In a Class of His Own

I saw this movie back in 2002 when I was a kid . Then I forgot about it . Until this year 2014 I saw it again and reminded me of how great this film really is. The acting is actually very good, mostly from Lou D. Phillips and some of the leading kids. This movie made me tear up when the movie goes towards the end. The story is so inspiring that it made me do better in my electronic engineering test. I seem to study a bit harder now. So thanks for this movie. Everyone who understands true good human qualities and emotions must watch this brilliant work from Hallmark . The 90's where people were so much cooler . This movie is highly underrated for a movie that is based on a true story, and is hard to find . It shouldn't be a problem I think you can find it on amazon . 9/10 Outstanding!

OK, so I won't bore you with current society opinions of this film, but what I will do, is give you a straight shot at what you will see... 1. You will see motivation to change, whether within ourselves a tiny bit, or of the view we have of the world by watching this film. 2. You will see that the individual who commented before me, perhaps did not catch anything positive in an uplifting movie about our children in the current day. Succeeding finally in a world that is against any of the students, they turn out to be boldly "worth-a-"bunch! 3. Humanity is always looking for a hero;someone whom steps up and is HUMBLE enough to actually make a huge difference in life with just a few key people in line. 4. If you are working towards a promotion at your 'job' or you are wanting to make a difference in a child's life (maybe your own) or must simply put your own mark on the map, WATCH this FILM, because it will show you the true sides of every character & their own struggles to 'make it' to the level of "acceptance" (mind you, not above-intelligent, only standard)that the world expects and how hard sometimes that "seems" to reach. But in truth, "In a Class Of His Own" shows each one of us how we are all struggling for the same thing, but no one is willing to admit it!

By the way, Lou Diamond is excellent for this role. For those who remember "La Bamba"- he seems aggressive, but young still and torn with emotion. Yet, in this film, he is steadily prequipped for the demanding nature of the character, brought forth by spectacular supporting actors (not enough of his wife, but the students shine). If you have children of any age, rent this film. Forget that, buy this film. Don't give in to the world's current view, take your own road. It has always given you the best return and somehow, I think you knew that. Enjoy.

This Lou Diamond Phillips vehicle is certainly acceptable on its own terms, but pulls way too many punches to justify itself as anything more than "no risk", time-passing entertainment.

He returns to the world of his classic film "Stand and Deliver", only a decade later instead of an (overage) student role, Lou has graduated to the inspirational mentor position occupied in the earlier movie by Edward James Olmos. His janitor character Rich Donaot, beloved by the school's students, deserves upward mobility and is a real-life personage, yet from the old Hollywood green-light procedure, must have been pitched as a feel-good movie resembling "Good Will Hunting".

With Cara Buono as his supportive wife and Joan Chen as a teacher who simply exudes goodness and kindness, one can't help root for the underdog Lou plays. But the absence of pressing social issues (many examples come to mind, such as school closings, the threats to public education by a right-wing administration, AI eliminating many types of jobs, etc.) gives the movie a phony aspect, even though a real Rich Donato exists and even has a cameo role in the film.

The reviews for this are abysmal but I always dug many of the '90s Showtime films co-produced by Hallmark before the former got too sleazy and the latter got to be cheesy family melodramas.

If you're a fan of any of the actors, this is worthwhile and many of them have been on all the Canadian filmed shows like Stargate, X-Files, The Dead Zone and Battlestar Galactica. Lou Diamond Phillips is in a role similar to his earlier high school drama Stand and Deliver and it would make a decent double feature with that as his charisma truly complements the character of a janitor seeking out his GED after being a positive influence on the school.

I was familiar with writer/director's Robert Munic's work on other crime-drama shows like The Cleaner and Power TV show franchise and his crew manages to make this be the best kind of TV movie where there's some relatable themes without showing its mid-budget or resporting to flashy editing. I was engaged with this film from beginning to end due to the character motivation being well spelled out and some reasonable camerawork. The soundtrack was decent too at setting the mood and getting one into the material without feeling soapy.

Fans of high school dramas and teaching stories will get more out of this bit this isn't a shabby film by any means. The test taking is also by far the biggest standout as it showcases how intense and stressful it always is and the themes are well explored there (i.e. Can you ace the test versus learn it). A sleeper film recommended for fans of this kind of material as well as the cast, crew and atypical movies that really paint a bigger picture than their limited material often allows.

Waking up on a sunny January morning with little else to do but study, I turned on my TV and found this gem of a made-for-TV film.

It stars Lou Diamond Phillips in a strong performance as high school janitor Rich Donato who is faced with the possibility of losing his job because he does not have a high school degree. He is loved by the pupils of the school to whom he functions as both a friend and a teacher. He is seen as the best thing that has ever happened to that troubled school. Donato has to study for his degree and reach those near-impossible 81 pts.

Along the way he of course befriends some troubled angst riddled students, gets help from teacher Ms Ching, played by Joan Chen. Will he succeed?

Well, of course. The story is based on true events, a real Hallmark picture. Funny then how Donato at one point says; "OK, that's enough of this Hallmark moment", when two of the students find comfort in eachother.

See this film. It pulls the right strings. You've seen it before, but I think it is admirable that the handiwork on movies like these has improved over the years. And this is certainly a vast upswing for Phillip's acting career, quality wise. Seeing him last time in idiotic mercenary comedy The Big Hit, it is a relief he found his way back into "Ritchie Valens territory". This boy can play drama better... Just look at "Courage Under Fire".

It's still on Hallmark. Catch it if you can.