Won’t Back Down

A frustrated mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and a teacher on the brink of career burnout (Viola Davis) join forces to try to improve their school, battling administrative inertia and a hostile teachers’ union. The script by Brin Hill and director Daniel Barnz betrays their relative inexperience: The process the women are going through isn’t fully described at the outset, so it’s not always clear what they’re up against, and key scenes appear to be underdeveloped or missing altogether. But Gyllenhaal and Davis make a powerhouse team, and the movie pushes most of the right buttons (we can almost see the “Applause!” sign flashing in the corner of the screen). Oscar Isaac plays an ambivalent teacher (and sort-of love interest for Gyllenhaal), and Rosie Perez, Holly Hunter and Ving Rhames contribute strong cameos.