‘Lean On Me’ (1989): A Principal of Strength and Dignity

This installment of ‘Movies for Teens and Young Adults’ talks tough love.
‘Lean On Me’ (1989): A Principal of Strength and Dignity
Principal Joe Louis Clark (Morgan Freeman) changed a high school for the better, in "Lean on Me." MovieStillsDB
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This biographical drama is about a real-life high school principal, Joe Louis Clark (1937–2020). In the 1980s, a former U.S. Army drill sergeant, 48-year-old Clark, took charge of Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J., as the school was being ravaged by a legacy of gangsterism.
Almost single-handedly, he saved his school from near-certain decay and subsequent state control by infusing it with his fiery brand of discipline and dignity. The film’s title refers to the eponymous Bill Withers song that also figures in the film. Click here for plot summary, cast, reviews, and ratings.
Rudolph Lambert Fernandez
Rudolph Lambert Fernandez
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Rudolph Lambert Fernandez is an independent writer who writes on pop culture.