Thanks for the memories!

Strong and Moving!

Fresh and Exciting

The acting in this movie is really good.

This movie is corporate, anti-union, anti teacher propaganda. The fact that a talented actress' like Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rosie Perez were deceived (I hope, and assume) into participating in this attack on the integrity of public schools is shameful... This movie is corporate, anti-union, anti teacher propaganda. The fact that a talented actress' like Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rosie Perez were deceived (I hope, and assume) into participating in this attack on the integrity of public schools is shameful... This movie is corporate, anti-union, anti teacher propaganda. The fact that a talented actress' like Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rosie Perez were deceived (I hope, and assume) into participating in this attack on the integrity of public schools is shameful...

This isn't perfect. Like most movies, it makes the villains really bad. But it demonstrates so many things that protesters too often ignore-- the face to face work, the efforts by the opposition to sabotage, using lies, the role of greed of fear and fear-making. The critics of this film cannot deny that there are people out there who exemplify the archetypally evil people in this movie. The venal teacher, the corrupt principal, the union leader who has lost his soul and his sight of what is right. The acting in this movie is extraordinary. One way I measure a movie is by how much it touches my heart and this one gave me chills again and again. it's also great to see a movie where the main characters are all women. This is a movie that is essential viewing. Don't miss it.

Jaime Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and teacher Nona Alberts (Viola Davis) are both parents who are tired of their failing inner city school. They battle union boss Evelyn Riske (Holly Hunter) and others to take save the school and their kids.There's no doubt that there is a pedigree of Christian conservative roots in this movie. The big name in production is Walden Media and they have their roots in Christian conservative ownership. So is it propaganda? Probably, but it's still a good movie.This is a movie where the labor union is made to be complete villains, and disconnected to the teachers on the ground. They lie and bribe to save their own jobs. The teachers are either good or evil. The one bad teacher can't be just incompetent. She's is literally Evil. Having said that. It is a well made film. There is good. There is evil. There are obstacles to overcome. The acting is good. The story is compelling. Other than a couple of hokey moments and some slow spots, the story flowed well. So on the film itself without taking sides, this is a definite 7. sides, this is a definite 7.

DVD from my public library. It is "inspired" by real events but there is no way of knowing how much of it is fiction. My wife and I enjoyed it.Set in Pittsburgh, Maggie Gyllenhaal is a single mother Jamie Fitzpatrick. She has a young daughter, in 2nd grade, doing poorly in reading and not getting much sympathy or help from her public school teacher. When Jamie one day comes to the school and asks the teacher if she could spend a few minutes at the end of the day helping her daughter, the teacher responds flatly "School is over at 3PM." Part of that reflects the strong teachers union rules, and part of it is teacher apathy.Jamie is intelligent but not very well educated, partly because of her dyslexia, the same handicap causing her young daughter's difficulties. In her efforts to find a better classroom, or a better school, she learns of a new law which allows teachers and parents to take control of a school via petition to the school board. She is warned that it is an uphill battle, may take years to do, and no guarantee that it will work. But Jamie can't wait years, her daughter needs better instruction now, so she goes about attempting the seemingly impossible. The second key character in this story is Viola Davis as Nona Alberts, one of the teachers who cares about the kids, and who also has a young son with learning difficulties. Jamie has to work very hard to convince her, but eventually and together they move the project forward.Why did we like this movie? The actors bring these characters to life and, even if it didn't really happen this way, it is a good story about the human spirit and the need, everywhere, to focus on the children and their learning. Teachers and their unions are never the prime focus. As the movie says near the end, the meaning of life is to make a difference in the life of a child. We hope it is a positive difference.