Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Rosie Perez Won't Back Down -- Will You?

Have you ever stood up for your kids in a way you never could have imagined? Was there a time when you refused to back down?

We recently hosted one of our Mamarazzi® screening's of Won't Back Down followed by a town hall discussion with director Daniel Barnz and the film's stars, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Rosie Perez.

The film is based on true events and Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a hard working single mom barely holding on to two jobs who isn't satisified with her daughter's education. She teams up with a burned out teacher who also won't back down, and together they fight for the right for a better education for their children.

The film made us feel like we could conquer anything, and it made the moms in our audience feel inspired, hopeful and empowered to be advocates for their child's education.

WATCH: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Rosie Perez Talk Motherhood, Education and Won't Back Down

 

Follow Denise Albert on Twitter: www.twitter.com/themoms

Comments

[Dee C]

06:32 PM on 10/02/2012

It is a propaganda film. I think the actors, viewers, critics, and everyone else who is considering watching this movie need to research THE UNITED STATES OF ALEC, THE KOCH BROTHERS EXPOSED, and ALEC EXPOSED to find out what is going on in this country at the STATE LEVEL. The paranoid Koch Brothers are trying to privatize all public schools through ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) so they can have control over what is taught in the Schools. The Private Companies that will run these schools are in it for the $$$. State Legislators are in for the $$$ and power. The losers will be the children, our future, that will be taught the Koch Brothers’ twisted version of Democracy. But it won’t be a Democracy it will be Plutocracy run by the wealthy for the wealthy and it is the children who will be the pawns. Find out about ALEC and it privatization of schools at: http://alecexposed.org/wiki/Privatizing_Public_Education,_Higher_Ed_Policy,_and_Teachers

[NikkiPSac]

06:48 PM on 09/16/2012

It is quite simple: I will henceforward boycott all of these actors' movies. They aren't pawns.
They made a choice to participate in a propaganda film that will result in more tumult for public education. Policy reformers are profiteers. Do your homework.

[Staci G]

05:33 AM on 09/11/2012

It is bothersome to me that the "boycotters" posted and circulated to come here to this article and post comments so that it appears that there is less support than there is. Why can't we just have reasonable discourse without "interference."

[DelRay]

01:59 PM on 09/09/2012

What I love about most of the comments made in response to this post is that they are in fact propaganda. They like to claim that everyone is "blaming teachers" instead of admitting that everyone is blaming an outdated system that allows for poor accountability of teachers, bad ed schools to continue educating teachers with theory instead of practice and unions who, in many cases, are out of step with the teachers they represent.

[Deloris Grant]

05:58 AM on 08/23/2012

Won't Back Down is a film made by Hollywood. As a public school teacher I am glad that this movie is bringing on dialog, but please do not create an environment of hate because of a movie. This movie is about change not the fight between charter and public schools. Let's open up positive dialog.

[TFT]

12:19 AM on 08/17/2012

Hey, movie stars! Get in touch with me and I will explain why you are getting all this vitriol. Either you don't know, or your handlers don't want you to know you are supporting blaming teachers for the ills of society.

Seriously, I am seriously serious.

Call me.

[Chippy63]

06:37 AM on 08/15/2012

So public school teachers are the new villains, really? Remember when movie bad guys were aliens, communist, Arabs, killer robots, bankers, etc...... I miss the good old days.

[Prof W]

05:40 PM on 08/14/2012

It's so sad to see Democrats, my party, supporting right-wing ALEC designed education laws: http://www.edwize.org/cry-me-a-river-the-parent-trigger-and-the-misfortunes-of-poor-alec-dfer-and-rishawn-biddle

I think the biggest problem is that the corporate owned media pass along the propaganda and many people just don't understand what's been happening, that public education is being privatized across our country: http://dianeravitch.net/category/privatization/

Fortunately, a lot of parents understand. FL parents don't want parent trigger laws: http://www.fundeducationnow.org/resource-room/parent-trigger/ neither do Parents Across America: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2012/08/faq-re-wont-back-down-and-the-parent-trigger/ nor Parents United for Responsible Education: http://pureparents.org/

[Jeanne Berrong]

02:07 PM on 08/13/2012

What a shame that such vibrant, intelligent actors either don't care or don't understand that this "heartwarming" story is a thinly-veiled piece of propaganda. This film promotes the use of "parent trigger laws" to convert public schools into corporate-run charter schools. The privatization of public schools will only serve to line the pockets of corporate education reformers and will NOT help those whom public schools are intended to serve: students.

[Claudia Swisher]

01:10 PM on 08/13/2012

Don't fall for the hype and follow the money...Walmart, ALEC, and the Koch brothers are trying to privatize schools to turn them into Walmarts, with low-paid, temporary workers. Teach-For-Awhile is all part of the scheme...these young people 'play school' on other people's children. Then, with a padded resume, they go make 'real' money. HuffPost is NOT supporting this project...the writer of this blog is!

[sebloom]

09:05 AM on 08/13/2012

The parent trigger bills don't give parents more control. They give parents less control. They allow 51% of current school parents to give away the public school to a charter operator. What happens in two years if 51% of the parents want to take the school back for the public schools? The parent trigger bills don't allow for that. Once the schools have been converted they're stuck with what they get. No parental rights. No public oversight...

http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2012/08/beyond-the-parent-trigger-hype-and-propaganda-just-the-facts/

[tutucker]

10:58 PM on 08/12/2012

This movie is NOT based on the truth but lies. Pure and simple - lies. Don't blame unions, or teachers for any problems in public schools. Instead blame federal policy in laws like No Child Left Behind as well as Race to the Top.
I would love to think that these actors didn't realize they were playing into the corporate reform of public schools, which calls for the privatization of public schools. Parent trigger laws will actually eliminate a parents' rights. I think, however, these actors were just looking for their next buck. So sorry they sold out.
This move is not about the truth but instead about the take down of public schools.

[Teresa Doucette Madore]

08:49 PM on 08/12/2012

This movie is nothing but a propaganda piece for the very powerful and rich segment of society who wants to kill and privatize public education in this country. It's time to stop the witch hunt against public schools, and public school teachers. We don't need movies like this to continue attacking public education. Charter schools and parent trigger laws serve only to usher in Jim Crow 2.0. If you want to know the truth about what's happening to public education, I suggest you read anything by Diane Ravitch, but especially her book, The Death and Life of the Great American School. BOYCOTT THIS MOVIE!!

[Laura Pendleton]

08:31 PM on 08/12/2012

Ask Matt Damon about teachers! Teach for a year like Tony Danza. You have no idea what teachers do unless, of course, YOU are in it for the money! Teachers are in it for the KIDS!

[Fredrick Bertz]

06:34 PM on 08/12/2012

Green Dot owns several Charter Schools here in Los Angeles. The recent activities belies their "public" charter school status. One of the schools is supposed to be centered on teaching leaders for the future. One teacher who questioned some of their decisions was fired. The students and their parents rallied to bring the teacher back. What happened? The school took the petitions away. The school refused to allow parents to hold a meeting on campus about the issue. The school ignored what the public wanted and still fired the teacher for questioning administrative practices. Public schools do not do that. They may still disagree with the students, parents and other faculty, but they at least have to listen. They at least have to explain. Parent trigger ultimately takes the public out of public schools and turns them over to corporations like Green Dot who are working more to earn profits then to educate the schools.