10 Great Movies Starring The Cast Of Dexter
1. Stand And Deliver - Edward James Olmos (James Gellar)
When it comes to great movies starring Edward James Olmos, the obvious choice is Blade Runner. But his strongest performance is in the 1988 drama, Stand and Deliver, (which bagged him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor). In the film, Olmos portrays Jaime Escalante - a math teacher who works at a school populated with working class students. Since many of them are more eager to join a gang than to learn, the faculty members see the kids as no-hopers.
Refusing to give up on them, Escalante uses unconventional methods to bond with the students and encourage them to take their education seriously. When they act defiant, aggressive, or violent, he doubles down, assuring them they have more potential than they believe. Even when he convinced the students to take summer classes to pass the ruthless Advanced Placement calculus assessment, the other teachers tell him he's wasting his time.
The concept is similar to Coach Carter or Dangerous Minds but Olmos' towering performance prevents Stand and Deliver from coming across as sentimental or schmaltzy. If you're looking for a feel-good film based on a true story, you can't go wrong with this gem.