History Film / LeanOnMe

* InformedPoverty: How are the kids able to afford all those colorful clothes? (Of course, this is a problem with way too many '80s movies to mention.)

* WhatTheHellHero: The teachers get sick of Clark's belittling of them and extending his Jerkass attitude towards them and let him know it. Not that he really cares, at least initially. Then Dr. Napier (who claims there's been rumors of a walkout) and later, Mrs. Levias (who had just demanded to transfer to a different school) tear into him about it.

* SaveOurStudents: This movie along with ''Film/StandAndDeliver'' the previous year were [[TropeCodifier trope codifiers]], paving the way for more movies like it in TheNineties and UsefulNotes/TheAughts including ''Film/DangerousMinds'', ''Film/TheSubstitute'', and ''Film/CoachCarter''.

* SaveOurStudents: This movie is the TropeCodifier and was followed by several movies like it in TheEighties and TheNineties: including ''Film/StandAndDeliver'', ''Film/DangerousMinds'', and ''Film/TheSubstitute''.

-->'''Joe:''' You've tried it your way for years, and your students can't even get past the minimum basic skills test. [[NoIndoorVoice THAT MEANS THEY CAN]] ''[[SuddenlyShouting HARDLY READ]]''!

* WhatTheHellHero: The teachers get sick of Clark's belittling of them and extending his Jerkass attitude towards them and let him know it. Not that he really cares, at least initially. Then Dr. Napier (who claims there's been rumors of a walkout) and later, Mrs. Levias (who had just demanded to transfer to a different school) tear into him about it.
* YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive:
-->'''Mrs. Elliott:''' I would love to stay and chat, Mr. Clark, but I've a concert in New York in two weeks and I would like to be prepared.
-->'''Joe Clark:''' What?
-->'''Mrs. Elliott:''' Prepare. You do know what prepare means, don't you? It means ready, capable and up to your job.
-->'''Joe Clark:''' What concert, Mrs. Elliott?
-->'''Mrs. Elliott:''' The one at Lincoln Center. We do one every year.
-->'''Joe Clark:''' Until now. As of this moment, your little concert is cancelled.

* AntiVillain: Mrs. Berrett is campaigning to have her son reinstated and school and get Clark thrown out, believing that it would benefit the school much more than if he were to stay. Her motives are sympathetic, but the film sides with Clark.

* JerkassBall: Clark. There are many moments where he's nothing but downright cruel to people, even those who are on his side and trying to help. Many of which come from either the test scores of the practice exam or his demand for everyone to learn and sing the school song upon demand. Some examples include suspending the football coach for simply picking up trash during the school song, firing the first music teacher after believing she was ignoring his request to teach the students the school song, and yelling at the second music teacher because of the way she taught the students to sing the school song, even though he's later shown to love and approve of it.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While Clark tends to be a DrillSergeantNasty to almost everyone, including the teachers working for him, he does have their best interests in his heart and really does care for those in need. His fatherly treatment towards Kaneesha and his willingness to do everything he can to help her when she's struggling is a major example of this.

-->'''Napier:''' The truth is that for all your talk and all your "Crazy Joe" routine, what have you ever done? Nothing! You're nothing but an insignificant man! It's like you were never born! Your life hasn't made one bit of difference! [[SubvertedTrope And neither has mine!]] Want to take that to the grave?

''Lean On Me'' is a movie VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory about a tough new school principal (played by Creator/MorganFreeman) who brings a new level of order to an otherwise chaotic school.

->''Joe Clark is a bad man. And we mean that in the best possible way, as in "don't fuck with him." When Paterson, New Jersey's Eastside High School found itself on the brink of being taken over by the state due to piss poor test scores, Clark was brought on board as principal to right the sinking ship.''
-->-- From [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16478_7-movies-based-true-story-that-are-complete-bullshit.html#ixzz1ZCmUuCWF this]] ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' article.

