The Ron Clark Story (The Triumph) (2006)

83% of users liked it
(6,042 ratings)

Helmed by the gifted Randa Haines (Children of a Lesser God, The Doctor), the inspirational drama The Ron Clark Story tells the real-life tale of Clark (Matthew Perry), a teacher from upstate New York who moves to Manhattan and re-instills courage and hope into the lives of many down-and-out… More Helmed by the gifted Randa Haines (Children of a Lesser God, The Doctor), the inspirational drama The Ron Clark Story tells the real-life tale of Clark (Matthew Perry), a teacher from upstate New York who moves to Manhattan and re-instills courage and hope into the lives of many down-and-out students. Via highly innovative teaching strategies and rule sets, and an ongoing, strenuous effort, Clark manages to turn several lives around and raises students' test scores to admirable levels. His star pupils include a young girl forced to both attend school and care for her siblings and a graffiti-prone young man who rechannels his energies into more traditional painting with Clark's encouragement. In the end, even when pneumonia threatens to keep Clark down, he refuses to let it. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) and Hannah Hodson co-star; Granada America produced. Max Enscoe and Annie deYoung scripted. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Randa Haines
Genres: Drama, Television

In Theaters: Jan 22, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Dec 5, 2006
Studio: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Teacher's true story is uplifting but predicable.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Really expected not to like this, but it turned out to be a pretty good tv movie.
Cassie H

Didn't know what to expect from this movie. I had heard about it online and it was because I absolutely love,love Matthew Perry and still do. So the result was in this movie Matthew Perry gave the best performance of his life, and which in case I fell in love with this movie.… More
Didn't know what to expect from this movie. I had heard about it online and it was because I absolutely love,love Matthew Perry and still do. So the result was in this movie Matthew Perry gave the best performance of his life, and which in case I fell in love with this movie. LOVE IT!
Joseph E

If I said a TV Movie deserved an Oscar would you belive me? Or how about Perry getting a Best Actor Oscar? Well either way you look at it, this was one of the most light hearted and enjoyable true stories and dramas out there. To say anymore besides, that I enjoyed it, I can not.
Juli R

This movie is not Dangerous Minds. The script is a failure, and Matthew Perry is miscast. Thumbs down.
Sam C

While this movie is obviously nothing new it's made with such care and respect for its story that you can't help but like it. Even though some of the side stories could've used some more development (mostly dealing with the kids' lives outside of school), the movie… More
While this movie is obviously nothing new it's made with such care and respect for its story that you can't help but like it. Even though some of the side stories could've used some more development (mostly dealing with the kids' lives outside of school), the movie still does a good job with what it has to work with. Matthew Perry gives a fantastic performance, and I was really impressed by some of the kids' performances. Because of this, the movie is touching to an extent you would not expect. This is probably one of the best made for television movies I've ever seen.