Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Uplifting biopic has some violence, strong language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Hard Lessons (The George McKenna Story)
What's the Story?
HARD LESSONS (THE GEORGE MCKENNA STORY) is a biographical story of George McKenna's (Denzel Washington) first year as the new principal of George Washington High School in Los Angeles. The situation he walks into is pretty grim: lots of absences, graffiti everywhere, gang activity, and virtually no supervision by teachers. In other words, utter chaos. McKenna has a lot of ideas about how a school should be run and what needs to be done to turn things around. But he meets a lot of resistance from students and teachers alike. Eventually McKenna is able to convince a few people to try new things, and little by little they start to prove effective. McKenna's tremendous dedication to the school comes at a high personal cost, too. Will all the sacrifices and hard work prove worthwhile in the end?
Is It Any Good?
Denzel Washington is a pleasure to watch as he brings self-respect, dignity, respect for others, and compassion to the role of a young principal determined to make a difference. He's supported by an able cast of actors of all ages. The made-for-TV production quality may be hard for some viewers to overlook, though. It was originally broadcast as The George McKenna Story on TV in 1986, but the following year, Washington was nominated for an Oscar for another movie, and attention from that suddenly made him a huge box-office draw. So the TV movie was renamed Hard Lessons and released in theaters in 1987.
Teen appeal may be a bit limited, too. Although it's set in a high school, the students aren't very well-developed characters. One of the most heartbreaking stories is abruptly dropped, which is frustrating. But as portrayed by Washington, George McKenna is a terrific role model, and there are lots of positive messages about what you can accomplish when you work together and believe that change is possible.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Hard Lessons portrays George McKenna. What are his character strengths and weaknesses? What makes him a good role model?
How do you think schools become like the one in the movie? What strategies that McKenna used were most effective in turning the school around?
Why are movies based on real life so popular? What other biographical movies have you seen? Which are your favorites?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 11, 1986
- On DVD or streaming : April 23, 2002
- Cast : Denzel Washington , Lynn Whitfield , Terrance Ellis
- Director : Eric Laneuville
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Barnholtz Entertainment
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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