Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Won't Back Down

  • 20122012
  • PGPG
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
Won't Back Down (2012)
Two determined mothers­ look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children.
Play trailer2:32
1 Video
37 Photos
Drama
Two determined mothers­, one a teacher, look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference ... Read allTwo determined mothers­, one a teacher, look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children.Two determined mothers­, one a teacher, look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
    • Daniel Barnz
    • Brin Hill
    • Daniel Barnz
  • Stars
    • Viola Davis
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Holly Hunter
    • Daniel Barnz
    • Brin Hill
    • Daniel Barnz
  • Stars
    • Viola Davis
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Holly Hunter
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 42User reviews
    • 97Critic reviews
    • 42Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    No. 1
    Trailer 2:32
    Watch No. 1

    Photos37

    Viola Davis and Emily Alyn Lind in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Viola Davis and Dante Brown in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emily Alyn Lind in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Viola Davis and Dante Brown in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Rosie Perez, Viola Davis, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emily Alyn Lind in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Betsy West and Gabrielle Giffords at an event for Won't Back Down (2012)
    Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emily Alyn Lind, and Dante Brown in Won't Back Down (2012)
    Won't Back Down (2012)
    Won't Back Down (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Viola Davis
    Viola Davis
    • Nona Alberts
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Jamie Fitzpatrick
    Holly Hunter
    Holly Hunter
    • Evelyn Riske
    Oscar Isaac
    Oscar Isaac
    • Michael Perry
    Rosie Perez
    Rosie Perez
    • Breena Harper
    Emily Alyn Lind
    Emily Alyn Lind
    • Malia Fitzpatrick
    Dante Brown
    Dante Brown
    • Cody Alberts
    Lance Reddick
    Lance Reddick
    • Charles Alberts
    Ving Rhames
    Ving Rhames
    • Principal Thompson
    Bill Nunn
    Bill Nunn
    • Principal Holland
    Ned Eisenberg
    Ned Eisenberg
    • Arthur Gould
    Marianne Jean-Baptiste
    Marianne Jean-Baptiste
    • Olivia Lopez
    Liza Colón-Zayas
    Liza Colón-Zayas
    • Yvonne
    Nancy Bach
    • Deborah
    Keith Flippen
    Keith Flippen
    • Ben
    Robert Haley
    Robert Haley
    • Tim
    Lucia Scarano
    Lucia Scarano
    • District Receptionist
    • (as Lucia Forte)
    Sarab Kamoo
    Sarab Kamoo
    • Principal Chamudes
      • Daniel Barnz
      • Brin Hill
      • Daniel Barnz
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Lightningface
    6.6
    Lightningface
    The Long Walk Home
    7.3
    The Long Walk Home
    Ticky Tacky
    7.1
    Ticky Tacky
    Dog Days
    6.2
    Dog Days
    The Rest of Us
    6.3
    The Rest of Us
    Trucker
    6.6
    Trucker
    Dying Young
    6.0
    Dying Young
    For Colored Girls
    6.2
    For Colored Girls
    Phoebe in Wonderland
    7.0
    Phoebe in Wonderland
    Wont Back Down
    In Secret
    6.1
    In Secret
    10 Years
    6.1
    10 Years

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Last film of Bill Nunn.
    • Quotes

      Michael Perry: When I drink, I ask nosey questions.

      Jamie Fitzpatrick: When I drink, I marry losers.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Big Review: Fall Trailer Park (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Not Yo
      Written and Performed by Shelly Speck

    User reviews42

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Look Beyond the Controversy
    For as long as there have been schools, there have been good teachers and bad teachers, involved parents and uninterested parents, naturally gifted students and those students who struggle. Perhaps there is more good than bad today, then again perhaps not. It can't be ignored, though, that there are schools, and even entire areas, where students are failing at an alarming rate. Teachers alone can't fix this. Parents alone can't fix this. Even most students alone, barring the most motivated and gifted among us, can't fix this. It takes good teachers, involved parents, and students who have made a commitment to excel, to fix this problem. That's what we get in Won't Back Down.

    You might hate the supposedly anti-union message, or turn up your nose at the idea that a child is scarred for life by one bad teacher, but neither of these are reasons to disregard this movie. First of all, while the movie does spotlight the downside of teacher's unions, there is plenty of union-love as well. And secondly, one bad teacher certainly can make the difference between a child who loves school and a child who dreads it, even if it's only for one year. And one bad year of school, especially elementary school where every learning experience is a building block for the later years, can be devastating.

    I am highly sensitive to movies with a heavy-handed political agenda. I honestly didn't feel that here. I didn't take this movie as a guide to removing unions from schools. What I witnessed was the idea that if parents, teachers and students band together to make their school a better place, they can hope for a brighter future. Student by student, school by school, we can improve education in America. That people want to fight over whether teachers should be protected rather than whether students should be given an opportunity to excel, well that's really the crux of the problem, now, isn't it?

    Beyond the controversial topics addressed, I found this film to be very satisfying. The plot was well-developed, Viola Davis and Maggie G played well off of each other, the children were very good in their roles, and the pacing was steady. It's always inspirational to see a group of people with very little in common come together for the greater good, and if nothing else you will definitely get that here. How can we not enjoy watching parents engaged in the school system and rallying to secure the future of their children? Don't watch this to pick apart (or champion) charter schools, watch this to remember just who education is supposed to benefit. Watch this and remember that good teachers could use a little encouragement, bad teachers should be called out, the system needs to be challenged every now and then, and children will respond to their environment, whether it's positive or negative, in ways that will surprise and sometimes amaze you.
    helpful•50
    12
    • truiz1
    • Oct 1, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 28, 2012 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Walden Media
      • Gran Via Productions
      • Lemodeln Model & Talent Agency
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 1 minute
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Won't Back Down (2012)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Won't Back Down (2012) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.