There have been a few documentaries in recent years dealing with the current state of America’s public school system. “Waiting for Superman” (2010) focused on how schools are failing academically, while this past year “Bully” examined the issue of bullying in schools. “Won’t Back Down” is a mainstream Hollywood film that tries to both address the problems of the education system and provide a possible solution.
Inspired by true events, “Won’t Back Down” stars Oscar nominees Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis. Gyllenhaal plays Jamie, a single mother of a 3rd grader who attends a public school in Pittsburgh that has a terrible track-record with it’s students. The school has gotten failing grades for years but the administrators and most of the teachers don’t care and so the students aren’t learning.
One of those teachers who has pretty much given up is Nona (Davis) – a 3rd grade teacher who’s dealing with marital problems and with a young son who has some learning difficulties. Jamie convinces Nona that they both want the same thing: a better school and a brighter future for their children. So they decide to team-up and fight the system in an effort to take over control of the school and give it a complete makeover. It’s a long, difficult process with many obstacles (the biggest being the powerful Teachers Union). Can the two mothers get enough support from parents and teachers to defeat the union and convince the school board to let them start their own school?
At times, “Won’t Back Down” is pretty effective. The film makes some strong points about the current state of public education and there are some nice, honest moments on screen. But fixing this school isn’t the entire focus of the film, and that’s where “Won’t Back Down” loses-out on a chance to be a top-notch, inspirational drama. There’s an inevitable relationship between Jamie and the school’s music teacher (played by Oscar Isaac). A few of their scenes together are goofy and this entire storyline is both distracting and unnecessary.
Even though she gets second billing (as she did in “The Help”), Davis owns this movie. Her performance throughout is outstanding, including a few scenes in the third act that are quite powerful. She’s getting a little early Oscar buzz and deservingly so. A pleasant surprise in the film is Holly Hunter. She’s very convincing as the Vice President of the Teacher’s Union. Gyllenhaal has her moments, but is a little preachy.
“Won’t Back Down” is rated PG for some language and dramatic elements. It’s appropriate for kids 10 and up. While the film is a little forced and predictable (chances are you can predict the outcome), the performances stand-out and the movie succeeds in making it’s points while also being entertaining. And there are more than a few impactful moments, including the final scene.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Won’t Back Down” gets a C+.
The film received a lot of criticism for being anti-union and for it’s portrayal of bad teachers and administrators, and it bombed at the box office because of it. What you need to remember is that this is a work of Hollywood fiction not a documentary. Give it a chance, you may enjoy it.