Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) is a dedicated teacher and principal determined to fix the broken and crime infested Eastside High School in Trenton, New Jersey. Although tyrannical and unorthodox, Joe continues to weed out the negative influence of his school so that they can get an education. Although the school board, the Trenton Fire Department, and local activist Leonna Barrett (Lynne Thigpen) all want Joe gone, Joe fights for his students and reclaims the school in the end. Although Joe is not always the nicest person to be around, he has method to his madness. It's a really great story. The acting from everyone is great. Freeman always great and he really shines through here. I highly recommend Lean on Me.

It's 1967 Paterson, New Jersey. Innovative agitating teacher Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) is transferred from the idyllic Eastside High School so the union can get a raise. Twenty years later, the school has become a rundown urban jungle. The school is ranked last in the state. 75% of the school must pass a minimum requirement exam or the state will take over. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume) was Clark's friend and fellow teacher at the school. As superintendent of schools, he hires Clark as the new principal. Clark institute new dictatorial rules battling the government, the bad seeds, the teachers and one particular parent Leonna Barrett to rein in the unruly school.This is Rambo taking over a school. I'm not saying it's the best way to teach. Maybe it's the only way that school could be controlled. All I'm claiming is that this works as a movie. Morgan Freeman delivers a rip roaring performance basically as a dictator. At times, his tyrannical nature pushes the audience but I root for him for the most part. This is a great actor in a compelling performance of a memorable character.

I liked this movie when I was in high school, and thought that Morgan Freeman was effective as a principal who was trying to make the lives of the kids better.However, as an adult, it seems that this movie was all about "Kids won't learn unless you threaten them. If a teacher is doing poorly, they should be fired immediately. It's my way or the highway." Seriously, if my job ever had a jag like "Mr. Clark" come in and run the place as a dictatorship, I'd be looking for a new job THE SAME DAY.Also, there are some serious stretches of credulity here... ***SPOILER ALERT*** Mr. Clark is arrested for chaining the school doors shut, and is thrown in jail??? Not just any jail, but one that looks like its from a 1920s William Faulkner tale, with a cot and a sink and a washcloth. He wouldn't have just bonded out and gone home? Also, Mr. Clark hires fascist security guards for the school? Doesn't he need to PAY them, and wouldn't this capital expenditure need to be approved before any checks are written?

I would like to start by first saying that I am not generally a fan of the student/teacher film genera. Movies of this type usually come across as either too sentimental, overly contrived, or both for my taste. "Lean on Me" would probably have been a likewise forgettable experience if it had not have been for Morgan Freeman's perfect casting for the role of Principle Clark.Based on true events, the film takes place in Eastside High School, one of New Jersey's worst public schools. When a bombardment of graffiti, drug dealing, riots and low grades threaten to pull the institution apart, superintendent Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume; The Lion King, Big Fish) decides to hire his most controversial teacher, Joe Louis Clark (Morgan Freeman; The Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Knight) as principle to clean things up.The best part of this picture was undeniably Morgan Freeman's role. The concept of an eccentric and short-tempered character has been, to say the least, overdone; However, Freeman's portrayal of 'Crazy Joe' feel new and, surprisingly, relatable.That is not to say that the Morgan Freeman's casting was the only saving grace of this film. The relationships played out between the teachers, administration, parents, and students were fairly well done on all parts.Ultimately, Freeman succeeded in stealing the spotlight throughout. He carried something that would have been average and made it not a just a brilliant film, but his brilliant film. If anything, "Lean on Me" was a movie that leaned on Morgan Freeman in order to be as great as it was.