Freedom Writers plays like Dangerous Minds 2: Dangerouser. It's your typical Hollywood, inexperienced teacher with a view towards fixing a broken education system film. Everything you expect to see in this film you will see. It doesn't matter if it was based on a true story. Hilary Swank plays the idealist, naive teacher coming into an inner city school with gang problems who inspires her students to believe in themselves.
The film is made well enough, the performances are standard, nothing exciting and it has all the tear inducing moments one would expect for this type of film. I'm not entirely sure what one is supposed to get out of a film like this? Am I supposed to realize how messed up the education system is? Am I supposed to believe that if there were more teachers like Swank's character, that all the education problems would be resolved?
I suspect reforming education can't be simplified that easily. This film doesn't do anything amazing and by turning it into a pop culture event may in fact weaken whatever the real people actually accomplished. A little text blurb at the end even informs the audience that she didn't stay in high school education. A much better film about teaching was Half Nelson. I recommend that instead.
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