| The movie gets off to a slow start, and in the first 20-or-so minutes I thought to myself, "How is this any different from 'Dangerous Minds' and all those other 'inspirational teacher' flicks? This movie probably has nothing new to bring to the table." One thing I remember reading from a screen writing book was that you should never tell yourself, "This has been done before." You can always make variations on familiar story lines. "Freedom Writers" is a fine example of that philosophy. I can't deny that I was crying through almost half the <more> film. The character arcs of the students in this movie are quite convincing. And take it from me, because I can be pretty damn cynical. One thing you can definitely say about this film is there are no saccharine "Dead-Poet's-Society-esque" moments with students standing on chairs or crowding into the principal's office in support of their teacher. Yes, the film takes some significant artistic liberties, but never to the point where I was rolling my eyes. One element of the film I deeply appreciated was how Hilary Swank's character equated the gang violence the students experience everyday to the experiences of the Jews during the Holocaust. In a later scene, she takes the students on the field trip to a Holocaust museum, where they are captivated by the Jewish experience. Being that my grandparents were Jewish immigrants during the Holocaust, I couldn't help but cry my eyes out when the students were hit hard by discovering what these people went through. When the students raise money to have the woman who hid Anne Frank speak to the students, one of the students says, "Can I be the one to escort her into the class?" That was probably the most touching moment of the film. These touching moments felt genuine, and that's why the film works. Hilary Swank gives another fine performance. Sure, it's not as dynamic as her performances in "Boys Don't Cry" and "Million Dollar Baby," but good nonetheless. I like how even during the later moments of the film, she remains a generally jovial person and though she's able to relate to the kids, she's still a square, un-hip white woman. Her performance is probably a lot more convincing than Michelle Pfieffer's in "Dangerous Minds" not to mention the dramatic moments in "Freedom Writers" are a little more believable . The actor who plays Marcus is quite good as well, probably giving the best performance out of all the students.I did have some minor problems with the film. For example, English actress Imelda Staunton though she does a fine job can't quite nail down an American accent. I also wish the movie, like the aforementioned "Dangerous Minds," could've went for an R-rating. I understand that director Richard Lagravanese probably wanted to make sure that teenagers see this movie, but it feels a little unconvincing watching a movie about inner-city kids where the word "motherf***er" is never uttered. But unfortunately we're living in the age of PG-13 movies. Pretty soon, porno flicks will be PG-13. I think the filmmakers were being a little overstated by making the only white kid in class a blonde-haired boy who resembles a close relative of "The Brady Bunch." Having lived in an inner-city most of my life, I understand that even the white kids in the neighborhood try to act "gangsta." In one funny scene, Swank's character plays a game where the students have to step forward whenever a question applies to them. Most of those questions are things along the lines of "Have you ever witnessed gang violence?" The white guy doesn't step forward for any of those questions. When she asks "Do you know where to buy drugs?" that's when the white boy finally steps forward. But despite these minor problems, "Freedom Writers" is a solid, touching film. It doesn't completely break from the mold of "inspirational teacher" movies, but it might be one of the better ones in the genre. <less> |
