Katherine Mangu-Ward on Won't Back Down
In Won't Back Down, a single mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and a disillusioned teacher (Viola Davis) band together to fix a failing Pittsburgh school, relying on a fudged and fictionalized version of the "parent trigger" laws that exist in California and three other states. Hollywood logic dictates a happy ending for these reformers, but their real life counterparts aren't usually so lucky. The most accurate analysis of most reformers' chances for success may come from Gyllenhaal's on-screen daughter, writes Managing Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward. After an impassioned speech in which her mom vows that "we're going to get you out of there," the daughter responds with a perfect, furiously indifferent "whatever."
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?