Oy. Be open-minded, think like me!

Rating: 1/10 (24 July 2009)

I hate this movie. It tells the story of a English professor who makes an an impact on his student and challenges them to take on the "man" , in this case their private school. The problem is that the teacher is treated as a angel who can do no wrong, even when he encourages his students to rip out pages of a book because he didn't agree with the author's opinions. "Be open-minded, unless you disagree with a person." seems to be be his message.
The movie is heavy handed. All of the people who dislike the teacher are members of the "oppressive" leadership of the school, with the exception of the turncoat student who, as another reviewer points out, is given lines that make him look like a Neo-Nazi. Everyone who likes the teacher is good everyone who disagrees bad. Sorry the world does not work that way, sometimes bad people support good leaders, and vice versa. There was also the suicide of a student, which was not integral to the plot, and therefore seems like a pointless development, except to make the audience feel for the kid and therefore the teacher. Using a death seems like a manipulative trick on behalf of the filmmakers. Don't fall for the filmmakers' tricks. This movie is not inspirational , it is deceiving, and overbearing with it's supposed message of freedom.