Stand and Deliver

Right now you can watch Stand and Deliver on streaming — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. Its 8/10 TMDB score, built from 444 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Edward James Olmos's performance alone is worth the time investment. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Stand and Deliver is worth clearing space for. The writing in Stand and Deliver treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students. Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1988. The performances in Stand and Deliver do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Stand and Deliver is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Edward James Olmos is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.