Please don't spend money on this.

just watch it!

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A good movie which takes tends to avoid the caricatures that Hollywood regularly likes to use to represent inner city youth. This is perhaps the films biggest strength. The process of change which students go through from being lethargic to being vested in their academic futures was not some that the director chose to belabour. The time jumps are relatively significant but well chosen.The film has inspiring moments without being to quixotic and well worth a watch.

"Stand and Deliver" is not without flaws, but honestly these flaws don't matter so much given that this film is such good entertainment. In fact, film critics usually narrow in on the lapses in logic and flaws because they resent a film for being so boring. Such a criticism cannot be levelled at this picture, however. First and foremost, "Stand and Deliver" is unique in the sense that it is much more than a retelling of the inspirational teacher formula. Instead, this film is about the power of sheer determination. Edward James Olmos' Jaime Escalante impresses us when he claims that he can transform unmotivated and rebellious kids into math students without receiving additional resources and the proceeds to make good on this promise. He knows that his high school is in a crisis, but that does not seem to faze him in the least nor discourage him from doggedly pursuing his own vision. Then after Escalante works his magic, some of the students start to show their innate intellectual potential which few people ever thought was there. CastCast overview, first billed only: Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos ... Jaime Escalante Estelle Harris Estelle Harris ... Secretary Mark Phelan Mark Phelan ... Cop Virginia Paris Virginia Paris ... Raquel Ortega Eliot Eliot ... Tito (as Mark Eliot) Adelaida Alvarez Adelaida Alvarez ... Sexy Girl Will Gotay Will Gotay ... Pancho Patrick Baca Patrick Baca ... Javier Ingrid Oliu Ingrid Oliu ... Lupe Carmen Argenziano Carmen Argenziano ... Molina Richard Martinez Richard Martinez ... Heavy Metal Boy Mark Everett Mark Everett ... Heavy Metal Boy Tyde Kierney Tyde Kierney ... Joe Goodell Rosanna DeSoto Rosanna DeSoto ... Fabiola Escalante (as Rosana De Soto) Bodie Olmos Bodie Olmos ... Fernando Escalante See full cast »

The story of Jaime Escalante (John Combover), a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout prone students to learn calculus.You might not think a story about math and calculus would be that interesting, but actually this is pretty good. Not as dramatic or intense as "Dangerous Minds", but shows us what is possible with the right teacher and students who believe in themselves. (Exactly how true it is I have no idea, but at least the general concept is true.) I would have liked to see more or the students. The home life seemed a bit silly at times, as though the students wanted more and the parents wanted them to fail. Is that right? I suppose it could be, but something seemed very two-dimensional about it.

Stand and Deliver is an American drama film based on a true story. it was released on March 11, 1988 and was directed by Ramón Menéndez. Jaime Escalante is the high school math teacher who hopes to start a Calculus class and teach "unqualified" students to pass the national AP Exam. He faces many struggles from the cultural and societal standards that the students have been unfairly labeled with. However, he and his class prevails despite the many doubters. The most powerful scene is when they retake the AP test. This scene is powerful because it provides a sense of determination and taking a STAND for what is right despite all odds. The scene that suggests the films ultimate purpose is when Señor Escalante is in the hospital and his estudiantes remind us to never give up on people because they remind us that we as a human race should never give up on or neglect people that are less fortunate.This extends to the injustice of free trade and how prosperous nations and mega corporations disregard the well- being of third world citizens and take advantage of their labor. If these businesses and economies were more like Jaime Escalante they would be more supportive of fair trade. In conclusion, the life of a factory worker in Indonesia is just as valuable as the life of the CEO of Nike.