i must have seen a different film!!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Brilliant and touching

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I first saw this in high school and knew I wanted to become like Ron Clark. I love him so much that I've read a couple of his books. They're equally as inspiring. I didn't end up as a school teacher but I do volunteer teach some unprivileged kids so I try to develop myself with his methods. I still have a lot to learn but I'm excited to do so. I just wish I'm in his class right now.

It's 1998. Ron Clark (Matthew Perry) gets results as an elementary teacher but he leaves his job in the small town of Aurora, North Carolina for NYC. He wants to find a teaching job in Harlem. He starts as a waiter where he befriends Marissa Vega. Inner Harlem Elementary School Principal Turner (Ernie Hudson) dismisses him as being too nice but Clark pushes to teach the worst class in the school. The kids are disruptive. Tayshawn is a troubled kid from a bad foster home. Shameika Wallace is busy taking care of her 3 siblings. Julio is taking bets on how long the teacher lasts. Badriyah is quietly hiding her brains.This is a functional white savior teacher movie. There are some hokey stuff that is traditional to the genre. Matthew Perry does a good job with some slightly more serious acting. I love the kids most of all. Both Brandon Mychal Smith and Hannah Hodson show some promising skills. The story stays traditional and on the expected path.

This was a very pleasant surprise for me over the Christmas break even at the time it was screened at 06.00 am, lucky I got up early! Rarely am I so taken with a film such as this, but obviously the story line really got me, as did the excellent acting by all the cast, the kids were just great, and utterly convincing.I was also pleased to discover the film was based on fact, and I was pleased that these rebel children went on to greater things, would not the world be a much better place if there were More Mr Clark's around? Not just in teaching but in all walks of life, especially in politics and industry.Honesty is in very short supply these days, now I am rambling so will pack in, surely my ten lines are complete?

Great story, great acting and what a shame it was only made for TV, maybe and just maybe because it's for TV, it was given the opportunity to tell a story with excellence, emotion and great merit, with none of those Hollywood type of rubbish.Matthew Perry has been a great actor, not just a comedy actor. His portrait of Ron Clark has brought the character down to earth, told as it is.I did not know anything about Ron Clark before watching this film, yet after watching it, I felt as if I were there, in Mr Clark's very own classroom, that's what a good film should be. Not just for our eyes and brains but for our hearts.Now I only wish Mr Clark had been my teacher.