Synopsis
Erin Gruwell, a young teacher in a racially divided Los Angeles school, inspires her class of at-risk students, deemed incapable of learning, to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
Scores
Overall Score
83.7
Popularity Percentile (Year)
87.0%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
83.3%
Review Aggregate
77.0
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 69% of 118 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize thin plot, family-friendly, uplifting. Common reservations focus on thin plot, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
thin plotfamily-friendlyupliftingemotionalhistoricalcoming of agelightheartedrealisticthought-provokingsuspenseful
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilary Swank | 2007 | $1,510,000 | $2,285,000 | (est) |
| Scott Glenn | 2007 | $929,000 | $1,406,000 | (est) |
| Imelda Staunton | 2007 | $700,000 | $1,059,000 | (est) |
| Patrick Dempsey | 2007 | $500,000 source | $756,633 | reported |
| Mario | 2007 | $489,000 | $740,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score69.0
RT critic review count124
Rotten Tomatoes audience score87.0
RT audience rating count250,000
IMDb rating7.6
IMDb votes91,163
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 2007 | $36,605,600 | $55,394,003 |
| International | 2007 | $6,489,573 | $9,820,449 |
| Worldwide | 2007 | $43,095,176 | $65,214,456 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2007 | $20,898,629 | $31,625,181 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2007 | $878,000 | $1,328,647 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2007 | $327,000 | $494,838 |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2007 | $15,109,000 | $22,863,933 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2007 | $33,950,000 | $51,375,374 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2007 | $9,151,400 | $13,848,501 |
| Total Revenues | 2007 | $80,314,029 | $121,536,474 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 2007 | $21,000,000 | $31,778,582 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2007 | $26,250,000 (est) | $39,723,227 (est) |
| Participations | 2007 | $3,213,000 | $4,862,123 |
| Residuals ? | 2007 | $4,107,000 | $6,214,983 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2007 | $4,200,000 | $6,355,716 |
| Total Expenses | 2007 | $58,770,000 | $88,934,631 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2007 | $21,544,029 | $32,601,843 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Coach Carter | 2005 | Shared genres: 5 | 87.0 | $-22,474,469 |
 | Dangerous Minds | 1995 | Shared genres: 5 | 81.4 | $83,103,132 |
 | The Great Debaters | 2007 | Shared genres: 5 | 78.1 | $23,574,306 |
 | Lean on Me | 1989 | Shared genres: 5 | 76.3 | $50,520,840 |
 | Stand and Deliver | 1988 | Shared genres: 5 | 72.5 | $31,708,241 |