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"FREEDOM WRITERS" (2007) (Hilary Swank, April Hernandez) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Moderate Extreme Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None *Mild Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None Heavy Heavy Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama: An idealistic young teacher must overcome various obstacles as she tries to get her troubled students to write about their lives and thus change their attitudes about themselves and others. PLOT: It's 1994 and Erin Gruwell (HILARY SWANK) has just arrived at Long Beach's Wilson High School as an idealistic freshman year teacher. Others there are not as optimistic, such as honors teacher Brian Gelford (JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY) who thinks the school's recent integration has ruined its reputation and standing, while their boss, Margaret Campbell (IMELDA STAUNTON), doesn't want to see any changes to the current curriculum. That includes not distributing certain textbooks to any classes containing so-called troubled kids for fear of the materials being damaged, lost, or stolen. Erin's husband, Scott (PATRICK DEMPSEY), is initially supportive of her decision to try to make a difference in the lives of troubled kids including Eva (APRIL HERNANDEZ), Andre (MARIO), Marcus (JASON FINN), Sindy (JACLYN NGAN), Jamal (DEANCE WYATT) and the lone white kid, Ben (HUNTER PARRISH). Yet, her one-time civil rights advocate father, Steve (SCOTT GLENN), thinks she's wasting her time trying to rehabilitate, let alone teach any of them. Determined to prove all of them wrong, and seizing on some racism-based humor passed around the class, Erin decides to rethink her strategy. That not only includes unconventional class activities, but also getting the students to read "The Diary of Anne Frank" in hopes that it will prove to them that they're not as different from each other as they think and that they're not alone in facing adversity in their lives. Encouraging the students to write their own journals, Erin tries to make a difference in their lives, all while facing various personal and professional obstacles that stand in her way. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Some teens might be drawn by the high school angle, while fans of anyone in the cast might also be interested in it. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For violent content, some thematic material and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: HILARY SWANK plays an optimistic and idealistic new teacher at the school who's determined to get through to the kids to help them change their ways before it's too late. While doing so, she must overcome various obstacles (her husband, the school system, the kids themselves, etc.). She briefly uses strong profanity and does a little bit of drinking. APRIL HERNANDEZ plays a teen in the class with a chip on her shoulder toward teachers and white people, mainly because of her experience with white cops. Loyal to those of her own ethnicity, she faces the challenge of continuing that or doing the right thing regarding testifying about a shooting, and she takes a while to warm up to Erin. MARIO plays a troubled kid in the class who sells some drugs and clashes with Jamal. JASON FINN plays another student who feels he has no future due to being a black male, having been kicked out of home by his mother, and now living on the streets. He uses profanity. JACLYN NGAN plays a Cambodian teen who spent time in a concentration camp there and now clashes with Eva. DEANCE WYATT plays another student with a bad attitude who clashes with Andre. IMELDA STAUNTON plays another teacher and school administrator who doesn't want to help Erin with the students, refusing to give her books for her class, mainly because she doesn't see the point based on her past experience. PATRICK DEMPSEY plays Erin's husband who's initially supportive of her work with the kids, but becomes less so as the story progresses, resulting in marital strife between them (to the point that he eventually moves out) SCOTT GLENN plays Erin's father who initially isn't supportive of her efforts to reform her students, but eventually gets behind her cause. HUNTER PARRISH plays the lone white kid in the class who's nervous about being the minority student there. JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY plays the racist honors teacher who doesn't like Erin or the previous integration that he feels changed the school for the worse. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered, as is some sexually related dialogue and brief material. Violence includes several shootings, some fighting, hitting of others, and some threatening. Those scenes and others may be unsettling to some viewers, while some of that violence has bloody results. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some drinking is present as is some brief, drug-related material. Various thematic elements are present, as is tense family material, while some behavior may be enticing for some kids to imitate. