Enter "inspirational," "dedicated teacher" and "movie" in your search engine and you're bound to find "To Sir, With Love," "Dead Poets Society," "Dangerous Minds" and "The Water Is Wide" on the results page. And now add TNT's "The Ron Clark Story" to the list of films that are driven to remind us that, despite low pay, grueling hours, nightmare parents, twisted internal politics, and budgetary challenges, teaching is a noble profession.
You've already seen "The Ron Clark Story," which premieres at 8 tonight, in that it follows the teacher-hero movie blueprint to a T. There's not much surprise along the way as Clark, played by Matthew Perry, works overtime to help a class of Harlem kids learn to love learning and respect themselves. Directed by Randa Haines, of "Children of a Lesser God" and "The Doctor," it's predictable and proud of it from start to finish. It's not bad, largely thanks to Perry's commitment to his performance; but it is purely paint-by-numbers nonetheless.
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"The Ron Clark Story" is based on the true story of Clark, who has become something of an industry in recent years. He has published two books, including "The Essential 55," he has awed Oprah and chatted with Katie, he has visited the White House three times, and he has created a school for low-income kids in Atlanta called the Ron Clark Academy. The movie focuses on Clark's first experience teaching kids in Harlem, after he left his more comfortable position in his North Carolina hometown to test his mettle.
In the movie, Clark inherits a class of difficult, surly kids who have already driven away a few teachers. They have off-putting cynical attitudes, but that doesn't stop Clark from seeing their potential. He believes that if he expects a lot from them, they will rise to the occasion. He even feels that the most hostile student, Shameika (the excellent Hannah Hodson), is probably the smartest kid in the class.
Clark decides to reach the kids by sacrificing his dignity without compromising his authority. A small-town white dude in a room of urban black kids, he lets them laugh at him when he tries to double Dutch. To teach them American history, he writes the names of the presidents into a rap song, which he performs with a geeky white-boy swagger that they can't resist. He uses playing cards to help them with math and he takes them to a Broadway show.
I keep forgetting that Matthew Perry can act. He was a likable snark on "Friends," though he didn't throw down a lot of chops. But in this movie, Perry is convincing as a man who won't fail, who refuses to squander his power over kids' lives. He's far from the ironic guy in the room; his Clark is as sincere as they come, and yet easy to root for.
The script doesn't give Perry, who is on the board of Clark's academy, much of an opportunity to show Clark's motivation. He's a do-gooder because he's a do-gooder, period. But this isn't the kind of movie that aims for psychological subtlety. "The Ron Clark Story" is a rousing success story — nothing more, nothing less.
"The Ron Clark Story" airs at 8 tonight on TNT.
