Freedom Writers

2007 "Their story. Their world. Their future."
7.6| 2h3m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 05 January 2007 Released
Producted By: Double Feature Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.freedomwriters.com/
Synopsis

A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.

... View More
Stream Online

Stream with Prime Video

Director

Producted By

Double Feature Films

Trailers & Images

Reviews

SnoopyStyle It's 1994 L.A. Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) is a rookie wide-eyed idealistic English teacher in Woodrow Wilson high school. It's two years after the riots. The school was academically excellent until it voluntarily integrated. She is given the at-risk kids who segregate themselves into racial cliques. Her father Steve Gruwell (Scott Glenn) is disappointed in her wasting her effort. Her husband Scott Casey (Patrick Dempsey) slowly stops being supportive. Administrator Margaret Campbell (Imelda Staunton) refuses to give her proper books. Erin gives the kids diaries to write in. The movie also follows the narrator student Eva Benitez who witnesses her boyfriend's drive-by shooting of her classmate and must testify.It follows the very familiar formula of the white savior teacher and the rough students in need of her help. Hilary Swank is excellent and pulls off this standard melodrama. She really needs help from the students but the young actors don't stand out. They are fine for the purpose of this movie but not much more. Their stories are sincere. I can't oppose its sincerity but it does wear thin when it hits the nail over the head so directly and so often. The heart is in the right place but the formula is unchanged.
kavan Hazeli In contrast to many screenplays that tell ordinary stories or picture an unnecessary personal imagination, here the screenwriter touches socially important concerns. It is absolutely necessary that someone bring to people's attention that "hey, there are millions of people out there who fight every minute of their lives, just to survive". Public awareness needs to be raised and art is the most effective way. A good artist sees a situation from different angles and subsequently gets inspired to create something new with constructive consequences. This artistic screenplay, apart from demonstrating many social obstacles faced by a large number of families throughout the nation, highlights other concerns such as poorly designed education system. People should be approached and educated differently. Irrespective to how hard we are working, how much conflict we are facing every day, we should learn from the students of room number 203, to wear a kind smile on our face.
jane smith The classic white savior teacher who rescues the class of minority students from their cemented fate as gang bangers. Of course there is the token awkward, shy white kid who lacks the ability to dance, and the evil white teachers who refuse to give books to the students. The hoop earring wearing Latina girl with an attitude, and a plethora of troubled young black man who are secretly sensitive and intellectual. I am inclined to agree with the teacher who said it is ridiculous to compare these kids to Anne frank. They are growing up in one of the best countries in the world. I fail to sympathize too much with their plight. Perhaps if they were Somalian villagers I would feel more empathy, but the truth is this country has many free learning resources and minority scholarships, and if they tried to make something of their life they could. Yes, I realize it was a true story, but I just don't like the way they presented it. As if living in the inner city is soo tough and we are required to sympathize. I find myself rolling my eyes at statements like "we fight for territory" To be honest, the person I sympathized most with was the failure husband, pushed to the side by his wife, and too old to realistically pursue his dreams. maybe I'm being a bit harsh here. I have never been shot at walking down the street. but as a child I was very poor; we had no furniture, no heat, no plumbing, no electricity, and literally no money. I don't think that I had it very bad, and I don't think these kids did either, compared to a significant portion of the human race. Thats not to say that I hated this movie. I just wish for once someone could make a movie about inner city life that it not preachy, but simply showing it like it is without trying to make any statements.
thewillt08 Never in a million years did I think MTV Studios would make a good movie. Now , I'm sure not a lot of people have ever heard of Freedom Writers, but it is about a new teacher who gets her first job at a high school in Long Beach California. The film takes place in 1994 and during that time there was a lot of gang violence and since the schools were integrated, students and even teachers didn't really care about education. This one teacher dedicates all of her time to these kids and to help them and the bond they form is incredible. This made an interesting film and a little hard to believe, even though it was based on a true story.I loved the characters in this movie. Each student had a different story and their storied brought them together. Marcus, Eva, and Jamal are among my favorites. The story really focuses on Mrs. G. and her teaching. She was the best character in the movie with her dedication and love for her job but every time I saw her and her husband on screen I just wanted to turn it off. I understand his purpose and it but it was boring and slowed the pace. Eva and her struggles in her life but in the end it is kind of unsatisfying. She witnessed one of her own people, meaning Latin American, gun down and murder another man and she was to testify in court. Her family and friends told her to lie to protect her own people. They are in a war, and the war is something every student can relate to. In the movie she testifies but we never find out what happens afterMarcus was a character who surprised me. He got kicked out of his moms place when he started getting into drugs and gang violence and he gave up on school. He completely develops into a strong character with an even stronger heart and voice. Mrs. G. tried to teach them about the Holocaust and the Diary of Anne Frank. She thought the kids would relate, and they did and that was a big part in them coming together. Marcus is one character I would say gets justice. His story ends properly and it is satisfying. There were no questions to be asked.Jamal is a character that just drops off the face of the Earth. In the beginning he is very active and he makes an impact, but then he slips away and is kind of forgotten. It's a shame because he had so much potential and strengths as a character. Andre is the opposite. I the beginning he is hardly noticeable and in the end he is a focal point, but again, his story isn't wrapped up. It left me asking, "ok, then what happened?" It was frustrating. The movie ends in the right place but we don' know how the kids end with their present problems. We get a blurb before the credits roll but to me it wasn't enough.I like this movie a lot, the way Mrs. G. connected with her students and changed them was just fun to watch. You can't help but feel happy when old enemies become friends. It is even crazier that this was a true story. I think it was exaggerated for Hollywood but they were like a family. Most of them didn't have family and the conflict in the movie is how long they will stay together. At least I think that is the conflict. There really is no major conflict, but more like three or four minor conflicts. It is different and it worked so touché to the director. The Holocaust became a symbol throughout the entire movie. It connected the kids along with the journals and I loved how it was used throughout the entire movie. Jamal was the one everyone made fun of and Tito drew a picture of him with bi lips and Mrs. G. found it in class. She went on a speech about propaganda the Holocaust. None of the students had heard of the Holocaust. She took them to the Holocaust museum and had her talk to Holocaust survivors. Somehow, they connected the Holocaust with their life style. Their stores were all so sad and deep and Mrs. G. really helped them.Her teaching methods for these kids were outstanding. My favorite scene is when she plays the line game. When she first said, "The line game." I had the same reaction as the students, which wasn't good. Then she asked the questions and got deeper and deeper into their lives. The students got to understand one another. They got little bits of respect and it was the first small step into a change in their life. The journal entries were absolutely brilliant as well. She had them write in their journals everyday about anything they wished and she would read the, if they liked. The kids just vented. They just told their story and their struggle and it helped Mrs. G. connect and understand with her students. And I'm a writer so I thought it was just smart in general. I had to ask myself, "Did the students really do all the work? Did they actually read the books?" in my mind it is kind of doubtful. Students today don't read under normal circumstances. These kids risk their lives walking outside. It is a little hard to believe they actually did all of their work, or even most of it.Overall, Freedom Writers is a good time with strong characters you will fall in love with and feel sorry for, but is also hard to believe. I'm sorry, you can't help but notice how Hollywood and cheesy the story and scenes can be. I still liked it a lot; I could watch it again and again. Freedom Writers gets the WillyT Honorable Mention.