''To Sir, with Love II'' is a 1996 American

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

(his first made-for-TV film). A sequel to the 1967 British film '' To Sir, with Love'', it stars

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

reprising the role of Mark Thackeray. Like the first film, it deals with social issues in an inner city school.

Plot

Mark Thackeray (

), from

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was ...

by way of California, took a teaching position in a London East End school in the 1967 film. He spent twenty years teaching and ten in administrative roles. He has taught the children of his former pupils, and is now retiring. Thackeray's former students, Pamela Dare and Barbara Pegg (

Judy Geeson Judith Amanda Geeson (born 10 September 1948) is an English film, stage, and television actress. She began her career primarily working on British television series, with a leading role on '' The Newcomers'' from 1965 to 1967, before making he ...

and

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

reprising their roles from the original film), come to the farewell party. Thackeray announces that he is leaving for an inner-city school in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

where he will teach again. In Chicago, he meets his former colleague Horace Weaver ( Daniel J. Travanti), who is the principal of the school. Thackeray learns that there is an A class with good students and an H (for "horror") class for the "no-gooders". He convinces the principal to let him take the H class as, in his own admission, that is what he does best. His new pupils are noisy, unruly and engaged in destructive behaviours. As he did in London, he starts by teaching them respect for others. He addresses the pupils as Mr or

Miss Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as " Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...

and their last names, and expects to be called Mr. Thackeray or

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

by them in return. Gradually, he learns their personal stories: Wilsie (Christian Payton) is a gang leader who protects his younger brother. A black female battles against double prejudice. Evie (

Dana Eskelson Dana Erika Eskelson (born in Brick, New Jersey) is an American television, film, and theatre actress. Filmography *''Past Midnight'' (1991) *''Singles'' (1992) *'' To Sir, with Love II'' (1996) *'' Exiled: A Law & Order Movie'' (TV, 1998) *'' ...

) hides growing up without parents to avoid being fostered. A fellow teacher, Louisa Rodriguez (

Saundra Santiago Saundra Santiago (born April 13, 1957) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Det. Gina Calabrese in the NBC original crime drama series ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1990). She also played Carmen Santos on the CBS soap opera ''Guidin ...

), admires him. It is revealed that as a teenager in

, Thackeray fell in love with a girl from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. They lost contact and he went to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to study, became a teacher, and got married. Now a widower, Thackeray took this teaching opportunity hoping to find his earlier love. At the new school, he sets out to teach the troubled students their true potential by taking their fates in their hands. He teaches about the

non-violent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

resistance of the historic fighters of civil rights. When he discovers Wilsie smuggling a gun into the school, he confronts him and convinces him to yield the weapon and he delivers it to the police as a found object. Later, the police pressure him to reveal the identity of the gun owner because the gun had been used to kill a police officer. He refuses and has to leave the school. Evie, who works at a newspaper, investigates Thackeray's old love, Emily Taylor (Cheryl Lynn Bruce). Evie arranges for him to meet Taylor, and also meets her son. Thackeray learns that Taylor returned his affections, but her father kept Thackeray's letters from her because she was pregnant with Thackeray's son. Thackeray learns that Wilsie is hiding because he thinks that the police are after him. He convinces Wilsie's brother to take him to the hiding place. Thackeray convinces Wilsie to give up violent gang life. After he confronts a rival gang looking for Wilsie, Wilsie and a friend with access to more firearms turn themselves in to the police. The pupils stage a "

stand in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins al ...

" to force the principal to reinstate their beloved teacher. The term ends with a

graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

ceremony, and a dance like in the original movie, where Thackeray announces that he is not returning to Britain but staying in Chicago to teach the new generation.

Cast

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Scott Pierce of ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'' dismissed the film as a remake of the original film, but praises Sidney Poitier for succeeding in this movie with sheer talent. John Leonard of ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' describes the film as "a bad idea that turned into a pretty good" one and praises Peter Bogdanovich and Philip Rosenberg for being able to "make characters in the 60s work just as well in the 90s".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:To Sir, With Love II 1996 in American television 1996 television films 1996 drama films 1996 films American coming-of-age films American sequel films CBS network films Films directed by Peter Bogdanovich Films set in Chicago Films set in London Films shot in Chicago Films shot in London 1990s high school films Television sequel films Biographical films about educators Films about teacher–student relationships Cultural depictions of British men 1990s English-language films 1990s American films