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PTA Beating

America's public school system is in trouble. It's an obvious problem and one that certainly hasn't been helped by lame programs such as "No Child Left Behind." But if you buy what "Won't Back Down" is selling, the main enemy is ... teachers unions. Be sure to lock your doors, grab your Taser guns and tuck your kids in tight, because nobody is safe with big, bad teachers unions out there in the world.

If you're going to make a film with this kind of out-there premise, at least make it informed or inspiring. The documentary "Waiting For Superman" isn't lovey-dovey about unions, but it packs a punch. This one doesn't; to call it an after-school special is insulting to after-school specials.

Single mom Jamie Fitzpatrick (a hyperactive Maggie Gyllenhaal) lives in Pittsburgh, works two blue-collar jobs and sends her daughter every day to Adams Elementary, a school that has been failing for 19 years. It's easy to see why: her kid is dyslexic and the teacher is too busy online shopping at her desk to notice or care. There is rampant disarray and disinterest. When Jamie's request to move her child into another classroom is denied, she decides to embrace "parent trigger" legislation, which says parents and teachers can take over a tanking school to turn it around.

She enlists the help of disillusioned teacher Nona (Viola Davis), facing her own struggles at home, and they rally to get families and faculty on board the takeover. It's very ra-ra and cheesy. They actually use bobblehead dolls to symbolize all the teachers they've convinced. That's another thing: "Won't Back Down" hates teachers almost as much as unions. It depicts the tenured teacher as the biggest demon of all, and the best one as a smooth musician from Texas (Oscar Isaac) who plays guitar and leads line dances in class.

"Won't Back Down" is "inspired by actual events," and a quick Google search confirms that's code for "this never happened." Yes, the school is a fiasco, but the movie wants us to believe it's better to have one started by an energized bartender and an earnest teacher who flicks a rubber band on her wrist whenever she is bothered. (Her wrist must be inflamed.) Davis gives the best performance in the film, often seeming like she strolled onto the wrong movie set by mistake.

Writer/director Daniel Barnz ("Beastly") and co-writer Brin Hill have created a jarring propaganda piece that hopes the audience doesn't do silly things like read the paper or think about what they're applauding. It loathes teachers, unions and subtlety in equal measure.