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Rating: That public schools are not the crown jewel of American education was known, has always been known: countless films depict squalid classrooms and “troubled” students, chronic budget problems limiting even the most willing teachers, or modest and demotivated professors, resigned to the evidence of very limited human resources. Who knows if it really is like that, who knows if Lisa Simpson is right to fear public school above all things. Judging by this 1987 film, I would say yes.
In “The Principal” (second part of the title added in the Italian version to courteously explain what it’s about) the clichés are confirmed and magnified and everything takes on grotesque outlines, sometimes intentionally, sometimes less so. In the most infamous high school there is (the security guard uses a fire hose to invite the students to leave the courtyard) a teacher (James Belushi) is sent as principal who could only end up there, being the classic life outsider who settles down in hell. To the protagonist's disastrous existence (dealing with the usual personal problems, massive hangovers, ex-wives, etc.) are added the insurmountable school problems: rival gangs, African Americans against whites against Hispanics, misfits, switchblades popping up like mushrooms, beatings, insults, guns, threats to the teaching staff, rapes, and retaliations are the order of the day, as long as the Principal (who not coincidentally arrives on a black Harley and perhaps with a baseball bat) gets seriously fed up and clears the place, not without difficulty, with the help of a few good souls. An inevitable showdown with the school's dangerous gang will ensue, in an adrenaline-filled, no-holds-barred battle.
The film is exaggerated in everything, raw and violent, but on more than one occasion it draws a smile, and several scenes are absolutely enjoyable. Belushi, decidedly more in shape than today, is even convincing in the tough-guy role, although he often indulges in quips, catchy phrases, facial expressions, and comedic tones. The themes of social unrest, racism, youth violence, the importance of education are briefly touched upon and expressed with nauseating rhetoric (no one expected anything different, right?).
No need to go on, essentially “The Principal” is really quite ridiculous (strictly made in the USA), crammed with clichés, with an all too predictable plot and situations already seen over and over, but the pace is good, the characters well-conceived and the violence flows in completely unjustified ways, so for anyone who feels like watching something ridiculous, I recommend this one.
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