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‘Dangerous Minds’ With Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, and Van Lathan

September 3, 2020 · Dangerous Minds (1995) · Biography · Drama · 1:21:36

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 35:04Gangsta's Paradise was offered to Bad Boys but they didn't want to pay for it; Stevie Wonder required removal of curse words and got 95% of publishing; Roger Ebert gave the movie 1.5 stars
Van Lathan▶ 36:23Stevie Wonder later cashed in again with Wild Wild West and Do I Do with Ja Rule after seeing the success

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 38:13Multiple scenes including opening credits, Luanne's first day, Emilio sticks up for Miss Johnson, scene at Luanne's house (Oscar clip for Pfeiffer), Luanne finds out Emilio died and tells the class, and the ending
Shea Serrano▶ 43:34The dinner scene with Raul, because of how he moves around in that scene and the storytelling dynamics
Van Lathan▶ 46:04The restaurant scene, specifically because of how Raul grows up during the scene - from being too afraid to talk to the waiter to asserting himself

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 58:44Andy Garcia — Discusses Andy Garcia being cast as a love interest for Pfeiffer's character, filming scenes that were later cut from the movie entirely

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:13Dina Harris — Callie (Dina Harris) - because every time he sees her he thinks 'Oh, that's Callie' but doesn't know her real name
Shea Serrano▶ 59:51Renoly Santiago — Ruled that Raul/Ranoli Santiago doesn't qualify because his part is too pivotal and substantial in this movie, though he would count as 'that guy' in Con Air

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:18Acknowledges difficulty since everyone has too much screen time; suggests shifting to 'who stole the movie' (Raul); mentions parents and waiters as only eligible candidates but doesn't give specific pick
Van Lathan▶ 1:03:05Courtney B. Vance — Principal Courtney B. Vance - calls him one of the most vile characters ever seen, only in four scenes but very impactful

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:03Coolio — Yes for Coolio, yes for every high school kid in the movie, no for Michelle Pfeiffer (says Fabulous Baker Boys), no for white savior complex movies (says The Blind Side is), yes for Butterfingers candy bars
Shea Serrano▶ 1:08:27Green Book — Mentions Green Book also won Oscar when discussing white savior complex movies
Van Lathan▶ 1:08:33Dangerous Minds — Yes for white savior complex school teacher movies (says this is absolutely first place)

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:16Sometimes you start out wrong and you can't get going

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:15:06Did she only teach one class? What was she doing the other seven periods? Also questioned the unnamed white students in the class who we never learn about.
Shea Serrano▶ 1:18:18Did Raul graduate? Wanted to see that scene and was drawn to his character's journey of potentially being first in family to graduate high school.
Van Lathan▶ 1:15:15Why weren't the other minds dangerous enough? What about everybody else - was this just one period or her homeroom?

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:58Renoly Santiago — Raul - most important character, in the whole time, threaded through with most of the best moments and the whole arc
Shea Serrano▶ 1:19:01Renoly Santiago — Agrees with Raul winning

Movies Referenced (23)

Bad Boys (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 35:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scarface (1983)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 17:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman Returns (1992)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 18:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Con Air (1997)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano▶ 59:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Deep Cover (2025)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons▶ 32:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Men in Black (1997)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 34:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 31:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Russia House (1990)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 18:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Baby Boom (1987)

1 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:06:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Coach Carter (2005)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 4:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 17:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dying of the Light (2014)

1 mentions · ▶ 1:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (3)

Antoine Fuqua

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Magnificent Seven, The Equalizer▶ 48:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Costner

1 mentions · Shea Serrano · Known for Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves▶ 4:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Brady

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Hot Chick▶ 42:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (33)

Michelle Pfeiffer

32 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Shea Serrano · Known for What Lies Beneath▶ 7:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stevie Wonder

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for Jungle Fever, Wild Wild West▶ 35:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Simpson

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano · Known for Days of Thunder, Beverly Hills Cop, The Rock▶ 10:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andy Garcia

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano · Known for Ocean's Eleven▶ 22:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Luann Lee

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 4:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michelle Rodriguez

3 mentions · Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons · Known for Furious 7, Fast & Furious 6▶ 1:01:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sandra Bullock

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, Speed▶ 3:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tik Tok

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Smith

3 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Men in Black, I Am Legend▶ 34:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Courtney B. Vance

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for The Hunt for Red October, Space Cowboys▶ 55:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Demi Moore

2 mentions · Shea Serrano, Van Lathan · Known for Striptease, Indecent Proposal▶ 1:09:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Spader

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 20:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (3)

'Weird Al' Yankovic

2 mentions · Van Lathan, Shea Serrano▶ 29:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fam Udeorji

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 9:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