Welcome to John Adams Elementary, where kids play video games on their phone while the “teacher” texts friends and surfs Zappos during class.  Hooray for tenure?  Is it any wonder that desperate mom Jamie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is pissed, or that fellow teacher Nona (Viola Davis) is fed up?  Won’t Back Down is inspired by true events and revolves around the controversial “Parent Trigger Law” (called the “Failing Schools Law” in the film) that allows parents to reform or close under-performing schools.  Cliches like “you change the school, you change the neighborhood” and “you must keep fighting” are trotted out so you can tell exactly what side this film is on from the get-go.  It’s a cliche-fest, sure, but with powerhouse acting and a look at all sides of the debate, damn if Won’t Back Down didn’t get under my skin.

When hard-working blue collar gal Jamie has to pull her daughter Malia (Emily Alyn Lind) out of private school because the tuition is too much to bear, the local elementary school is her only option.  But when Jamie sees that Adams elementary is doing more harm than good, she’s desperate to do whatever it takes to see that Malia gets a decent education.  Seeing Nona — an Adams teacher that’s better than Malia’s teacher by about 300%, but who has her own problems with quality schooling — at a lottery at the local charter school, Jamie begs Nona to help turn Adams around.  Meanwhile, the fictional PA teachers union TAP is a swarm of angry bees, furiously trying to shut down any threats to their hive.  Led by Arthur Gould (Ned Eisenberg), a bulldog unionist that is almost boo-hiss bad, and Evelyn Riske (Holly Hunter), a former teacher who is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, they’re not going to make it easy.  Add to this mix a group of teachers that fear unemployment and a school system that is positively labyrinthian in it’s policy and procedure, Jamie and Nona have one hell of a fight on their hands.

Won’t Back Down shows worried parents, protective unions, exhausted government employees and frightened teachers.  As these characters fight for (or against) reform, they reveal themselves bit by bit, giving viewers a reason to watch beyond the heavy-handed soapboxing.  Yes there is a good bit of one side’s better than the other in this film — as the fight to change Adams heats up a union rep tries to bribe someone who is pushing for school reform — but you can see the Why of every choice on every side.  There’s an empathy for the unions and sympathy for the school board alongside the rooting for parents and children stuck in a dead-end school where “2% go on to college”.  There’s also a bit of a love story, when Jamie sees Michael (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant Teach For America teacher that sees something in Jamie as well.

By casting actresses known for their outstanding chops and getting them to give 110%, director Daniel Barnz shows that he’s ready to step up from the YA genre work of Beastly and into the big leagues.  Gyllenhaal is a master of subtle characterization, and she absolutely shines here.  With Won’t Back Down she adds another brilliant performance to her list of accomplishments.  Davis gives a performance that is truthful and heart-wrenching.  Here’s a teacher that has her own problems (a marriage that’s falling apart, a son who may be developmentally disabled), but stands her ground even when her fellow teachers — who fear for their job security — shut her out.  Hunter, as the union officer that feels the pull of both sides of the conflict, gives a soft side to a character that could have easily been a cardboard cut-out in other, less capable hands.

Tom Petty rules the soundtrack, with “Learning to Fly” and of course “Won’t Back Down”.  It’s a good choice for the inner-city-Phily vibe of the film.  Production design by Rusty Smith (Meet The Parents, The Jane Austen Book Club) nails the down-and-out look of inner-city Pittsburgh.

The Pro-Public Schools versus  the Take Back Our Schools argument isn’t going to be solved overnight.  Without true dialogue between government and community advocacy groups, significant change will be a long time coming.  But Won’t Back Down is a thought-provoking film that could easily be the start of real conversation.