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camerawork in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Steve has a drink while Erin has wine. In something of a confessions exercise in class, Erin asks the kids various questions, including how many of them know where to get drugs (Ben and others raise their hands). Miscellaneous people drink in a bar. A man tries to get Andre to sell some drugs, but he turns him down. Later, however, the man makes the offer again and it's suggested Andre takes him up on it. The class does a toast, but it's with sparkling cider. A black student states that the reason she was told black literature isn't taught in class is because of the drugs, fornication and more present in such writing. Scott has some wine in front of him, and Erin later has some. BLOOD/GORE Young Eva hears a drive-by shooting and we then see a bloody guy lying on the street. We see young Eva being initiated into a gang by having others beat her up, resulting in her having a bloody nose. A kid is shot and we see a hole in his shirt and a pool of blood behind him on the floor. We see a flashback to two young boys on a park bench, with one showing the other the handgun he has. The gun suddenly and accidentally goes off, resulting in one kid being dead and his blood being on the other kid's lap (that's young Marcus). We see a photo of a man with a bloody face from having been beaten (in the past). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Those who act violently toward others have bad attitudes. Seeing some chalk on Erin's clothed butt, one of the male students jokingly asks about getting some fries with that shake. Most of the kids initially have a bad attitude toward Erin as their teacher, with one wonder how long the "bitch" will last there. Eva lets some young men onto the school grounds and we then hear gunfire, resulting in a panic among the students. We then see various fights (boy on boy, girl on girl) with punching, wrestling and such, including one guy repeatedly pummeled and kicked. Steve implying he's disappointed in Erin's career choice, adding that the kids don't want to learn. Eva has a bad attitude toward Erin for much of the film (for being her teacher but also because she's white, as Eva doesn't like anyone of that race). To protect a teen of her own ethnicity, Eva lies to the police about who shot another kid in a convenience store (framing an innocent guy to protect Paco, the shooter). We see that a student -- Tito -- has drawn a racial pic of Jamal (who's black) with big lips, and various students laugh about that as it's quietly passed around the class. When Erin discovers it, she calls them on laughing about it, going into an explanation of how the Nazis did similar things to the Jews in the WWII era. Margaret refusing to give Erin school books for her class, stating that the books won't come back if given out to the students, or they'll be damaged if they are (she refers to the holding back of books as site-based instruction). When Erin tells Gelford that her students live tense and dangerous lives, he says he's the one who lives in fear (because of their kind) and says that integration is a lie, adding that Erin is ridiculous for trying to make a difference. Erin doesn't have any parents attend her parent-teacher meeting at school. We hear various passages from the students' journals (where Erin was given permission to read them) and see flashbacks to the events. Some of that includes one father beating a girl's mother and then hitting her, with talk of them then being kicked out onto the street by him. There's another story of a father abusing his wife and daughter. A black student says that Gelford called on her (the lone black student) to give the perspective of black people on something he's teaching. A black student states that the reason she was told black literature isn't taught in class is because of the drugs, fornication and more present in such writing. About Erin teaching others beyond those in her class, Scott asks if she can teach someone who's smart. Scott (whose bags are packed) tells Erin that he's living a life he didn't agree to, that he can't be her wife (adding that he wishes that didn't sound as bad as it does) and then moves out. Margaret and Gelford are mean to Erin in terms of her wanting to continue to teach the students beyond the usual time of just their freshman and sophomore years. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Young Eva hears a drive-by shooting and we then see a bloody guy lying on the street. We see a couple walking down the street when some men chase them until the pursued man pulls a gun on those two. They back off, but a third then shoots at them, resulting in a brief gun battle between the two men (no one is hit). Eva lets some young men onto the school grounds and we then hear gunfire, resulting in a panic among the students. We then see various fights (boy on boy, girl on girl) with punching, wrestling and such, including one guy repeatedly pummeled and kicked. We see a teen getting upset about a video game in a convenience store, eventually whacking the machine and then asking the owner or clerk for his money back. From the outside, another teen -- Paco -- then tries to shoot that first kid, but accidentally hits another kid by mistake (leaving a hole in his shirt and a pool of blood behind him