* SaveOurStudents

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The movie definitely takes some liberties with the truth: Clark was a very tough disciplinarian who really did clean up Eastside High, and he really did [[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,966577-1,00.html use a bullhorn]] and [[http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19880201,00.html brandish a baseball bat]], and he was a controversial figure for these reasons, but the movie otherwise makes up a lot of stuff. Despite the improvements Clark made, he did not succeed in getting substantial improvements in test scores, although his supporters say he would have if he had been kept in office longer.

* HeroAntagonist: Mrs. Berrett, despite her [[SassyBlackWoman negative personality]], as her son was among the students who were expelled from Eastside High. Upset by this, not approving of Clark's methods, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking after being among the people Clark told to get their families off welfare]], she does everything she can to have Clark thrown out of the school, believing that it would benefit the school much more than if he were to stay.

-->'''Joe:''' You've tried it your way for years, and your students can't even get past the minimum basic skills test. [[NoIndoorVoice THAT MEANS THEY CAN]] '''[[SuddenlyShouting HARDLY READ]]'''!

* NWordPrivileges: Joe Clark at a meeting calling himself the HNIC, and Mrs. Levias clarifying afterward to Mr. O'Malley, the white vice-principal, that it stands for "head ''[[PrecisionFStrike nigga]]'' in charge." Though Dr. Napier claims that he is technically this, contrary to popular opinion.

* PrecisionFStrike: See above.
* RapeAsComedy: Borderline. In the opening, "Welcome to the Jungle" sequence, group of girls grab another girl's shirt and rip it off, leaving her topless, causing Ms. Levias and Kaneesha to help her cover herself. The girls don't do anything to her after that, but it's still uncomfortable to watch. But what's "funny" about it is that the girl, [[HellIsThatNoise loudly screeching]], is more [[NakedFreakOut embarrassed]] than truly terrified.
** Immediately afterwards, Ms. Levias is hit on by one of the male students causing her to feel ''very'' uncomfortable.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: This is how Dr. Napier convinces Joe to take the job of principal at Eastside High:

* WhatTheHellHero: The teachers get sick of Clark's belittling of them and extending his Jerkass attitude towards them and let him know it. Not that he really cares, at least initially. Then Dr. Napier (who claims there's been rumors of a walkout) and later, Mrs. Levias (who had just demanded to transfer to a different school) tear into him about it...

* HeroAntagonist: Mrs. Berrett, despite her [[SassyBlackWoman negative peronality]], as her son was among the students who were expelled from Eastside High. Upset by this, not approving of Clark's methods, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking after being among the people Clark told to get their families off welfare]], she does everything she can to have Clark thrown out of the school, believing that it would benefit the school much more than if he were to stay.

* JerkassBall: Clark. There are many moments where he's nothing but downright cruel to people, even those who are on his side and trying to help. Many of which come from either the test scores of the practice exam or his demand for everyone to learn and sing the school song upon demand. Some examples include suspending the football coach for simply picking up trash during the school song, firing the first music teacher after believing she was ignoring him, and yelling at the second music teacher because of the way she taught the students to sing the school song, even though he's later shown to love and approve of it.

* JerkassBall: Clark. There are many moments where he's nothing but downright cruel to people, even those who are on his side and trying to help. A good example is the scene where he yells at the music teacher because of the way she taught the students to sing the school song.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While Clark tends to be a DrillSergeantNasty to everyone, including the teachers working for him, he does have their best interests in his heart and really does care for those in need.

-->'''Joe:''' You've tried it your way for years, and your students can't even get past the minimum basic skills test. [[NoIndoorVoice THAT MEANS THEY CAN]] '''[[NoIndoorVoice HARDLY READ]]'''!

* NonGivingUpSchoolGuy: Joe Clark takes drastic measures to keep students in school and to keep undesirables out of school.
* NWordPrivileges: Joe Clark at a meeting calling himself the HNIC, and Mrs. Levias clarifying afterward to Mr. O'Malley, the white vice-principal, that it stands for "head [[PrecisionFStrike nigga]] in charge."

