The Ron Clark Story

"The Ron Clark Story" is a movie which is based on the true story life of Ron Clark and the work that he did.

Matthew Perry makes one of his best interpretations if not the best as a school teacher who relocates to one of the toughest classrooms in the country in Inner Harlem Elementary School. This classroom is the most disadvantaged class which exist in whole of the school and that was something that Ron Clark considered as challenge to succeed.

I liked this movie very much because it shows us what a teacher has to do to educate some children who are really tough. It is also shows us what a teacher has to endure to succeed to his work and how difficult this is it.

I saw this movie when it broad casted in the Swedish channel 5. I didn't know what to expect but, as a fan of friends that I am, i chose to look at it even though i missed the beginning.

The movie is about Ron Clark casted by Matthew Perry who took on a class in Brooklyn NY. In the beginning the kids had a pretty hard time accepting Mr. Clark and did all kind of annoying things just to break him, but after a while they accepted him one by one and they all started to love him instead of hating him, and they also learned how to like school and like to learn something instead of hating it.

I have plans to be a future teacher one day, and I can just say that this movie made me want to be a teacher even more, to see the joy in the kids eyes when they like how you teach them in all kind of different ways just makes me happy.

I can really recommend this movie, it's fun, it's sad and it's just overall a great movie

please excuse my bad English, I'm from Sweden so ;)

// Linus

Not often these days do we get earnest films that are more than a formula (Glory Road comes to mind). The Ron Clark Story didn't reinvent the wheel, yet this made-for-TV movie was full of heart and positiveness. Matthew Perry managed to find a brilliant ballance between the pressure of being a teacher in a tough, intense neighborhood, with all the serious outcomes, and the joy and excitement of bringing a clever new teaching style to help the kids swallow the often-dry materials of history, math, etc.

I recommend this film not because it's in anyway ground-breaking, but simply because it has innocence that are hardly found in today's big budget films.

I've been a fan of Mattew Perrys ever since Friends first aired on TV, and I make it a point to try and see any movie he makes. However, it's sometimes a bit...what's the word...sad (I guess) to see him play "Chandler" over and over again. As much as I like that character, it would be fun to see him play something else. That's that.

As for The Ron Clarke Story, with Perry as Ron Clarke, there are certain Chandler-qualities about Clarke. But more in terms of body-language than anything else - and I guess that would be Perry himself "shining through". For the most part it's a standalone part for Perry, a good long step away from "Chandler Bing". It's a really sweet story about a substitute teacher who goes through hell and back for his students (consisting of worst-case-scenario kids). It's an inspiring story, and you really wish it would always be that "easy" to get kids out of trouble and onto the right path.

Perry is good, he almost always is, and the kids are actually believable. True, sometimes you wish Clarke would just give the snotnose kids a "feel of the back of his hand" - but I guess that would be the easiest (and most faulty) way to go.

The Ron Clarke Story is a feelgood-film, and it does just that. It makes you feel good.

In addition: Any film that makes schoolteaching look like fun deserves a whole heap of credit.

I am not a movie or TV critic, and I won't pretend to be. I will say that as just a normal person without any special credentials, I absolutely love this movie. It gives you this great feeling when you watch it, and I was shocked by Matthew Perry's performance. Having before only thought of him as the "Friends" guy his new personality took me completely by surprise. Overall, I thought that as a TV movie it is very much worth the time spent watching it. I had a great time and I'm sure that you will too.

The storyline is well developed and while there are a few unrealistic points, I think that it's very good. The children were portrayed very realistically, as were the challenges of teaching such a group. Knowing that it was a true story only heightened my enjoyment of the entire movie.

Because of the above said reasons I gave this a ten out ten. The movie isn't very action filled, and there isn't much romance, but I think that it's one of the best movies that I have seen in quite a long time.

I hope you will take this review seriously when choosing whether to watch this movie.

Thank you.