Waiting for Superman (2010)

An examination of the current state of education in America today.

Director:

Davis Guggenheim

Writers:

Davis Guggenheim, Billy Kimball

Stars:

Charles Adams, Jonathan Alter, Robert Balfanz

16 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Charles Adams	...	Self
Jonathan Alter	...	Self
Robert Balfanz	...	Self
Harriet Ball	...	Self
Steve Barr	...	Self
Celeste Bell	...	Self (as Ms. Celeste Bell)
The Black & McGee Family	...	Themselves
Geoffrey Canada	...	Self
James Carter III	...	Self
Todd Dickson	...	Self
The Esparza Family	...	Themselves
Mike Feinberg	...	Self
Adrian M. Fenty	...	Self (as Adrian Fenty)
Howard Fuller	...	Self
The Garcia Regalado Family	...	Themselves

Storyline

Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education "statistics" have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of WAITING FOR SUPERMAN. As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems.

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Plot Keywords:

education | new york | los angeles california | redwood city california | woodside california | 

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Taglines:

The fate of our country won't be decided on a battlefield, it will be determined in a classroom.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some thematic material, mild language and incidental smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a scene in which Bianca, one of the little girls, is reading from a book about someone taking apples and bringing them into the city to sell. The book she is reading is called "The Giving Tree" written by Shel Silverstein.

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Quotes

Geoffrey Canada: I was like what do you mean he's not real. And she thought I was crying because it's like Santa Claus is not real and I was crying because there was no one coming with enough power to save us.

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Connections

References SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)

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Soundtracks

Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now
Written by Russell Alan Wier
Performed by Patience & Prudence
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

The Vidiot Reviews...

Waiting for "Superman"

To avoid waiting for Superman, simply destroy train tracks spanning a ravine minutes before a trainload of school kids are scheduled to cross it.

And while the school children in this documentary are not on a doomed locomotive, they are headed for disaster.

By following five fledgling students (Daisy, Bianca, Emily, Francisco and Anthony) as they attempt to win admittance into an innovative school headed by a new breed of educator, Geoffrey Canada, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim puts the dysfunctional American school system under the microscope, exposing its pitfalls, prejudices and apathetic faculty that does little to inspire, let alone, educate.

While it takes direct aim at the teacher's union, this sad, shocking snapshot of inner-city schools is not against instructors, but the ineptitude of an antiquated system.

In fact, if it isn't fixed soon, the only career open to these lazy, uneducated students will be that of public school teacher. (Green Light)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Waiting for 'Superman'

Filming Locations:

118th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$139,033, 26 September 2010

Gross USA:

$6,417,135

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,433,688

Company Credits

Production Co:

Electric Kinney Films, Participant, Walden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1