Freedom Writers

Play trailer

2:16

Freedom Writers

PG-13

Released Jan 5, 2007

2h 3m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

125 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

A dedicated teacher (Hilary Swank) in a racially divided Los Angeles school has a class of at-risk teenagers deemed incapable of learning. Instead of giving up, she inspires her students to take an interest in their education and planning their future. She assigns reading material that relates to their lives and encourages them all to keep journals.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Freedom Writers is a frank, formulaic entry in the inspirational inner-city teacher genre, with an energetic Hilary Swank leading the appealing cast of unknowns.

Read Critics Reviews

Kat Halstead

Little White Lies

You'll be embarrassed, sad, happy then exhausted.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 27, 2007

Full Review

Anna Smith

BBC.com

Has its inspiring moments - especially given the true story - and some tense, dramatic scenes amid the speedy montages of confusing gang action.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 27, 2007

Full Review

Liz Moody

Empire Magazine

Despite solid work from the engaging cast, there's nothing new here to distinguish Freedom Writers as anything beyond a C+.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 27, 2007

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

LaGravenese tends to simplify and lean on the melodrama but he tells the stories of the students with compassion, notably Eve (April Lee Hernandez), who has grown up in a war zone of an inner city defined by ethnic boundaries.

Aug 19, 2023

Full Review

James Croot

The Post NZ

This film delivered an injection of fresh ideas into a stale genre.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 21, 2022

Full Review

Kaleem Aftab

The List

A touching performance from Hilary Swank ensures that Freedom Writers is not just another tripe genre movie.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 3, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Anne K

I absolutely loved this!!! I lived in the US during the 90's.. it was shocking how many lives were lost belonging to my us friends.. The film is fantastically executed!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Love this movie. There has lot of people can learn from this movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

angela g

Hilary swank and Patrick Dempsey did such a great job at acting but Patrick was such a jerk in this movie but the movie was really good the story was great and it had a good message.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

Full Review

Blu B

One of the best school inner city dramas I've ever seen, if not THE best one. Acting, pacing, cinematography all work beautifully. And it takes times to build meaningful characters AND a meaningful message together which many forget to do or really have trouble. Powerhouse acting across the board especially by the kids which is the best asset here. Not one of their stories blends in or is forgettable, repetitive, or ever does it feel over the top. It feels so geniunely sincere and real and carries this through some of the jumpiness of bouncing between each stories throughout the year. The music is really good too althought the 90's rap and cinematic numbers don't merge that well together as a whole. The scenes themselves are so intense and impactful. Everyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/24

Full Review

Yash B

"Freedom Writers" is a great movie that really feels like a tribute to the great teachers of the world. I think it is a movie that has a wide appeal and is very entertaining. I think it highlights the importance of writing and self-expression and that is something I personally just think I can resonate with. I think Hilary Swank is also great in this movie and I think the storylines just kept my interest and also were very engaging. Overall, it is a movie that touched me multiple times and I think it is an inspiring story that most could benefit from watching.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

Jeff M

Good intentions, couple touching scenes, but unconvincing protagonist and horribly one-dimensional supporting characters, weak ending, very predictable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Richard LaGravenese

Director

Hilary Swank

Erin Gruwell

Patrick Dempsey

Scott

Scott Glenn

Steve

Imelda Staunton

Margaret Campbell

April L. Hernandez

Eva

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - We Mattered

2:06

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - You Are Not Failing

1:35

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - You Don't Even Like Them

2:13

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - Paco Did It

2:05

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - I Am Home

2:01

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - When Will I Be Free?

1:54

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - You Are The Heroes

2:05

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - Not So Different

1:45

Freedom Writers: Official Clip - I Saw the War for the First Time

1:27

View more videos

Coach Carter

64%

85%

Coach Carter

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Coach Carter

The Class

95%

82%

The Class

Watchlist

The Secret Life of Bees

60%

78%

The Secret Life of Bees

Watchlist

The Last Sin Eater

22%

72%

The Last Sin Eater

Watchlist

Starting Out in the Evening

89%

70%

Starting Out in the Evening

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Box Office Guru Preview: Captain Jack and Captain Morgan Set Sail

Paramount, MTV Doing Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Box Office Guru Wrapup: "Stomp" Steps All Over New Releases

Freedom Writers: Trailer 1

2:16

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

A dedicated teacher (Hilary Swank) in a racially divided Los Angeles school has a class of at-risk teenagers deemed incapable of learning. Instead of giving up, she inspires her students to take an interest in their education and planning their future. She assigns reading material that relates to their lives and encourages them all to keep journals.

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Producer: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
Screenwriter: Richard LaGravenese
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: MTV Films, Jersey Films, Double Feature Films, Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Thematic Material|Language|Violent Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 5, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $36.6M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now