As the daughter of a public school teacher (hi, Mom!), Won't Back Down is a particularly
interesting look into the public education debate, especially in light of the recent
events in Chicago. Despite Won't Back
Down's opportunity to take a harder look at issues surrounding education (Ã
la Waiting for Superman), the film is
more of a feel good look at what can happen if you decide you've had enough of
the status quo and are ready to fight the system.
Won't Back Down
follows two extremely determined mothers as they attempt to save a failing
inner city Philadelphia school. Viola Davis plays a rundown teacher whose
personal life is in tatters. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a single mother whose daughter
isn't receiving the help she needs. With Viola Davis in a film, I have
extremely high expectations, and she doesn't disappoint. I could definitely
feel that she was tired and that she was at the end of her rope at times while
still getting the sense that she had hope for others. Maggie Gyllenhaal's
character had such a sense of blind naivety to her that was simultaneously
encouraging and depressing. Didn't she ever get depressed and despair that
they'd never be able to save the school? Apparently not. She just bounced along
the movie, all smiles and cheery platitudes. As the equivalent of The Little
Engine That Could, she never stopped, and it's extremely unbelievable that a
women fighting bureaucracy would never throw up her hands and give up for half
a second.
The plot is extremely predictable, and I'm kind of
disappointed that more isn't done to bring better attention to issues in
education. Some notice is brought to the teachers' unions thanks to Holly
Hunter's character, who was one of the best examples of character development
I've seen in recent history. But even that subplot felt almost like an
afterthought in some ways"”as if government was supposed to be the villain
without actually being the villain.
As much as I tried to like this film because of Davis and Hunter,
I just couldn't because of so many plot issues and missed opportunities. If Won't Back Down was trying to take a
stand on a specific problem within education, it definitely missed the mark.