* ShootTheDog: Many of Joe Clark's actions have some arguable moral ambiguity to them, from chaining and locking school doors (in violation of fire safety rules) on being told that someone from inside the school let an expelled student into the building, to firing a teacher for picking up trash during the school song for which everyone was told not to move.

* SuicideDare: A rare case of someone trying to do this for the "victim's" own good. When Joe Clark runs into Sams (who had been expelled for dealing crack), who pleads to be let back into school, Joe drags him up to the roof of his building, gives him a very harsh lecture on what could happen to him if he keeps using crack, and then dares him to jump off. Sams breaks down in tears and refuses, making a promise to clean up his act, prompting Clark to give him another chance.

* WhatTheHellHero: The teachers get sick of Clark's belittling of them and extending his Jerkass attitude towards them and let him know it. Not that he really cares, at least initially. Then Dr. Napier and later, Mrs. Levias tear into him about it...

* RapeAsComedy: Borderline. In the opening, "Welcome to the Jungle" sequence, group of girls grab another girl's shirt and rip it off, leaving her in her bra. They don't do anything to her after that, but it's still uncomfortable to watch. But what's "funny" about it is that the girl, [[HellIsThatNoise loudly screeching]], is more [[NakedFreakOut embarrassed]] than truly terrified.

* RapeAsComedy: Borderline. In the opening, "Welcome to the Jungle" sequence, a boy grabs a girl's shirt and rips it off, leaving her in her bra. He doesn't do anything to her after that, but it's still uncomfortable to watch. But what's "funny" about it is that the girl is more [[NakedFreakOut embarrassed]] than truly terrified.

* {{Jerkass}}: Clark. There are many moments where he's nothing but downright cruel and abusive to people, even those who are on his side and trying to help--note the scene where he yells at the music teacher because of the way she taught the students to sing the school song.

-->'''Joe:''' You've tried it your way for years, and your students can't even get past the minimum basic skills test. [[NoIndoorVoice THAT MEANS THEY CAN HARDLY READ!]]

''Lean On Me'' is a movie VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory about a tough new school principal who brings a new level of order to an otherwise chaotic school.

-->'''Mr. O'Malley:''' We want to welcome Mr. Clark to Eastside; we've heard so much about you; and tell you what we have done in anticipation of your arrival. Mrs. Levias, your other vice principal, and I, have appointed an executive committee to oversee certain areas where we have noted a need for improvement, and Mr. Zirella, for example...

* NWordPrivileges: Joe Clark at a meeting calling himself the HNIC, and Mrs. Levias clarifying afterwards to Mr. O'Malley, the white vice-principal, that it stands for "head [[PrecisionFStrike nigga]] in charge."

* BadToTheBone: The movie's present-day sequence opens with a memorable shot of Eastside High having long slid into decay, with Music/GunsNRoses' "Welcome to the Jungle" blasting as delinquents throng the halls. This was one of the first times that song was used in the movies.

* LargeHam: Joe Clark, as portrayed by MorganFreeman.

* WhatTheHellHero: The teachers get sick of Clark's belittling of them and extending his Jerkass attitude towards them and let him know it. Not that he really cares, at least initially. Then Benson and later, Mrs. Levias tear into him about it...

* NWordPrivileges: Joe Clark at a meeting calling himself the HNIC, and another black person at the meeting clarifying afterwards to a white colleague that it stands for "head [[PrecisionFStrike nigga]] in charge."

* WhatTheHellHero: The teachers get sick of Clark's belittling of them and extending his Jerkass attitude towards them and let him know it. Not that he really cares, at least initially. Then Mrs. Levias tears into him about it...

-->I want the name of every hoodlum, drug dealer, and miscreant who's done nothing but take this place apart on my desk by noon today.