Review of Freedom Writers (2007) by Sharrie R — 27 Aug 2009

It was "awe-ite." Again, for the two billioneth time, there is a movie where a new teacher comes into a class room of students who behave in a manner where a crime's about to be committed by one of them, and someone is able to figure them out and channel their criminal behavior into glaring intellects.

Like the other movies (the one with Michelle Pfeiffer being a teacher and Coach Carter, even Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society, and that Mexican actor who played the father in the movie Selena who also had a movie where he was a teacher), the teacher inspires the students and the world becomes a better place.

I thought the movie was ok but very predictable. Hilary Swank was overacting as some geeky new teacher and that seemed a little draining to me given that she's supposed to be a two-time Oscar Award winning actress.

It was moving to realize that this was based on a true story, but the other movie's were too. Then, inner city crime eventually goes up again when the economy goes bad. So has a lesson really been learned yet?

The interesting part of the movie was the analogy of Anne Frank living in a world of Jewish Persecution and the lives of Inner City students in a similar trapped life. I also foud it inspiring that they actually contacted the woman who housed Anne Frank's family. That was a little touching.