With the rise in both reality television and social decay over the past decade, a film such as Fox Searchlight’s “Conviction” is a welcomed addition to a fall movie lineup that is anything but honest and heartfelt.
Powered by a solid performance by Hillary Swank, the unbelievably touching story of the Waters family works on the big screen. In spite of its warm message and boat load of touching and inspiring moments, it ends up ultimately missing the mark.
The biggest problem is how the passage of time is handled. With her brother in prison for a murder he swears he didn’t commit, Betty Anne Waters (played by Swank) ends up becoming his lawyer, in an effort to get him out. Putting herself through a GED program, college and then law school, her story is instantly captivating.
At the same time, you never get the feeling that Swank is working incredibly hard, as she comes across more obsessed with the notion of freeing her brother. As a matter of fact, only a few small screens show her struggle through her education. Losing her marriage over the entire situation, we don’t see enough of the type of conflict Swank and her family would naturally go through after deciding to partake in an incredible mission such as this.
Instead everything follows a logical progression and gets tied up in a pretty little bow by the end. Before you know it, Kenny has been proved innocent and is waiting for his release. We don’t see enough building to make these characters viable and important.
Speaking of which, Sam Rockwell’s portrayal of Kenny leaves something to be desired. We understand that he was a bit of a troublemaker, but between his tattoo accumulation in jail and his constant asides to his sister that he may not be as innocent as we believe, you never feel for him the way you should. This has little to do with Rockwell though, as his character is written in a way that you don’t feel his pain nearly as much as you could have. Like the old journalistic credo “Show, don’t tell,” there’s way too much talking with Rockwell’s character and little in the way of showing his struggle in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
This one facet is probably what hurts the film the most.
This continues with Melissa Leo’s portrayal of Officer Taylor, who induces Kenny’s entire situation, thanks to shoddy police work. This is a character the viewer should hate, but instead, she serves as only a plot device or a small blip on the film’s radar. Had more attention been paid to the other characters in this film, rather than just the Waters’ side, it could have been a success.
Nonetheless, Minnie Driver and Juliette Lewis throw in good supporting spots here and help give the film enough drama, wit and depth to stand on its own two feet. However, the writing holds these characters back as well, adding even more to the notion that this screenplay misses the mark.
Not even a cast with this type of talent can fix it.
Because of these missteps, it feels like a big budget made for TV movie for the Lifetime Channel. Sure, it pulls at your heart-strings and may even make you cry, as in spite of her quirkiness in this role, Swank is good enough to keep your attention throughout. She’s just not good enough to save the entire film, as the lackluster writing ends up keeping the real message locked away for good.
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