» Production Date: 1995
» Country: USA
» Runtime: 99 min
» Rating USA: R
» Genre: Drama
» Box-Office Gross USA: $177,900,000 (Worldwide)

Beatrice Winde - Mary Benton
John Neville - Waiter
Lorraine Toussaint - Irene Roberts
Marcello Thedford - Cornelius Bates
Roberto Alvarez - Gusmaro Rivera
Richard Grant - Durrell Benton
Toni Nichelle Buzhardt - Nikki

» Director - John N. Smith
» Screenplay - Ronald Bass
» Based upon the book My Posse Don't Do Homework by LouAnne Johnson
» Producers - Jerry Bruckheimer & Don Simpson
» Executive producers - Lucas Foster, Kate Guinzburg & Sandra Rabins
» Photography - Pierre Letarte
» Production Design - Donald Graham Burt
» Costume Design - Bobbie Read
» Original Music - Wendy & Lisa
» Song "Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio
» Film Editing - Tom Rolf
» Casting - Bonnie Timmermann

» Production Companies
- Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
- Hollywood Pictures
- Via Rosa Productions

» When retired Marine, Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer), arrives at an inner-city high school in East Palo Alto, California, she finds a class of tough, street-wise kids, involved in gangs and drugs, whom Johnson quickly dubs the "rejects from hell." Her initially meek demeanour, small stature, and white skin earn her the nickname "white bread" from her students. Determined to have them trust and respect her, she quickly changes her presentation, wearing leather jackets, teaching karate to her students and cursing in the classroom. Creating her own curriculum for her "socially challenged" but otherwise extremely bright class, she starts having them read college-level texts, uses Bob Dylan lyrics to teach poetry and rewarding them with trips to amusement parks.

Through both her and the class's dedication, she teaches them not only to respect education for its own worth, but more importantly to respect and believe in themselves.

The film was based on the true story by Louanne Johnson, My Posse Don't Do Homework, and follows themes found in similar movies, such as The Blackboard Jungle, To Sir, with Love, and Stand and Deliver.

The movie isnt actually about an inner-city high school in East Palo Alto. It is based off of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California. East Palo Alto'ers are still bussed to this school today. They have a problem with schools in EPA and somehow the solution is to send the kids to a good school, not fix the problem of underperforming schools in East Palo Alto.

» Andy Garcia's scenes as LouAnne's love interest were filmed but cut.
» Originally entitled "My Posse Don't Do Homework", the name of the book from which this true story was taken.
» One of the last films worked on by producer Don Simpson. He helped pick songs for the film soundtrack.
» Michelle Pfeiffer finished the set of Dangerous Minds when she was seven months pregnant of her son John Henry
» Lawrence Booker, an aspiring Grand Rapids, MI screenwriter, is suing Michelle Pfeiffer, claiming she stole ideas from him that were incorporated in the movie Dangerous Minds, the Detroit News reported, Booker claimed that he met Pfeiffer when she adopted a child that he had fathered four years ago. He has also filed suit against Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer (film producers) and Disney's Hollywood Pictures.

» Burlingame, California, USA
» Pasadena, California, USA
» San Mateo High School, San Mateo, California, USA
» Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California, USA
» Washington Middle School - 1505 N Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA (interior hallway shots, english classroom, lunch break shots)

» Original Title: Dangerous Minds
» Spanish Title: Mentes peligrosas
» French Title: Esprits rebelles
» Italian Title: Pensieri pericolosi
» German Title: Dangerous Minds - Wilde Gedanken
» Hungarian Title: Veszélyes kölykök
» Latin-American Title: Mentes Peligrosas

» 1997 - ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
ASCAP Award - Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures: Coolio, Larry James Sanders, Stevie Wonder & Douglas Rasheed for the song "Gangsta's Paradise" (Won)

» 1996 - ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
ASCAP Award - Top Box Office Films - Lisa Coleman & Wendy Melvoin "Wendy & Lisa" (Won)

» 1996 - Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Actress - Drama: Michelle Pfeiffer (Won)

» 1996 - Golden Screen (Germany)
Golden Screen (Won)

» 1996 - Image Awards
Image Award - Outstanding Soundtrack Album (Nominated)

» 1996 - MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Award - Best Female Performance: Michelle Pfeiffer (Nominated)
MTV Movie Award - Best Movie (Nominated)
MTV Movie Award - Best Movie Song: Coolio for the song "Gangsta's Paradise" (Nominated)
MTV Movie Award - Most Desirable Female: Michelle Pfeiffer (Nominated)