Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This has to be one of the most inspirational movies I have ever seen ever! I will never forget watching this movie! The characters, the heart, the message, and the dialogue in this movie are amazing!! Teachers don't get the credit they deserve and this teacher is so amazing and she cares about her students so much. I will always love this movie.

I fell in love with this movie the first time I watch it. I'm usually not that person that watch twice or more than twice a movie; but when it's about good movies like this one, I just can't help it.It describes so much and so perfectly the situation people has been through during this gang war and those whole story is perfectly describes. The actors are playing their parts perfectly; and even though I haven't been through what they did, you can totally feel the emotions and imagine their life for a little while. It makes you think that there is always worse things that happen to other compared to you. It makes you understand that maybe you should stop complaining and stop being selfish. That maybe you should know people before judging them because you have not even a clue what they've been through.In conclusion, this is a wonderful movie I would watch again and again.

If there's anything about Hilary Swank movies, it's that they involve a major social issue. In her leading role in "Freedom Writers" we see her portray the real life teacher who pushed her high school students to achieve wellness both emotionally and academically. Her students surrounded by drugs, violence and other bad influences, Swank's character, Erin Gruwell, pushes her students beyond belief and struggles to maintain a healthy marriage. The heavily inspired Richard LaGravenese directs and writes this feel- good, stand up and cheer type of film. LaGravenese fails to expose the true hardship of what inner-city students face each day. He focuses too much on the relationships between Gruwell, which, admittedly, he does handle well. It's just that he puts too much emphasis on the student-teacher relationships, failing to dig deep into the feelings of the students, or the hard lives they face. On the other hand, we get immersed into a political scandal that leads to a feel-good end that many younger viewers with compassion can relate too. The maturity level of "Freedom Writers" gets a little to PG-13, leaving out gritty and powerful details that are vital for carrying out a motivational true story influenced by harrowing courage and struggle. If only some power infiltrated this potential excellent film, "Freedom Writers" would be nothing short of magnificent. But I'm forced to give it a "B" rating due to the lack of detail and the misuse of emotional content. Not to mention it gets sappier than a soap opera. Don't let the flaws prevent you from viewing a good film though. You'll learn something!

Freedom WritersBased on a true story, Freedom Writers follows the story of a young high school English teacher, Erin Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank, who takes on the job of teaching troubled teens in a Long Beach, California high school. Woodrow Wilson High School, which just two years before, had created an integration program, was suffering from the concept of kids simply getting left behind because of their economic status and their race. Gruwell would be joining a staff of teachers that had already given up on these students before they had even walked into the classroom. Coming from a wealthy upbringing, Gruwell enters her new job as somewhat naive about the lives these troubled teens were living outside of school. In a classroom exercise, she quickly learns that many of her misunderstood students have had someone in their lives killed from gang violence. Gruwell's classroom is immediately divided by racial tension amongst the students. After initiating an open discussion about a recent shooting, Gruwell begins to understand the circumstances that her students are up against. She also quickly learns that these students have so much to say. With this, she assigns a writing project where each of her students is given a journal to freely write about anything that they want. As the year goes on the students begin to turn to Mrs. Gruwell about their problems as their bond with one another strengthens. Throughout the school year, the students' education requires more and more. Being that the school isn't particularly concerned with these specific students, Gruwell can't get the funding, for things like computers, so she takes it upon herself to provide for these less fortunate students. In doing so, she attains part time jobs in order to afford these things. By the end of the year, Gruwell has developed an extremely strong bond with her students and becomes an outlet for each and every one of them. Although this story of discrimination and denial of education is one that is told often, Freedom Writers is one movie that audiences will never get tired of. Movies dealing with race, such as Coach Carter or Remember the Titans, are able to get through to the audience because of the personal relationships on screen that you almost begin to feel like you are a part of. With each individual student's story, we begin to see more and more into the life of an underprivileged and overlooked teen of an urban high school. These students were wrongfully denied an education because not much was expected of them just because of the color of their skin. This storyline is one that occurs way too often in what is now a society that should be well past racial and socio economic discrimination. Americans need to continue to be reminded of the on going level of prejudice that still exists and Freedom Writers is able to do just that. By the end of this movie, viewers are given a definitive sense of hope. A sense that fighting for something, even if there's nothing in it for you, is still worth it. Mrs. Gruwell is able to single handedly change each of her student's lives in a dramatic way just by simply giving them a chance that others wouldn't. Gruwell believed that these kids all deserved an opportunity at an education and at a better life. Along with teaching her students about poetry and literature, Mrs. Gruwell was also able to teach these kids to fight for what they believed in and for what they deserved.Freedom Writers is able to distinctly show the power of an education to young viewers. In a time where education is taken for granted by privileged children, this movie is able to blatantly show that not everyone is easily given an education. These students, with the help of Mrs. Gruwell, had to fight for what they so rightfully deserved a shot at. It's bad enough that kids, like these in Freedom Writers, have to worry about where their next meal will be coming from, they should at least not have to worry about where their education is going to come from.The affect that this movie can have on one can be quite powerful. These affects will definitely be different depending on who is watching in the audience. As an underprivileged youth, this movie could give one a sense of hope that their life can improve, especially when the power of education is involved. It could show them that their future isn't defined by the color of their skin or any other characteristics for that matter. On the other hand, Freedom Writers could have a very different affect on someone who is more privileged. For someone who is able to easily attain an education, this movie would show him or her that not everyone is as lucky as they are. That education isn't something that is just handed out. Some people have to actually fight for it. It would teach them to be grateful for what they have and more aware of the society that we live in. It would also show someone the influence that they could have upon someone else's life simply by believing in him or her.Overall, Freedom Writers is a realistic movie that members of all different backgrounds could learn valuable and important lessons from. Along with the lessons, is the fact that this is simply an emotionally enjoyable movie for audiences of different ages.