Make-a-difference true story about an idealistic young English teacher at an "integrated" high school in Long Beach, where she brings peace and harmony to her fractious classroom (she appears to teach only one hour per day) and seemingly also to the community at large: the gang violence peters out dramatically as she takes the students on a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance, and distributes copies of The Diary of Anne Frank purchased out of her own pocket. The positive attitude and right-mindedness of the film, or at least the enthusiasm and resolve of Hilary Swank in the lead role, are disarming if not shaming. And Imelda Staunton puts up pitiable resistance as the rule-bound department head, a very human heavy. With Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, John Benjamin Hickey, April Lee Hernandez, Deance Wyatt, Mario, and Pat Carroll; written and directed by Richard LaGravenese. (2007) — Duncan Shepherd
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