Le proviseur

The Principal (1987) was another star vehicle for James Belushi. This fun film is Blackboard Jungle mixed with Class of 1984. The film is filled with a lot of the minor stars of this era such as Lou Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, Esai Morales and Kelly Jo Minter to name a few.

J.B.stars as a washed out High School Prep teacher who's personal life begins to fall apart. He snaps one day and his immediately canned. That is until he's given a second chance. He's appointed Principal at a local rundown high school. During his tour he plots out away to change not only the school but his own life around.

A nice movie in the vein of Lean On Me. Who am I kidding, this is a bone crunching exploitive film that features all of the things that we love about these type of movies. If this movie was made today it would be a P.G.-13 flick. Not a classic but a nice exploitive affair.

Recommended.

One of the things I like to ponder is what modern stars would fill the shoes of actors of the past or parts they played. For instance, if they did a remake of Bonanza, John Goodman would fill Dan Blockers shoes pretty well as Hoss, & I think Michael J Fox may be a passable Little Joe. Also of course, Cheryl Ladd did well as Grace Kelly. Some stars have been so one of a kind though that one would be hard pressed to imagine who would be up to the task. John Wayne is one such figure. While James Belushi may not quite have the physical stature of the Duke, his performance in The Principal comes the closest in my impression to reminding me of the "cut the crap" individualism of the screen legend. Public schools could probably learn a lot from this feature.

Of the many comedians of early Saturday Night Live who have gone on to movies, Belushi appears to be the one who has most successfully transcended the comedian stereotype. While Bill Murrey may do well as a comic role being serious, the few pictures I've seen James Belushi in suggest that he's more like a serious actor who's also funny.

Good feature for those of us who are tired of irresponsible youth getting a free pass.

In order to like this film I think one has to like James Belushi. SInce I do, I found this film entertaining and exciting. Belushi takes a job as a principal at a tough inner city high school where he must contend with many problems there. Louis Gossett Jr. also turns in a strong performance as the custodian who befriends Belushi.

'The Principal' is one of those films where Belushi could have been nominated for Best Actor, and Louis Gossett Jr. for Best Supporting Actor...

The film has some great scenes, a good story and character development, and a decent soundtrack...

The film is pretty hard-edged, though has elements of comedy...overall - an under-rated film (ones which I love to review) worth seeing...

[7/10]

THE PRINCIPAL is one of those high school gang flicks that continues to run on TV with some regularity. It is the kind of B-action flick I will stop and watch every time it is broadcast. Jim Belushi is a new principal at a beleaguered, drug-riddled school. With the aid of janitor Lou Gossett, Belushi makes a bid to take back the school, and by the end of the flick, appears to have succeeded. Nasty, R-rated fighting and violence are sprinkled throughout, and the whole thing is engrossing even with Belushi's "Captain Kirk" beer gut often getting in the way. One incredible and truly exhilarating sequence has Belushi riding his chopper into the school in pursuit of a thug about to rape the delectable Rae Dawn Chong. Another terrific sequence has Belushi trapping some thugs in the school library, eventually sending one of them sailing through a second story window to the school grounds below. The big finale, set in a darkened locker room, is suspenseful and not your ordinary finish. It would appear this cheese lovers' delight influenced the one and only THE SUBSTITUTE, which came out about five years later. It will help if you are a Belushi fan to truly enjoy THE PRINCIPAL. I happen to be a Belushi fan from way back. By the way, I don't disagree with those who say Gossett might have been equally effective in the lead.