Review of Stand and Deliver (1998) by Blaze T — 18 Feb 2016

Stand and Deliver tells the story of Jaime Escalante a high school math teacher who teaches at the troubled Garfield High School in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Eastern Los Angeles. Throughout the movie, the plot centers around 18 Latino students who are struggling to get past Algebra when Escalante decides to challenge them to learn Calculus.

This became a laughable proposition for both the faculty and students who were at risk of losing their accreditation due to the poor performance of the children. An initial butting of heads occurs and conflict between Escalante and the students ensues.

However, due to his relatable humor and tough no nonsense methods, the students began to respect and love Escalante. In many ways he serves as the father figure to the students who are largely missing one at home.

The film seems to be exploring the social commentary of the lack of parenting and accountability of families in the education of their children. One quote that stuck out was when Escalante states at the faculty board meeting that, "students will rise to the level of expectations.

" This overarching and resounding statement serves to foreshadow the eventual triumph of the students because of Escalante's belief in their capabilities. The film fulfills the teacher/mentor archetype but I would also argue it can serve as the hero "arc" because Escalante defends and protects his students from a myriad of accusations.

In many ways I argue the film is most effective when the humor of Escalante comes through as it is how he relates to his students. Near the climax of the film despite suffering a heart attack he continues to believe and trust in his students and all 18 pass.

Despite a testing irregularity near the end the film resolves with the students retaking the exam and proving their ability. It seems at the end that the film director is making a social comment on discrimination of Latinos and other minorities as the film suggests was the reason for the cheating probe.

All in all I liked the film and thought it did a good job of balancing emotion with story and it left me with a worthwhile conclusion.