On G List of Movie Reviews
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The George McKenna Story (1986)
Rate: 5 Viewed: 9/05
9/05: Three films about inner-city high school principals were made during the 80's.
One of them is The George McKenna Story, which is also known as Hard Lessons, with Denzel Washington. The other two are Lean on Me and The Principal with Morgan Freeman and James Belushi, respectively.
It's an okay but not solid picture. Denzel Washington gives a sublime effort by playing a principal with good intentions, but ultimately, it's the failure of the director for not doing enough to create a strong effect which is why Lean on Me worked. By the way, the real George McKenna looks absolutely nothing like Denzel Washington. In fact, he's white. Yeah, I kid you not.
All in all, The George McKenna Story makes for a good viewing if you want to see young Denzel Washington at work before transforming himself into a superstar.