on the floor). We hear various passages from the students' journals (where Erin was given permission to read them) and see flashbacks to the events. Some of that includes one father beating a girl's mother and then hitting her, with talk of them then being kicked out onto the street by him. We also see two young boys on a park bench, with one showing the other the handgun he has. The gun suddenly and accidentally goes off, resulting in one kid being dead and his blood being on the other kid's lap (that's young Marcus). A Holocaust survivor tells a story about having a gun held to her head back then. Some men are upset about the way Eva testified in court, so they chase her afterwards, eventually pinning her to a fence, and holding a gun on her. They don't shoot her, however, because of who her father is. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound, or kill others. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "This is a f*ck you to me and the rest of the class," "That's (some) bullsh*t," "The real sh*t," "You wanna give me some fries with that shake?" (said about watching a woman's butt), "Bitch," "Ghetto ass," "Dumb ass," "Don't give a damn," "Shut up," "You're ridiculous," "Nigger," "A crazy ass life," "Fool," "Smoke" (shoot), "What the hell are you doing here?" "Let's not get nuts," "Balls" (testicles), "What, are you tripping?" "Sit your ass down" and "That don't fly." We see young Eva being initiated into a gang by having others beat her up, resulting in her having a bloody nose. We see some graffiti. A girl has a tattoo on her lower back. One girl has a dyed patch of hair on her head. One female student has a pierced nostril. We see various characters with tattoos. Erin has her students read "The Diary of Anne Frank," and Eva wants to know when Anna is "going to smoke Hitler" (shoot him) and makes a gun to the head gesture. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Some songs contain lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of them potentially containing objectionable material. That said, we did hear 1 "s" word, 1 use of "G-damn," and 1 damn. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 12 "s" words, 1 possible slang term for sex ("hook up"), 16 asses (1 used with "hole"), 10 damns, 3 hells and 2 uses each of "G-damn," "God" and "My God." SEX/NUDITY We see some shirtless guys. Seeing some chalk on Erin's clothed butt, one of the male students jokingly asks about getting some fries with that shake. We see the camera focused on Erin's butt, representing Scott's point of view. He then playfully kisses on her in their kitchen. We hear various passages from the students' journals (where Erin was given permission to read them) and see flashbacks to the events. During this, there's talk of pimping to survive. One girl says she'd be the one expected to get pregnant and drop out of school, but then says that's not going to be her. A black student states that the reason she was told black literature isn't taught in class is because of the drugs, fornication and more present in such writing. Erin has her students read "The Diary of Anne Frank," and Eva wants to know if Anna and a guy are "going to hook up." We briefly see Erin among some bras in the store where she works selling them. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see young Eva's father pinned to the floor by police when he's arrested (in front of the girl). We hear various passages from the students' journals (where Erin was given permission to read them) and see flashbacks to the events. Some of that includes one father beating a girl's mother and then hitting her, with talk of them then being kicked out onto the street by him. There's also talk of another story of a father abusing his wife and daughter. Andre says that his mother doesn't see him, ever since his father "slipped away." He also says his brother is in jail. Eva visits her father in prison. Marcus writes in his diary that he misses his mom and states that she kicked him out due to his gang involvement. Due to Scott's increasingly unsupportive stance about Erin's efforts, their marriage becomes progressively strained. When Marcus goes to see his mom at his old home, she asks, "What the hell are you doing here?" but she eventually accepts him back. Scott (whose bags are packed) tells Erin that he's living a life he didn't agree to, that he can't be her wife (adding that he wishes that didn't sound as bad as it does) and then moves out. