Why is Lean on Me Rated PG 13?

"Lean on Me" is rated PG-13 and contains some rough language, violence and references to drugs.

washingtonpost.com - 'Lean on Me' (PG-13) - The Washington Post

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‘Lean on Me’ (PG-13) By Hal Hinson

Washington Post Staff Writer

March 03, 1989 "Lean on Me," the new film about a real-life principal who brings a Paterson, N.J., high school back to life, is some sort of definitive exercise in cinematic uplift. It's such a bandwagon-load of good vibes that you almost feel guilty for not climbing aboard -- the kind of movie that makes you feel like a degenerate for not wanting to be jerked around. The basic idea is this: In 1967, Eastside High was a model school, perhaps one of the best in the country. Back then, Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) was a teacher who wore dashikis and bell-bottoms to class, ran his classroom like a game show, and created a real passion for learning in his students. But because of a union dispute, Clark walked out, and during the intervening 20 years, the potted plants that lined the wood-paneled hallways were replaced with wire mesh and graffiti. As the credits run, we listen to Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" as drugs are openly bought and sold, dealers come and go as they like, students are terrorized and teachers are intimidated and assaulted. According to test results, only 33 percent of the students possess basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills, and if that figure isn't raised to at least 75 percent, the state intends to take control -- an embarrassment the mayor (Alan North) and his superintendent of schools (Robert Guillaume) would like to avoid. Enter Crazy Joe. Declaring himself "in charge," Clark strides into Eastside, determined to restore the school to its former glory. His first act is to summarily purge the school of all "miscreants and hoodlums." Bellowing his instructions through a bullhorn and, at times, toting a baseball bat, Clark rules his school like a vengeful despot, firing teachers who talk back or refuse to participate in his revolution. And while some of his measures -- like his insistence that all students be able to sing the school song on demand -- are fairly harmless, in general, his reign is anything but benevolent. The movie's attitude is that the end justifies any means -- even taking one young man who is killing himself with crack onto the roof and urging him to jump. Whenever we're shown a scene in which Clark behaves outrageously, we're shown another in which his selfless, caring side is put on display. Director John Avildsen and screenwriter Michael Schiffer don't seem inclined to acknowledge that Clark's actions might be questionable or even dangerous, as many believed those of the real Joe Clark were. Even with all this working against him, Freeman is extraordinary in the role. His great accomplishment is that he hasn't sentimentalized the character's anger. In this regard, the work he does here is very clean, almost pure. He doesn't let the movie stick to him. Unfortunately, this isn't a role that requires an actor with Freeman's gifts -- in effect, his brilliance is irrelevant. The film is more a compilation of well-calculated cues than the presentation of a story, and all that the star is called on to do is hit his marks and prompt our responses. Avildsen, who sharpened his mastery of audience expectations on "Rocky" (which won him an Oscar) and the "Karate Kid" films, has a huckster's talent for keeping his audience on the line. This is not to take away from what Avildsen has done here. The movie is carefully and sometimes impressively laid out -- it's well "told." It's just that the skills he displays are not really those of a filmmaker -- or at least not one whose interest in his story goes beyond how to pitch it. Besides, Avildsen has made this movie before. "Lean on Me" is nothing more than "Rocky" with report cards. When Clark chains shut the doors to the school to keep out drug dealers, he gives the fire marshal, the mayor and his opponents on the school board the ammunition they need to get rid of him. He also positions himself perfectly to play the underdog, to be knocked down, so he can rise up again, unvanquished. The picture's climactic scene even takes place at the top of a big flight of steps. But at the moment of triumph, this Rocky doesn't raise his hands above his head -- the filmmakers have done it for him. "Lean on Me" is rated PG-13 and contains some rough language, violence and references to drugs. Copyright The Washington Post Back to the top

washingtonpost.com - 'Lean on Me' (PG-13) - The Washington Post