Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
Could Have Been Better
lpd381 - wrote on 05/21/2011
This movie is kind of laughable in a way. It's chalk full of cliches, and yes I realize that was a pun. The first half of this movie was inspirational and moving, and then slowly it turns crazy. The principle, other teachers and department head are almost cartoonish villains. Short of holding a cat and saying "we can't let the Negroes rise against us!" she is laughable. Also Hillary Swank's character also sort of loses her mind. I understand that she made great sacrifices but she goes to far. She loses a marriage and then fights to stay with the kids through the high school. This sounds nobel on the surface but we lose sight of the other classes that she is dumping. Hazzah she saved 30 kids and screwed 130. The kids can always come back to a teachers room to get help. It shows …
Rating of
4/4
Vastly Underrated
Alan @ Transbuddha - wrote on 12/23/2008
The idea of an inspiring teacher actually making a difference may seem cliché nowadays, but there’s nothing cliché about Freedom Writers. The tale of a young teacher struggling with gangs, and inner city violence, and a system which has all but given up on the very students she was hired to help learn is, simply put, a great film.
My response to this film might be slightly different than your average movie goer, so let me explain why. I come from a long line of teachers and graduated myself with a teaching degree which I put to work immediately in Kansas City. As a first year teacher in an urban school I struggled with many of the same issues Gruwell faced - a diverse and disinterested student body, lack of any real parental support, the behind-the-scenes politics, a staff of …
