Audio Reviews - Won't Back Down - Audio Review

Two determined mothers­, one a teacher, look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children.

Tags:  movie review, audio, spill, spill.com, viola davis, wont back down, maggie gyllenhaal, holly hunter

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  October 02, 2012 at 1:34 AM, said ...

  Based on the 16 Steeler logo shots in the trailer it's safe to say it takes place in Pittsburgh

• October 01, 2012 at 1:52 AM, said ...

  Very funny review. The title alone exhibits some ol’ Disney feel-good project meant to inspire kids, even though parents likely get more out of the plot than their brood do; watching similar films as a child never really did much for me. From the scene you interposed it’s already palpable how this film will unfold.

  The charter school enterprise is an interesting topic. While offering to parents actual choice outside the public school racket their children are otherwise bound to, I also find those lottery events quite depressing, although for a reason beside one’s low chances of being picked. What’s depressing is that people actually hold true, or profess in public, that with better teachers and the right type of environment and with enough motivation and with (!) better technology, any kid can do well within k-12 academia regardless of their background (everyday environment, parents’ genes, etc.). We just need to give these students first rate teachers is the everlasting meme touted by educational romantics. With that in mind, I assume the film adhered to that sentiment.

  Yet, if you look at data concerning educational attainment, the level of schooling a child reaches and finishes for instance, you’ll find a high correlation between a student’s IQ and how well he does in school, i.e. academic ability, intellectual ability…whatever you want to call it. A student must possess the mental capacity that permits him to succeed in school. Without a requisite level of intelligence, true academic achievement is simply beyond his grasp.

  So this belief out there, held by people of all political stripes, that somehow teachers are the defining element for how well a child does in a US public school is absurd and impossible to extinguish. Most people will acknowledge the correlation between intelligence and school achievement in private, but to the powers that be it is a fact too unpalatable to consider.

  That’s not to deem k-12 education out of reach for the average American student. Many people across America graduate high school every year. But let’s not mince words. Any kid with average intelligence, an IQ around 100, can get through the public school system with just modest effort dispersed along the way (50% of the population fall between the 90th and the 110th percentile for IQ, the other 50% reside below and above the steep-to-shallow inclines following those points on the bell curve). The students who drop out are most likely, through no fault of their own, too dull to grasp the material being taught. Perhaps that isn’t the most common reason a student drops out, but if you were to force a teenager to sit in class, never miss a day, he wouldn’t necessarily do well unless he was able to grasp the material taught to him. If the academic material is too hard for him, either because he’s not smart enough or the material is just really tough, he could only pass if every factor, homework and exams and projects, were made totally easy. Or he could cheat.

  I actually have several thoughts running about education, but I don’t want this to get long and far off track. Maggie Gyllenhaal isn’t even hot, by the way; her face is all dumpy looking. That’s what made The Dark Knight unrealistic, the presumption that Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent would fight over her. No way.

  Here’s an interesting interview with a charter school principle. I’m pro-charter school because I support liberty of choice for anything. Charter schools afford choice to people who don’t want to pay private school tuition.

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 10:17 PM, said ...

  So this is basically The Help without the retro style..and the racism. 

• September 29, 2012 at 8:22 PM, Shane Clark said ...

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 7:57 PM, kevin miller said ...

  "Welcome to the Jungle"....

  hahahahahahaha

• September 29, 2012 at 6:57 PM, Jordan Davis said ...

  Still laughing from the tagline under the carousel.

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 6:29 PM, Mark Hazleton Jr. said ...

  I love the still image of the trailer right below the audio review...looks like Maggi Gyllenhaal is like "oooh damn..they really do hate this movie..juuuuust act normal..pretend you're not hearing the Spill crew". and Viola Davis is like "thats why Im pretending to not even know..just pretend you're sleeping".

• September 29, 2012 at 3:29 PM, said ...

  seems like another nice white lady fights to help the underprivileged movie.  They do this for charter schools. Me and my cousin both got in to a good charter school this way. ooo BTW we all interviewed first and half of the people get cut from there. Then you test, and another half is cut. Then the lottery happens. 

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 12:51 PM, James said ...

  @TheDVDGrouch

  
  No, it's not another 'Nice White Lady fights to help the 'underprivileged' movie', it's about a Nice lady who does that.

• September 29, 2012 at 10:55 AM, said ...

  Is it just me, or is their no soundtrack to this video?

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 6:55 AM, Joel Daly said ...

  So its another "Nice White Lady Fights To Help The Underprivileged" movie only the twist is this time she has help from another nice lady, OK at least I know what I'm getting into.

  Good review guys.

  Speaking of Teacher movies I always really liked Stand & Deliver.

• September 29, 2012 at 5:20 AM, Jon said ...

  really sucks this movie didnt do better on RottenTomatoes

  'Despite the best efforts of its talented leads, Won't Back Down fails to lend sufficient dramatic heft or sophistication to the hot-button issue of education reform.'

  I saw a really good advertisement for it on TV

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 4:54 AM, Hey it's Melvin! said ...

  This needs to be on the lifetime channel.

• September 29, 2012 at 3:40 AM, Santos said ...

  
  
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  September 29, 2012 at 12:03 AM, said ...

  I think I'll skip this one...

• September 29, 2012 at 12:02 AM, Denny said ...

  Shit, you brought up Patch Adams....that's like, one of my nemesis films right there. I'll be avoiding this one like the plague.

  
  
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  September 28, 2012 at 9:38 PM, said ...

  He drives around nyc and give these out.

  

• September 28, 2012 at 9:03 PM, JW said ...

  The movie takes place in Pittsburgh

  
  
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  September 28, 2012 at 8:52 PM, said ...

  Billy is my friend.

• September 28, 2012 at 7:39 PM, said ...

  Radio Raheem and Robet Mitchum teaching about life

  
  
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  September 28, 2012 at 5:59 PM, Geofferic said ...

  This sounds like the boringest, preachiest, bullshittiest movie in a long time.

• September 28, 2012 at 4:40 PM, said ...

  the city it takes place in is Pittsburgh.

   

  
  
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  September 28, 2012 at 4:35 PM, Ric John Manalastas said ...

  You guys forgot that there's another actor we haven't seen in a while that's in this movie that was also an Oscar nominee and was in Do the Right Thing: Rosie Perez

• September 28, 2012 at 4:15 PM, said ...

  Gyllenhall looks old as shit, which makes me feel old, as I remember her playing teen roles "not to long ago". She doesn't look hypnotized or stoned to me at all in this trailer, but Viola Davis does look like she just wants to collect her payhceck and GTFO. This trailer seems weird, because it has not music. Sure enough the official trailer on Youtube is the same with Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" playing in the background. I do know how women feel when they see hot chicks playing the love interest of old guys and dumpy looking guys, because there is no way that guy would date Gyllenhall exclusiviely. He'd bang her and leave at the most. 

  
  
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  September 28, 2012 at 4:00 PM, said ...

  Maggie looks hypnotized/ or stoned in the trailer preview and Viola Davis is "Where's my check?"

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