Freedom Writers (2007)reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
Los Angeles, two years following the Rodney King riots of 1992, a first-time teacher named Erin, played by Hilary Swank (The Black Dahlia), attempts to reach her freshmen English class, most of whom are active racists and gangsta’s, the importance of tolerance by teaching them about the most notorious gang in history, the Nazi regime. Through journal writing and reading ‘The Diary of Anne Frank,’ Erin begins to affect the dangerously integrated students and inspire them to change who they are. The second act of this script got VERY strong, as we learned more about the students and what they were writing in their journals. The picture ended fairly well, with a few more clichés and a quick wrap up, but overall I was surprised how good this movie was for being a January release, notorious for being what I affectionately describe as the ‘Hollywood studio tax-write-off season.’ April L. Hernandez (TV’s ER) was a standout in the ensemble piece. Swank and Patrick Dempsey (TV’s Grey’s Anatomy) were good together playing a young married couple, but their material was predictable. The biggest challenge for this movie was to be different than the rest of the teach-versus-troubled-kids type of movies which precede it (Dangerous Minds, Take the Lead), and I think “Freedom Writers” reached its goal. Overall, I think this picture is worth seeing. It choked me up on several occasions as it did many who saw it with me. I consider this a surprise January (2007) release and it is just as important a film today as it would be during the 1992 L.A. riots. Benn - Where's the Humanity?
Act one was shaky when it was about Erin the teacher. The story got clichéd when it focused on HER. Her students were another matter.