Won't Back Down
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: September 28, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
42
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
18
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanSep 26, 2012
Won't Back Down says that whatever your feelings about the subject, lack of change cannot be the answer to our public-education crisis. Trying to cram an informational exposé and a vintage inspirational awards-bait weeper into one movie, Won't Back Down is awkward at times, yet it's also passionate in a surprisingly smart way. It makes a genuine drama out of impossible issues. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithSep 28, 2012
I haven't seen a timelier or more important film this year, and the film's passion for school choice could hardly be more warranted. Along with documentaries such as "The Lottery" and "Waiting for 'Superman,' " the film comes with a background sound of the ice of inertia cracking. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSep 27, 2012
For sure, this is a cause movie - sometimes it even feels that way - in favor of charter schools and against the teachers unions. Still, Won't Back Down is reasonably fair in its approach. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedSep 25, 2012
It's a film that deserves to be seen, savored, debated and given serious attention. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerSep 28, 2012
Hollywood has never been the best arena to hash out policy debates. But social-issue movies can have real societal impact. That's why Won't Back Down, which presses a lot of hot buttons, deserves to be taken seriously, and criticized seriously, on its own terms. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigSep 27, 2012
While there are moments where this drama, about a pair of mothers hellbent on improving their children's education, is compelling and deeply moving, the film gets mired in heavy-handed cliches. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaSep 27, 2012
Barnz tries, at least a bit, to acknowledge the heroic and historic legacy of the union movement and its rightful place in the contemporary labor landscape. But much of the blame for the sorry state of Adams Elementary, and the school system at large, is placed at the union's feet. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineR. Kurt OsenlundSep 26, 2012
One of its strengths is a knowledge of when to unfurl information, particularly for the strongest emotional effect. Read full review
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