Hilary Swank, center, plays teacher Erin Gruwell in "Freedom Writers." Teacher Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) relates to student Marcus (Jason Finn) in "Freedom Writers."

A heartwarming, emotional and somewhat predictable movie that hits you from all directions.

"Freedom Writers" takes on the classic theme of a teacher faced with troubled children who must overcome their differences to become a productive and connected group.

The scene is immediately set with a montage of violence and gang brutality in Long Beach, Calif. While the plot of a naïve teacher who must earn the respect of her very different at-risk protégées has been done before, new emotion is brought to the film through the individual stories of the high school classmates. That it's based on a true story adds to the connection the audience feels.

Hilary Swank, who plays Erin Gruwell, accurately portrays a young woman who is for the first time facing a life-altering struggle. She shows her inexperience in the situation right away when she walks into the classroom wearing pearls and carrying coffee, not knowing she should fear gunshots and knife stabs. At first she seems weak and overburdened with her freshman English class, but she gains a backbone and takes on the challenge.

At first backed by a supportive husband, played by Patrick Dempsey, Gruwell must encounter her own personal problems with love and the approval of a overprotective father, Steve Gruwell, played by Scott Glenn.

"Freedom Writers" takes twists and turns from the classic theme and includes historical references, such as to the fight for civil rights and the Holocaust. The students relate the history to their lives and become comforted and shocked that they are not the only ones feeling separated and at war.

The plot evokes true emotion from the audience and provides so many true, relatable references to the struggles of the students' home life. Their classroom, Room 203, becomes a safe haven; their classmates a family most have never known. The racial differences of the students cause the divisions and gangs, but also comic relief when the only white kid, Ben, fails to fit in.

The true psychological changes the students go through in "Freedom Writers," especially when it comes to how they view their peers, are touching and hit the heart. Their new ability to see the world with open eyes is apparent and that they have been saved.

Occasionally, there seem to be a few too many difficulties these students must get through and the movie tends to drag, but as audience members become interested in the characters' well-being they find the film picking up again.

There is a little bit of everything to excite all types of moviegoers: violence, comedy, betrayal, tears and respect.