MOVIE OF THE WEEK: CONVICTION
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher and Juliette Lewis
WRITER: Pamela Gray
DIRECTOR: Tony Goldwyn
WEB SITE: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/
THE PLOT: Inspired by true events, Conviction stars Hilary Swank as Betty Anne Waters, the younger sibling of older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell). A delinquent as a youth growing up in hardscrabble Massachusetts, Kenny is no stranger to the local police department, which includes Nancy Taylor (Melissa Leo). So when it comes time for the police to arrest Kenny on the suspicion of a 1983 murder, Taylor couldn't be happier.
Betty Anne and Kenny - now a father to baby girl of his own - however, are horrified - because he swears up and down he didn't do it.
Determined to get her brother out of prison, Betty Anne dedicates her life to putting herself through high school, college and eventually, law school - the latter of which is where she meets new found friend Abra Rice (Minnie Driver). But as Betty Anne soon learns, the stress of raising a family, putting herself through school and fighting for Kenny's innocence is not without its consequences.
If - and its a big if - Betty Anne can use her conviction to free her brother of his, though, it will all be worth it.
THE TAKE: I spent nearly 2 weeks wrestling with how to explain why Conviction is arduous to watch, for in the year-plus of this blog, this film may be the one I have least looked forward to reviewing the most post-screening. For there were things - important things - I initially missed during the advance screening of the film I saw, so to be fair, I was not sure if perhaps I drifted off, misinterpreted certain aspects of the film or simply didn't get it. Then I did some research, talked to some others who had seen the film and took a moment to reflect. Then, much like Betty Anne in the film, I sought out to prepare my argument.
Conviction is a bit too emotionally manipulative, a bit too heavy handed and - dare I say it - somewhat droll for a film with subject matter and a cast that should not be.
Swank is a quality dramatic actress; her two Oscars should serve as enough proof of that (there's a reason she gave up romantic comedies, other than the fact most of hers kinda sucked). It's her niche. Likewise, Rockwell is great at playing men with extreme character flaws. For in addition to being the best thing about Iron Man 2, his work in films like Choke makes it a wonder he is such an under-appreciated actor outside of critical circles.
Thus, like in sports, the blame must lie with the man who despite not being the one of the field, calls all the shots: Director Tony Goldwyn.
Conviction isn't horrible; it just doesn't stick with you after you leave the theater. As a friend of mine dubbed it, TV "movie of the week" fodder the way the story is executed. For you'll keep watching to because once you become time invested in the story, you have a strong desire to know what happened in terms of the outcome, but you're not emotionally invested in the outcomes of the characters as you should be at large. You would almost be better served watching a documentary or reading about the actual case history; instead, Conviction lacks a compelling element, a "wow" factor if you will, to make it more than a here today, gone tomorrow film. What that element is in this instance, I'm not sure, but I know it's not found here.
PARTING SHOT: For a film that should be inspiring to people from all walks of life, Conviction unfortunately feels a lot like a long, lengthy trial that is going to end in a hung jury.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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