See “Won’t Back Down” for its Performances

It would be unfortunate if people thought “Won’t Back Down” is simply an anti-union film. There have already been union protests about this film from Walden Media, the same company that produced the doomsday education system documentary “Waiting for Superman.”

“Won’t Back Down” is a fictional drama, co-written and directed by Daniel Barnz (“Phoebe in Wonderland”) and inspired by California’s 2010 “parent trigger law,” in which parents attempt to take over failing public schools.

The drama is about two mothers. Jamie Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a single mom with a daughter Emily (Malia Fitzpatrick) with dyslexia. Jamie works hard as a bartender and struggles to help her daughter do her schoolwork.

Nona Alberts (Viola Davis) is a teacher at the Pittsburgh school Emily attends. Nona, too, has a child with a learning disability. Cody Alberts (Dante Brown) has suffered brain damage.

The elementary school Emily attends is one of the worst schools in town, and Emily is stuck with one of its worst teachers: Deborah (Nancy Bach). Deborah is lazy, apathetic, and treats the kids with malice. You would think in the real world Deborah would be fired, but according to this scenario, the union protects her and her job regardless.

I’m hoping this is just exaggeration for dramatic effect, but you don’t go to this movie for its melodramatic, then rah-rah story, you go for the powerful performances of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis. As a bonus you get Rosie Perez in her first film role in some time, and a boo-hiss performance by Holly Hunter as the teachers’ union head, Evelyn Riske.