Freedom Writers

I bought the dvd of Freedom Writers but no one would watch it with me because they thought it would be like Dangerous Minds. Freedom Writers begins a bit slowly but then it hooks you in. I found the breakdown of her marriage especially interesting. Is it possible for a woman to be intensely passionate and committed to her work and have that commitment supported by her husband? The problem wasn't the time or the expense or even just plain not being there. Although he never did anything wifely, he left because he couldn't be the wife. What would have happened if he had driven a carload of kids or if he had joined them at the restaurant? What would have happened if they communicated with each other rather than making their decisions independently? Would choosing to be an active participant in her vision make them a dream team with a transcendant purpose? Would pursuing his own passion have created a sense of equality and mutual self respect? What would have happened if their characters had been reversed - would she have walked out if he had been obsessed with his work? Were their priorities wrong? What were we supposed to feel? In the plot summary on Wiki, there is no mention of her marriage whatsoever. Did he unilaterally end the relationship or had the relationship ended earlier in the movie or was it a premature ending - was there still a spark of life in the relationship that could have been fanned? The movie didn't remind me of Dangerous Minds but it did make me think of The Way We Were.