Stand and Deliver Movie Review

Stand and Deliver began life as Walking on Water when it was first shown at 1987's Mill Valley Film Festival. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) is a mathematics teacher at an East Los Angeles high school where half the students fail to graduate. Knowing that education is the only way that his students can escape a lifetime of low-paying jobs, Escalante is tough and demanding with his class as he inspires them to pass the California Advanced Placement Calculus Test with distinction. Olmos won an Oscar nomination for his impassioned performance and the kids (including Lou Diamond Phillips in the role of Angel) are totally believable as they prepare for the Olympic-style challenge of the test.

1988 (PG) 105m/C Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosana De Soto, Andy Garcia, Will Gotay, Ingrid Oliu, Virginia Paris, Mark Eliot; D: Ramon Menendez; W: Ramon Menendez, Tom Musca; C: Tom Richmond; M: Craig Safan. Independent Spirit Awards ‘89: Best Actor (Olmos), Best Director (Menendez), Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Phillips), Best Supporting Actress (De Soto); Nominations: Academy Awards ‘88: Best Actor (Olmos). VHS, LV, 8mm, Closed Caption