Ramon Menendez’s Stand and Deliver presents a bold statement for the plight of minorities and their search for quality education in an urban environment. Based on a true story, Stand and Deliver motivates others to build a future better than the present and to win over obstacles that hold them back.
Sure — it’s an old movie. But it’s a good one to watch for inspiration before AP testing.
Stand and Deliver tells the story of a real-life calculus teacher at Garfield High, Jaime Escalante (played by Edward James Olmos). He takes a class of only troublemakers and potential dropouts with absolutely no motivation for studying. Yet, the unrelenting teacher inspires the class to fight against society’s discrimination and troubles, and soon, they bond and progress intellectually and morally. He ultimately leads all eighteen students of the class to pass the AP Calculus exam with high scores.
Escalante has stated that the movie is “90% truth and 10% drama.” There are moments that are overly dramatic and artificial, but those scenes do not hinder the overall message in the film. Fictional elements include the typical high school romance among students and their conflicts with parents and authorities. The movie, though, captures the gist: Escalante’s wise sight of seeing the potential in troublemakers who may have never achieved anything large without the help of this active educator.
The film realistically depicts the students’ conflicts outside of school and how Escalante’s devotion aids the students in overcoming the poverty, racial discrimination and other plights that characterize their lives. Olmos expresses Escalante’s passionate character finely, without fluffs and exaggerated tones. He was even nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
The film ends with surprising statistics of Escalante’s continued success at Garfield High School, with more students passing the AP test after the 18 students of 1982. This true life-changing story is definitely well-fit to be a film, giving a portrait of Escalante’s legacy to other students dealing with hardships.
