s fault, but how bright LouAnne thinks Raul can be.  She also makes a stop to chat with Emilio’s parents.  Between these visits and taking the class to an amusement park, she has firmly won over the class.  With their trust, she is able to introduce more poetry to them, such as that written by Dylan Thomas.  Indeed, she holds a contest with them to see who can come up with the best example of a Bob Dylan song that most closely matches a Dylan Thomas poem.  The winners are Callie Roberts (Bruklin Harris), Durrell Benton (Richard Grant), and Raul, and their reward is to have dinner with her.  This is also when things slip a little.  It is only Raul that comes, but he reveals during the meal that he has to miss class to make money illegally to pay off the leather jacket he is wearing.  LouAnne agrees to front him the money in exchange for him graduating.  With Callie, she had to miss due to work, which is necessary because she is pregnant.  Further, despite LouAnne’s protests, Callie claims she has to go to a special school for teen mothers.  Finally, LouAnne tracks down Durrell and is told that he will not return to school because his mother deems it to be unnecessary.  However, the worst is to come with Emilio.  One day, his life is threatened by another boy who had just gotten out of jail.  LouAnne pleads with Emilio to tell somebody about the situation instead of choosing violence.  He does go to George’s office, but is dismissed when the kid does not knock on the door.  A few minutes later, Emilio is shot dead a couple blocks from school.  LouAnne is devastated and is about to quit, telling her class she will not be returning next year.  With Callie coming back to class, they are able to convince LouAnne to change her mind, and that is where the film ends.

It is a little obvious that LouAnne is going to change her mind at the end of Dangerous Minds, but that should not take away from the quality of the film.  I appreciated it on a few levels, not the least of which is that I am a former educator, too.  I confess that I would have struggled to have the same patience as her, and this is a fitting statement to lead me into my Catholic discussion.  I admit to such impatience not so much because of my experience in the classroom, but from my time working as a youth minister with middle and high schoolers.  It is unruliness that gives me trouble, something you do not get with college aged young adults.  However, I know the right approach, and it is one that was often repeated by my boss and friend with whom I worked for a couple years.  She always said that in order to be a kind of Jesus to teens, you have to meet them where they are.  LouAnne shows up on her first day and believes she is going to get them to immediately conjugate verbs.  It takes her being reminded of the violent world in which they live to know that this will not work.  Thus, she switches to karate.  Granted, it is hard to imagine Jesus using this tactic to guide His disciples.  However, he did exactly as I just mentioned: He met them where they were.  A number of His Apostles were fishermen, and not only does Jesus first call them from their nets, but He appears to them after the Resurrection by the shore.  One could also make the argument that the washing of the feet at the Last Supper is God getting on our level in the most literal way possible.  LouAnne models this not only in the classroom, but by going out into their neighborhoods and getting a sense of their personal problems.  Jesus gained the trust of His followers by doing the same thing.

What I have a little trouble trusting in Dangerous Minds is why it is rated R.  There is some foul language and a few adult situations, but I have seen far worse films with the same rating.  The song I mentioned in the introduction makes it seem worse than what it is when seeing it.  Otherwise, I would say it is inspirational.