The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic "rebirth" following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century.
The Renaissance Man, played by Danny DeVito, was a man named Bill Rago, a failed ad man who needed some kind of employment. He was offered a job to teach for the Army. What he would teach was up to him, the goal was to get these eight recruits up to a decent aptitude level so that they could graduate basic training. Bill chose to teach "Hamlet."
Like any pedagogical movie Bill had troubles with his students to begin with. His class made up of Mark Wahlberg, Kadeem Hardison, Stacy Dash, and others were typical of what you'd expect from an under-performing class: disrespectful, unruly, and low on self-esteem. These young adults were not the cream of the crop and it showed.
I liked "Renaissance Man," but it is far from my favorite teacher movie. Compared to movies like "Lean on Me," "Stand and Deliver," "To Sir, With Love," "The George McKenna Story," and "The Marva Collins Story" this was pedestrian. But a pedestrian teacher movie is still better than most movies.
The Renaissance Man, played by Danny DeVito, was a man named Bill Rago, a failed ad man who needed some kind of employment. He was offered a job to teach for the Army. What he would teach was up to him, the goal was to get these eight recruits up to a decent aptitude level so that they could graduate basic training. Bill chose to teach "Hamlet."
Like any pedagogical movie Bill had troubles with his students to begin with. His class made up of Mark Wahlberg, Kadeem Hardison, Stacy Dash, and others were typical of what you'd expect from an under-performing class: disrespectful, unruly, and low on self-esteem. These young adults were not the cream of the crop and it showed.
I liked "Renaissance Man," but it is far from my favorite teacher movie. Compared to movies like "Lean on Me," "Stand and Deliver," "To Sir, With Love," "The George McKenna Story," and "The Marva Collins Story" this was pedestrian. But a pedestrian teacher movie is still better than most movies.