Skip to content
MovieCove
Taking Back Our Town

Taking Back Our Town

Sometimes ordinary women become heroes.

TV movie200190 minMidcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Director
Sam Pillsbury
Starring
Laura Innes, Ruby Dee, Chris Bauer, Myndy Crist

A true story about a concerned housewife, Pat Melancon, who tries to block Shintech, a massive Japanese petrochemical conglomerate, from building a plant in her toxic township already known as "cancer alley". Pat and a few newly recruited, fledgling activitsts face the full force of Shintech's wealth and influence peddling, which has bought the cooperation of the government from the local level all the way up to the Governor's office.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Taking Back Our Town?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Taking Back Our Town streaming on Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Subscription

Free

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Taking Back Our Town?

Taking Back Our Town earns 3 badges, led by Cult Classic and Award Winner.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is Taking Back Our Town worth watching?

Taking Back Our Town's Midcredits score is the 24th percentile of all films, from 142 ratings across 3 sources. 38% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

24th percentile

Better received than 24% of films

19th percentile among Drama24th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)16th
Approval (how many liked it)35th

50 /100

16th percentile of all films

12th percentile among Drama16th percentile among 2000s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

38% liked it

35th percentile of all films

31st percentile among Drama32nd percentile among 2000s
38% rated it 7–1062% rated it 1–6

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 2 wins / 1 noms overall

Reach

How many have seen it

30th percentile

142 ratings across platforms

31st percentile among Drama23rd percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 39% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Fans praised

  • Laura Innes outstanding lead performance
  • engaging true-story with suspenseful pacing
  • strong supporting cast including Ruby Dee and Hallee Hirsh

What stands out

Acting85

Laura Innes superb, Ruby Dee fantastic, Hallee Hirsh believable and charming

Emotional impact75

inspiring determination, real-life heroism

Plot and story70

based on true story, avoids clichés, builds suspense

Pacing70

crisply moving, engaging throughout

Tension70

builds suspense all the way

Watch experience

What is Taking Back Our Town like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Fun ride: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want a fun ride.

It leaves you fired up.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Nothing out of the ordinary.

What it feels like

Fun ride.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseHopeful
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Warm
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film treats the real-life struggle with earnest respect, balancing gravity with heart.
The rideThe film maintains suspense over the fight against the corporation while sustaining an undercurrent of hope.
StructureConventional dramatisation of a true story, building suspense across the campaign timeline.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Fired up.

The answer rests on this: Rousing · 10% of filmsHopeful
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves the viewer inspired by the ordinary citizens' determination to fight corporate power, with a renewed faith in grassroots activism.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% (this title) · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Corporate villainy: A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeA housewife leads a grassroots campaign to stop a petrochemical corporation from building a plant in her polluted community, exposing corruption along the way.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9% (this title): Community 14% (this title) · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Society

Community · 14% of filmsJustice · 13% of filmsSurvival
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe story centers on a community uniting to defend its health and environment against corporate and political power.
StanceThe film celebrates a community's collective action to protect itself, framing the fight as noble and achievable.

The world

Late 20th centuryRuralDomesticRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Peter Melnick
SettingA polluted Louisiana township known as Cancer Alley
MusicA supportive orchestral score typical for a made-for-TV drama.

Cast and crew

Who is in Taking Back Our Town?

Cast

Laura Innes
as Pat Melancon
Ruby Dee
as Emelda West
Chris Bauer
as James Melancon
Myndy Crist
as Lisa LaVie
Hallee Hirsh
as Catherine Melancon
Alyson Reed
as Roseanne
Wendy Davis
as Janice Dickerson
Kate Norby
as Tammy
Davenia McFadden
as Gloria
Virginia Capers

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Taking Back Our Town?

The closest match to Taking Back Our Town is Harriet (2019); both are stories about unlikely alliances.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Taking Back Our Town?

1.1K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: docudrama. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.