Synopsis
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
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Cast
- Hilary SwankErin Gruwell
- Scott GlennSteve Gruwell
- Imelda StauntonMargaret Campbell
- Patrick DempseyScott Casey
- April Hernandez CastilloEva Benitez
- Robert WisdomDr. Carl Cohn
- John Benjamin HickeyBrian Gelford
- Pat CarrollMiep Gies
- Hunter ParrishBen
- Kristin HerreraGloria Munez
Recommendations
- 80
L.A. Weekly
It all sounds like a recipe for the most noxious liberal jerk-off movie since "Crash," but in the hands of writer-director Richard LaGravenese, Freedom Writers turns out to be a superb piece of mainstream entertainment -- not an agonized debate over the principles of modern education à la "The History Boys," but a simple, straightforward and surprisingly affecting story of one woman who managed to make a difference. - 75
ReelViews
Freedom Writers delivers the expected messages about hope and the ability to change one's destiny, and does it in a manner that it is emotionally and intellectually satisfying. - 75
Chicago Tribune
Hilary Swank gives a powerhouse performance as a maverick high school teacher in Freedom Writers, an often gripping and sometimes even inspiring film drama taken from the real-life story of Erin Gruwell. - 75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) is real, and for all the dramatic license that writer/director Richard LaGravenese takes in his film, her story -- and the stories of her students -- are moving. - 70
Variety
It takes the bold approach of being earnest, honest and unafraid to be called naive. As a result, it's extremely affecting. - 70
The New York Times
In Freedom Writers Hilary Swank uses neediness to fine effect in a film with a strong emotional tug and smartly laid foundation. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Dramatically, the movie never veers from its predictable course, but Swank's performance renders the point moot. There likely was a better, more original movie to be made focusing more on the Freedom Writers themselves, but if this more conventional direction had to be taken, it's hard to imagine a more affecting version. - 60
Washington Post
It offers a sort of Chinese food poignancy, the kind that may seem satisfying at the time but ultimately leaves us hungering for more, for something authentic.