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT We see brief footage from the '92 L.A. riots, including that of burning buildings and a guy firing a gun. Eva having been raised with the philosophy of protecting their own (meaning always siding with your ethnic group no matter what). We see young Eva being initiated into a gang by having others beat her up, resulting in her having a bloody nose. School integration. Erin saying she was going to be a lawyer, but then decided that if troubled kids are already in the court system, it's too late, so she opted to become a teacher to try to make a difference earlier in their lives. We hear that Eva has a probation officer. We hear that the school is like prison in that it's voluntarily segregated into the separate ethnic groups. Scott telling Erin she's a teacher because she said she is, but then becoming increasingly disillusioned with and distant about her time commitment with them. Erin's unique ways of teaching her students and getting through to them. We see that a student -- Tito -- has drawn a racial pic of Jamal (who's black) with big lips, and various students laugh about that as it's quietly passed around the class. When Erin discovers it, she calls them on laughing about it, going into an explanation of how the Nazis did similar things to the Jews in the WWII era. Racism of different varieties. Eva (who's Hispanic) saying she hates white people (due to white police arresting her father and other related events). Marcus being pessimistic about his or other regular black kids' futures as he says rap or basketball is the only way for any of them to make it. The fact that many of the students think they'll have respect if they die prematurely. Erin learning that none of the kids know of the Holocaust but all have been shot at sometime in their lives. When Erin tells Gelford that her students live tense and dangerous lives, he says he's the one who lives in fear (because of their kind) and says that integration is a lie, adding that Erin is ridiculous for trying to make a difference. In something of a confessions exercise in class, Erin asks the kids various questions, including how many of them have lost friends to gang violence, and most if not all of them raise their hands (and many more continue to do so when Erin consecutively raises the number of known victims). Steve tells Erin that she's not responsible for the kids' lives outside of the classroom. Erin taking a second and then third job to earn enough money to pay for her students' books and other learning materials. Erin takes her students on a field trip to the Simon Wiesenthal Center and we see archival footage of neighborhoods burning. They then have dinner with real Holocaust survivors, and the entire experience affects them. Marcus writes in his diary that he misses his mom and states that she kicked him out due to his gang involvement. One student reads his diary entry about the experience of being evicted. A black student states that the reason she was told black literature isn't taught in class is because of the drugs, fornication and more present in such writing. When Marcus tells a Holocaust survivor (who helped Anne Frank) that she's his hero, the woman states that she isn't as she just did the right thing. Despite the pressure and possible repercussions, Eva tells the truth in court about an earlier shooting. Steve telling Erin (in a good way) that she's been blessed with a burden (regarding her students). VIOLENCE We see brief footage from the '92 L.A. riots, including that of burning buildings and a guy firing a gun. Young Eva hears a drive-by shooting and we then see a bloody guy lying on the street. We see young Eva's father pinned to the floor by police when he's arrested. We see young Eva being initiated into a gang by having others beat her up, resulting in her having a bloody nose. We see a couple walking down the street when some men chase them until the pursued man pulls a gun on those two. They back off, but a third then shoots at them, resulting in a brief gun battle between the two men (no one is hit). From a distance, we see some kids beating up Eva. Jamal and Andre have a brief confrontation that segues from verbal to slightly physical, and the two have to be separated as the class becomes chaotic. During the melee, we see one kid with his hand on a gun that's in his waistband. Eva lets some young men onto the school grounds and we then hear gunfire, resulting in a panic among the students. We then see various fights (boy on boy, girl on girl) with punching, wrestling and such, including one guy repeatedly pummeled and kicked. There's a fight among some students in a classroom. We see a teen getting upset about a video game in a convenience store, eventually whacking the machine and then asking the owner or clerk for his money back. From the outside, another teen -- Paco -- then tries to shoot that first kid, but accidentally hits another kid by mistake (leaving a hole in his shirt and a pool of blood behind him on the floor). We hear various passages from the students' journals (where Erin was given permission to read them) and see flashbacks to the events. Some of that includes one father beating a girl's mother and then hitting her, with talk of them then being kicked out onto the street by him. We also see two young boys on a park bench, with one showing the other the handgun he has. The gun suddenly and accidentally goes off, resulting in one kid being dead and his blood being on the other kid's lap (that's young Marcus). Eva kicks something in anger. Some men are upset about the way Eva testified in court, so they chase her afterwards, eventually pinning her to a fence, and holding a gun on her. They don't shoot her, however, because of who her father is. We see a photo of a man with a bloody face from having been beaten, as well as that of a bus that was firebombed (all in the past). Reviewed November 14, 2006 / Posted January 5, 2007

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