CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Livestonth
I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Janae Milner
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Richie-67-485852
If there ever was a movie where you could discuss the pro and con of what was said and done and by whom, this be the one to the textbook. What would you have done is the question and then choose a side and here we go. The arguments for or against what these characters did or didn't do are meaningful and full of depth and remain even closer to real life than one would admit. The opposing points of view and the beliefs behind them remain fascinating. Mother, daughter, father and son each had their own take on what should be done and why. If you don't care to join in and play the different roles, then sit back and let this movie have its way with your emotions. It will push and pull on you, love and hate will surface as well as right or wrong and good and bad. College classrooms would find this good for debate purposes bar none. Popcorn or sunflower seeds recommended to keep the fingers busy plus a refreshing drink. Enjoy
Boba_Fett1138
It's hard to understand why some movies ever got made. Who ever green-lighted this unconvincing and formulaic story to be filmed? And even bigger question, why did all of these great and established names committed themselves to this project? Thing with this movie its story is that it never reaches a level above average. No shocking surprises or twists, no real convincing emotions, no tension. It feels just like a very empty and distant movie. The story unfolds itself as a very unconvincing one, since some very unlikely things start to happen in the movie. I just never understood the fact why the parents weren't desperate to get the truth from their son. They just eat together as an happy family, when the son is being nothing but death silent about the whole situation. This would had ticked me off as a parent and would had driven me insane. Just imaging your son being the main suspect in a murder case but he doesn't say anything to you about what happened. I would feel so mad at him and terribly unsure but not Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep. Also the way how the entire suddenly seemed to be against the family seemed so incredibly forced and silly that it all became incredibly unconvincing. The movie doesn't make you sympathize enough for any of its characters or with its drama. It would had perhaps also helped if the boy was really innocent and had nothing to do with the death of the young girl at all.Yes, there definitely are far worse movies out there but that doesn't make this movie a good one. Even though the movie never gets above the level of average it also never goes below the level of horrible. It's just a very average movie, by the numbers.Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Alfred Molina, Edward Furlong and John Heard are all actors that appear in this movie and it really makes you wonder why. I just can't imaging after reading the script that they seriously thought this would make a great, powerful and effective movie, that would leave a lasting impression on people and could even sweep some awards. All actors make some mistake in their careers and this movie seems to be one for all of them. Also some actors just get terrible underused in this movie. What was the point of the John Heard character? And why is Alfred Molina role so small in this. His role seemed like it could had played a far more important one for the movie. It could at least had given the story some more depth with its entire court proceedings.Not an horrible movie but I just can't think of any reasons why you should ever watch it.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
moonspinner55
Director Barbet Schroeder's curiously artificial drama, adapted from Rosellen Brown's book, concerns teenager Edward Furlong, a boy from a stable home, standing accused of killing his girlfriend in a snowy New England town. The family dynamics (with Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson as Furlong's parents) seem strangely off-kilter in a picture that depends on a realistic familial unit (it just doesn't come off, despite the talent involved). The film's editing is tight, while the cinematography and vividly-drawn flashbacks lend a much-needed sinister air to the proceedings. Unfortunately, Schroeder's direction overall is pitched far too high, as is Neeson's unsuccessful performance. A mildly intriguing near-miss. ** from ****
Wood-20
.Spoilers.There was a lot of good things about this movie. It was a compelling and interesting story right from the beginning. The acting was seemingly well played...... until the third act. What on earth happened to the direction of this film? I have not read the book, so I don't know if it has the same direction as this movie played out... but the third act did not even seem like the same movie. The acting took a nose-dive, and the melodrama began flowing freely like ipecac down the throat.From the beginning, I thought: Hey, sure, it's plausible that the Father wanted to save his son, and that these goofy things with the cover-up, and the family binding together to uphold the lie, were certainly no stretch of reason. Then we get to mom's, and Eddie's character's confession, and the whole thing is a puke-fest of gotchas and ridiculous moral claims about right and wrong which are, at best, pointless opposing claims about whether right or wrong and the law are the same thing.Don't misread me, though. I really enjoyed the beginning of this movie. I just hated the end.6/10