Review of Lean On Me (1989) by Yuri B — 21 Aug 2014

As director John G. Avildsen's last film that was considered really good, he'd went fresh with a new, non-predictable underdog story that was the biggest to make when under the label that time was on both a failing student body and school system. That's much bigger than a street boxer and a bullied target combined. So you can probably say that this is the grand finale of Avildsen's underdog saga.

While the challenge gotten more tough, the mentor gotten more tough (too tough actually) and Morgan Freeman gave it all he got to follow that much of the formula. His performance was just energetic with power to fight through complicated obstacles.

One of the basic elements that Avildsen kept was to have enough spirit and heart to be cheered (like in "The Karate Kid").

"Lean on Me" may be too rough than director Avildsen's previous underdogs, but it was a challenge for him to make a grand finale of his genre and his considered good works with the biggest formula for him to handle with same spirit, heart and ability to cheer; and Freeman went through the dramatized biopic with such energy and power. (B+).