Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Movie Review: The Principal (1987)

DIRECTOR: Christopher Cain. CAST: James Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, Michael Wright, J.J. Cohen, Esai Morales, Troy Winbush, Jacob Vargas, Reggie Johnson.
Funny teen gang exploitation fare filmed right here in Oakland! James Belushi starts as a fuckup teacher reassigned to run the worst school in the district. Neighborhood gangbangers object to his efforts to turn things around and violent hijinks ensue. Although the white-savior aspect of the story is in bad taste by today’s standards, The Principal is enjoyable on a silly B-movie level. Don’t watch this movie in any other context. Belushi carries the load much of the time with his natural wit, elevating the movie to something more watchable. I particularly enjoyed seeing and remembering the familiar Oakland locations used; it is probably the main reason why I occasionally like watching this piece of cinematic cheese.


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