Lean on Me Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Lean on Me Blu-ray Movie Review

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 3, 2025

One of the first entries in the late 80s and early 90s wave of inspirational teaching movies sandwiched between Stand and Deliver and Dead Poets Society (both of which are substantially better productions), John G. Avildsen's Lean on Me is a bafflingly hard-edged and almost morally repulsive film that's partially salvaged by Morgan Freeman's committed lead performance. He almost makes us want to root for fascist Joe Clark, a former teacher reluctantly brought back to clean up New Jersey's crime-ridden Eastside High School by almost any means necessary.

Opening with a flashback where social activist and respected high school teacher Joe Clark (Freeman) is bullied out of his position, Lean on Me quickly dissolves into the horrific here-and-now at Eastside High, where Clark's once clean and decently-run stomping grounds are now a sad, shattered shell of their former glory as Guns 'N Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" plays. (In one particularly graphic moment, one student savagely beats a teacher who's later wheeled out on a stretcher.) Test scores are in the toilet and drug dealing is rampant so something must be done. Superintendent Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume) suggests that the mayor (Alan North) bring back Clark -- who's developed a reputation as "Crazy Joe" -- as Eastside's new principal, but it'll take finesse to get the wrongfully-fired Clark on board.

Soon enough, Clark strides into the graffiti-strewn hallways and institutes sweeping changes, beginning with a school-wide assembly where roughly 300 of the biggest "problem kids" are expelled with a wave of his hand. The rest are put on short notice, ordered to fall in line immediately or suffer the consequences. Padlocks are put on all the doors during school hours to discourage unwanted entry and exit. Educators and administrators alike including English teacher Larry Darnell (Michael Beach) and vice principal Joan Levias (Beverly Todd) aren't spared either, harshly reprimanded in full view of their colleagues and students with some threatening to resign after weeks of continued abuse. Kids are even forced to memorize the school song and perform it on demand. Lean on Me? More like Bow to Me.

Nonetheless, his "tough love" approach seems to work -- on paper, at least -- as hallways are gradually painted over and practice test results inch closer to the desired target number... but they've still got quite a long way to go. Soon enough, Clark gets into hot water with the superintendent due to his methods and he hits another serious roadblock when Leonna Barrett (Lynne Thigpen), the mom of one of those expelled students, pushes back and takes her case all the way to the mayor's office. (She's painted as a villain, by the way.) Clark eventually meets his critics in the middle, of course, leading to a sudden and unearned uplifting third act where the ends apparently justify the means. Had Lean on Me exercised a lot more restraint in the first half, this change of heart would've been easier to stomach.

Advertised as being based on a true story, Lean on Me neglects to mention that the real-life Joe Louis Clark was a military man with no vested interest in social activism whose actual results weren't nearly as drastic. His hard-edged approach in all facets of the job -- except for his nepotistic treatment of young Kaneesha Carter (Karen Malina White), who gets all the sympathy other students don't -- feels profoundly unrealistic and, even if these actions really did take place, they won't sit well with anyone who actually worked with or encountered administrators like this. On a personal note, I was a student at a rough inner-city school during this era and have a mother who taught for the same district. The wrong-headed narrative of Lean on Me -- whose title comes from a song about mutual support, not carrying a bat and bullhorn -- provides an instruction manual (or more fittingly, a permission slip) for authoritarianism, and I wouldn't doubt if its dubious message bled into hundreds if not thousands of school districts for years to come.

So yeah, this one's not my cup of tea, even if Morgan Freeman acquits himself with a visceral performance the same year he also co-starred in Glory, Driving Miss Daisy, and Johnny Handsome. He's a force of nature here, and that's an unusually apt descriptor in this case since forces of nature are respected for their strength but terribly destructive. Even so, Lean on Me has its fans -- hell, I was even one of them once upon a time -- and they'll certainly appreciate Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, a very strong movie-only disc that features absolutely top-tier A/V merits.

Lean on Me Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This new 1080p transfer of Lean on Me was sourced from a fresh 4K scan of the original camera negative, and the end result is as appealingly film-like as anything Warner Archive has released from this era. Colors are bold and bright -- or appropriately dour -- when needed, fine detail is outstanding, black levels run deep, and organic grain is present every step of the way. Simply put, this is a truly five-star effort that shines on Blu-ray and, like the boutique label's very best efforts, pushes the format's visual boundaries as much as possible. As seen in these direct-from- disc screenshots, it's an incredibly strong effort overall so fans of this film should buy with absolute confidence.

Lean on Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Keeping pace is the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, presented in its original stereo and displaying excellent overall fidelity at all the most crucial moments. Not surprisingly, Lean on Me gets pretty rowdy at times with no shortage of loud conversations, shouting matches, and horrific behavioral scenarios that would've made great use of the surrounds had it been filmed 10 years later. But even as a two-channel presentation, this is a durable and well-appointed effort that's perfectly balanced with crisp dialogue, well-mixed sound effects, and dynamic music cues.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only.

Lean on Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and minimal extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:28) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

Lean on Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John G. Avildsen's Lean on Me has enjoyed a free pass in most circles for almost 40 years as an inspirational movie about inner-city education but, for reasons hopefully explained well enough above, I think it conveys a pretty terrible message. Morgan Freeman's performance is captivating, as are those of several supporting players, and that's probably why die-hard fans love it so much. It's not enough for me personally, but Warner Archive's Blu-ray will be more than enough for fans with its immaculate, 4K-sourced A/V presentation. Recommended to established fans only.