Freedom Re-Writers
Freedom Writers is a good enough movie about a teacher who helps teens gain self-respect and hope even though they live in the worst city in the world. Sort of. Yes, we can all believe that there was a teacher who helped disadvantaged kids, but the part about worst city in the world doesn't cut it. I live in Long Beach, CA. It's a decent city. Sort of.
What to do with a film "based on a true story" that is sort of true, sort of untrue? I refuse to go on a tirade about the fact that Wilson High School really isn't that bad. (Although we did have a comical encounter with a cab driver in San Francisco. Turns out he used to teach high school in the LBC, and when we mentioned the new movie about Wilson being a gang-infested school, the guy literally stopped the cab and started laughing hysterically. No joke. Really. Well, sort of. I mean he did laugh quite loudly.)
So, while this film has some of my neighbors puzzling, I think we should just let Hollywood be Hollywood. It's a story about someone who tried to make a difference, and that ain't all bad. Plus, she tried to make a difference in my home town. Sort of.
