Cheap Lean on Me (DVD) (Morgan Freeman, Beverly Todd) (John G. Avildsen) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lean on Me

'Crazy Joe' goes Hollywood...
'Lean On Me' has become one of my favorite inspirational movies involving real people and events, despite the simplified and sometimes sappy-sickly-sweet Hollywood 'feel-good' treatment it's been given, along with a happy ending that ties everything up a bit too neat and nice. The forces trying to stop Joe Clark's straightforward efforts to turn Eastside High School around has been simplified for the movie, basically involving just a disgruntled parent and the city mayor. Even the many heated arguments between Clark and his faculty & superiors are less than sophisticated in wording and tone. None the less, I've always loved Morgan Freeman's performance of Clark.

Clark's expulsion of the most delinquent students was a pretty neat scene, and was something of a surprise when I first saw it. Anyone who'd attempt that nowadays would probably get sued penniless. And the rooftop scene where he tells expelled crackhead student Thomas Sams to just jump off the roof of the school and kill himself swiftly rather than slowly by smoking crack is one of my fave film moments, and the best 'tough love' moment in movie history: "It kills your brain cells, son, it kills your brain cells!"

And as the school improves, Clark does as well. In the movie you see him learning and adapting alongside the students & faculty. Even with his best efforts, he discovers that can't turn things around by himself. At first, his gruff behavior and strongarm approaches to solving problems makes most of the teachers reluctant to help him out. But they learn to adapt to Clark, and he learns to soften his methods a bit, and even gains a sense of humor.

Sadly, the real Joe Clark, to a small degree, has 'gone Hollywood'. His big gig nowadays is working the lecture circuit, as a motivational speaker. He's even written a book about what to do to save America's public schools. I've heard some of his speeches, and found them rather compelling, but I feel his talents and drive are best suited for running a school in need of a decisive, no-nonsense leader who gets things done.

'Late...

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A Wonderful Film
Lean On Me was a great film. Morgan Freeman played an important role in this film. His acting was great. It's about this principal named Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) that goes into a new school and sees nothing but disaster caused by the students. But he is not angry at the students. He is angry at the staff. He always yells at the staff from the top of his lungs because they can't get the kids in line. The school board gives him one year to get his students to pass a required student state test. They should have passed the test years ago but the staff could not get them to pass it. But Joe Clark did. Joe Clark is not to happy about his staff. He even fires a few of them. It's like they just gave up on the school. But when Joe Clark comes along, everything changes. The swearing in this movie could have been a little less, but that is the only drawback. Buy this movie, you will be happy you did.

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Perseverance and Determination
Morgan Freeman plays an excellent role as principal Joe Clark of a crippling New Jersey high school. The school was falling apart because of neglect from the teachers, parents, community, and state government. Joe Clark stormed in and fixed all that with old-fashioned techniques by getting everyone involved in the school and its students. Clark didn't back down despite the powers that be that were against him. The supporting roles from Robert Guillaume and the late Lynne Thigpen helped make the movie a good watch.