New in Theaters: "Won't Back Down" - Starring Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

Based on actual events at a California school, where parents attempted to wrest control from administrators, Won't Back Down centers around Nona Alberts (Viola Davis), a school teacher, and Jamie Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a single working mother. Both women have children who are struggling. Jamie's daughter, Malia (Emily Alyn Lind), has dyslexia and has been falling behind in her studies. Her teacher does not seem interested in helping Malia and is often mean spirited towards the youngster. Nona has a son, Cody (Dante Brown), who is also having difficulty keeping up with his studies, which may be the result of a careless accident that occurred years earlier. Nona and Jamie realize that the school administrators are unable to help, so they decide to take matters into their own hands.

Their battle is a long and difficult one, but Jamie has few options. She must work two jobs and cannot afford to place Malia in a private school. She pins some hope on a lottery where several children are able to find places in a better school, but space is very limited. Nona also understands that the school is failing her child, but is not sure is she wants to stir up trouble and risk losing her job. However, doing nothing is not an option, so Jamie and Nona join forces and try to change the school culture, which causes both of them much personal grief. In Nona's case, she also has to contend with school administrators and fellow teachers who resent what she is trying to accomplish. However, they are determined to succeed and eventually find a couple of allies, whose opinions evolve as a result of Nona and Jamie's efforts.

The performance by Viola Davis helps to elevate the material, as she expertly utilizes her body language to relay Nona's physical exhaustion during her long battle with school district officials. While I think Maggie Gyllenhaal is well cast and delivers some fine work, I think more direction from Daniel Barnz was needed to bring out her best performance. Both characters appear likable and sincere and viewers are likely to root for them to succeed. However, their success is part of the problem because there is no mystery in the screenplay. The formulaic plot and feel good nature of the film virtually assures a victory for the two women. No, I am not giving anything away. I suspect even casual moviegoers will be able to telegraph what will happen. However, as in life, the best rewards often lie in the journey, not the destination.

In addition to the performances from the aforementioned actors, I appreciated the Pittsburgh setting, since I was born and raised in the suburbs of the city. Furthermore, my liberal sensibilities had me siding with Nona and Jamie and I wanted them to succeed and admired their determination. I also appreciated seeing Holly Hunter and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in supporting roles. As I stated earlier, Jamie and Nona are certainly likable people, unfortunately, the performances by Davis and Gyllenhaal are not enough to make up for the aforementioned problems with the screenplay and the direction. There is also a subplot involving a romantic relationship between Jamie and a teacher, Michael (Oscar Isaac), which is essentially abandoned and thus seems pointless. The editing could have used some additional work as well. Overall, consider this a missed opportunity. While the message is inspirational, the deliver lacks authenticity.