Won't Back Down

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Won't Back Down

PG

2012

2h 1m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

34%

Tomatometer

103 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposite sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.

Critics Consensus

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.

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London Evening Standard

01/25/2013

2/5

More anti-union propaganda masquerading as entertainment.

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Joseph Walsh

Little White Lies

01/24/2013

3/5

A straight-talking, partisan account about the failings of a broken system and a band of women who argued for better for their children.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

01/24/2013

2/5

It is well meant, undoubtedly about something that matters, and it bends over backwards not to trash the teachers' unions gratuitously, but amid the attempts at gritty reality, I found the happy-ending imperative unconvincing.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/27/2020

3.0/4.0

Focuses on solving problems rather than assigning blame.

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

08/06/2019

1.5/4

A film of bumper sticker emotions, rather than ideas that might actually be helpful.

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Kelly Jane Torrance

Washington Examiner

12/20/2018

2.5/4

This is a gripping story, with only a few moments of awkwardness as policy details and pros and cons are explained.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown 04/13/2024

If you're a teacher, Won't Back Down might hit home...if not it might make you a little queasy. Maggie's schmaltzy and Viola plays her normal role.

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08/04/2018

As a teacher highly recommend watching.

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07/20/2016

Another movie that proves a stellar cast always comes out on top. I feel like movies like this have been told a million times & the subject matter here is fairly boring, but with leads like Maggie Gyllenhaal & Viola Davis - even I couldn't leave till it finished.

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02/23/2016

The movie means well with decent performances but suffers from a bland script and bad direction. It isn't engaging at all. I seen a lot of good movies like this. Won't back down doesn't make the grade.

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11/11/2015

This movie haded it's ups and downs, but it was good acted and was an angaging story. Sometimes it fell of topic, I did not know what was going on, and sometimes I think they take it over the limit for the school laws. As that being said I give " Won't Back Down " a Solid C-.

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09/17/2015

Verklighetsbaserad och peppig story!

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Daniel Barnz

Director

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Jamie Fitzpatrick

Viola Davis

Nona Alberts

Holly Hunter

Evelyn Riske

Oscar Isaac

Michael Perry

Rosie Perez

Breena Harper

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Parental Guidance: Taken 2 and Won’t Back Down

Critics Consensus: Looper Is Certified Fresh

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Synopsis

Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposite sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.

Director: Daniel Barnz
Producer: Mark Johnson
Screenwriter: Brin Hill, Daniel Barnz
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Gran Via
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 28, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.2M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Datasat
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)