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The Substitute

Play trailer Poster for The Substitute R 1996 1h 54m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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42% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko (Diane Venora) gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony). Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale (Tom Berenger), goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six (Raymond Cruz), Shale declares war.
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The Substitute

Critics Reviews

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Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times There's a sense of shrewd observation throughout The Substitute that makes it come alive and seem quite a few cuts above such usual genre fare. Feb 13, 2001 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times The entire setup is too garish to be credible. Rated: 2/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review John Hartl Film.com There's a certain amount of camp value to this over-the-top thriller, which might as well be called Rambo Goes to High School. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an appealingly larger-than-life premise that's employed to watchable yet consistently (and disappointingly) hit-and-miss effect... Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 31, 2021 Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn This movie was a mess. Tom Berenger was atrocious. Rated: 1/5 Jan 14, 2021 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn This was really bad. It was over the top and completely insane. Rated: 1/5 Jan 14, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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alan g The predator in Miami. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/12/25 Full Review Phillip H It’s a fun 90s action film Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/01/25 Full Review David H poor acting. fights looked so scripted. not worth the time. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/21/25 Full Review James T Absolutely one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I want my time back. Don't waste your time, like I did. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/14/25 Full Review Garry A During parts of this movie I was thinking it was so bad that it is actually good. You know who the good and bad guys are. You get the results you want and it is highly enjoyable. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/14/25 Full Review David K A bit cheesy, but mostly entertaining. Resembles Walker Texas Ranger. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Substitute

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Mandel

Director

Tom Berenger

Jonathan Shale

Ernie Hudson

Principal Claude Rolle

Diane Venora

Jane Hetzko

Marc Anthony

Juan Lacas

Glenn Plummer

Mr. Darrell Sherman

Movie Clips

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The Substitute

The Substitute: Official Clip - I Can't Get Higher The Substitute: Official Clip - I Can't Get Higher 2:31 The Substitute: Official Clip - Smile, You're on Candid Camera The Substitute: Official Clip - Smile, You're on Candid Camera 2:18 The Substitute: Official Clip - No Talking in the Library The Substitute: Official Clip - No Talking in the Library 2:22 The Substitute: Official Clip - Power Perceived is Power Achieved The Substitute: Official Clip - Power Perceived is Power Achieved 2:01 The Substitute: Official Clip - I'm the Substitute The Substitute: Official Clip - I'm the Substitute 3:06 The Substitute: Official Clip - Fiber & Flushing The Substitute: Official Clip - Fiber & Flushing 3:12 The Substitute: Official Clip - The Warrior Chief The Substitute: Official Clip - The Warrior Chief 2:26 The Substitute: Official Clip - Jai alai The Substitute: Official Clip - Jai alai 2:27 The Substitute: Official Clip - Too Small Balls The Substitute: Official Clip - Too Small Balls 2:08 The Substitute: Official Clip - Some Things Can't be Taught The Substitute: Official Clip - Some Things Can't be Taught 1:36 View more videos

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The Substitute

The Substitute (1996) The Substitute (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko (Diane Venora) gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony). Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale (Tom Berenger), goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six (Raymond Cruz), Shale declares war.
Director
Robert Mandel
Producer
Morrie Eisenman, Jim Steele
Screenwriter
Roy Frumkes, Rocco Simonelli, Alan Ormsby
Production Co
Live Entertainment, Lionsgate, Mediaworks
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.8M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
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