Staying Fit
(Left to right) Robin Williams, Michelle Pfeiffer and Sidney Poitier
Touchstone Pictures/Getty Images; Hollywood Pictures/Getty Images; Courtesy Everett Collection
Teachers have had it hard this past year. With schools shutting down because of the COVID pandemic, wrestling with how to connect with kids through remote learning, and then returning to the front lines while putting their own health at risk, they are more than ever our nation's unsung (and underpaid) heroes. In honor of National Teachers Day on May 4, let's take a moment (or a few hours) to celebrate the gifts of a great teacher in these heartwarming films.
Paula Patton stars as Ms. Blu Rain in "Precious."
Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection
Precious (2009)
Inspiring teacher: Paula Patton
More than any other profession, teachers have the power to transform lives for the better. And Lee Daniels’ heartbreaking (and ultimately heartwarming) inner-city drama makes that point with blunt force. Gabourey Sidibe plays Claireece “Precious” Jones, a 16-year-old girl who can neither read nor write and who suffers constant emotional abuse from her mother (Oscar winner Mo'Nique). But she is thrown a lifeline when she's transferred to an alternative school and comes under the wing of a sympathetic and saintly teacher (played with tender kindness by Paula Patton), who turns this girl who was once told she was a lost cause into someone who's hopeful for the first time in her life.
Watch it: Precious, on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
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Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Inspiring teacher: Laurence Fishburne
Rare is the underdog tale that inspires audiences without succumbing to sappiness. But this heart-tugging indie about an 11-year-old girl from South Central L.A. named Akeelah (a terrific Keke Palmer) pulls off that awkward balancing act with surprising grace. The setting is the annual National Spelling Bee, where pint-size super-achievers showcase their smarts for a prize that's more about self-esteem than money. Despite her impoverished background, Akeelah has what it takes to win according to her encouraging mentor (Laurence Fishburne), even if her own mother fears what losing will do to her spirit. Spoiler alert: She crushes it.
Watch it: Akeelah and the Bee, on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
School of Rock (2003)
Inspiring teacher: Jack Black
The devilishly funny Jack Black soars as a rock ‘n’ roll Mr. Chips in director Richard Linklater's delirious grade-school comedy about an oafish, heavy metal-loving teacher who cons his way into a substitute-teaching gig at a stuffy private school and proceeds to help his class of buttoned-up kids let loose and embrace the sonic power of Led Zeppelin et al. Guitar solos are shredded, drum solos are unleashed, and a new sense of confidence is discovered, thanks to his belief in them as he enters the students in a local battle of the bands. Despite all of the film's silly laughs (and there's a lot of them), there's a stirring message here about letting your freak flag fly and soaking up life lessons from the unlikeliest places, such as in the collected works of Black Sabbath.
Watch it: School of Rock, on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Inspiring teacher: Michelle Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer bushwhacks her way through thickets of clichés to deliver a blistering performance that's as ferocious as it is genuinely moving. She plays a former Marine who lands a job teaching bright but underachieving teenagers in an urban pilot program. At first, the bored kids walk all over her like a white-savior doormat. But then, she knuckles down and taps into her inner semper fi spirit and finds unorthodox ways to connect with them, like by putting aside textbooks and finding the educational lessons buried within song lyrics. Fueled by a great soundtrack and Pfeiffer's tough against-type turn, Dangerous Minds became a surprise box-office hit upon its release. And watching it again now, it's easy to see why.
Watch it: Dangerous Minds, on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
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