SnoopyStyle
Defense attorney Ellie Harrison (Mariska Hargitay) just got a big win but she's conflicted about getting a white collar criminal off the hook. On an Amish farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a dead baby is found and unmarried Katie Fitch (Alison Pill) is arrested for killing the baby. Katie refuses to acknowledge her pregnancy no matter what. Ellie is pushed to defend by Katie's mother's cousin Leda who's been shunned. The judge orders that Katie could go home as long as Ellie is there as her guardian. Katie talks to her dead sister. Her father is exceedingly tough.I really like Mariska Hargitay and Alison Pill. They are doing perfectly good work here. It's a Lifetime movie filmed in Nova Scotia. That's probably its main drawback. The production lacks a cinematic style. Paul Shapiro is a TV director and this looks like a slightly below average TV show. I think the movie could have done a lot more with the style. As for the story, Ellie should be concerned with trying to get Katie off rather than worrying about the truth so much. Also the trial drags on for too long. It doesn't have enough drama. There is a shocking twist which would be so much more useful as part of the trial. It's not the most compelling TV movie.
mark-4825
This film adequately portrays the kind of damage that can be done by religious cults where conformance and issues resulting from it trump all considerations for the feelings and even the lives of the people ensnared.The courtroom scenes are laughably unrealistic (even more than normal for a TV movie).The previous reviewer who indicates that Katie was drunk and/or unconscious when the baby was conceived was a bit confused. That was one of her original obvious lies. The baby was the product of a romantic relationship.
Francis A. Breen, Jr., M.D.
I'm tempted to call this "Mariska trapped in a hunk of Swiss cheese" but this confused mess of a movie has a lot more holes than that. It's so weak and contrived that even the exceptional acting talents of Mariska Hargitay can't save it. Every time a plot twist was needed the accused simply told another lie and off we went in a new and contrived direction. The depiction of Amish life is cartoonish. One would think that the writers would know better than to have the accused calling her parents "mom and dad". And white buttons on shirts? There's a lot more but to delve any deeper might give away what little plot there is, so I'll simply recommend avoiding this film altogether.
NJCHARMED1
I'd recommend reading the book before seeing this movie. I was extremely disappointed by the way the movie was portrayed. Aside from having some of the names & events changed, there was a lot missing. I would have preferred that this movie be made into a mini-series that encompassed the entire nature of the story. Specifically Ellie & Katie's relationship & how that came to develop throughout the story. By not reading the book 1st, the movie allows for one to be completely lost. I love Marishka Hargitay in L & O: SVU & she did a great job in this movie. I would have on the other hand found someone else to play the role of Katie other than Alison Pill. I believe too that she didn't do Jodi Picoult's work any justice. If I had to grade the movie it would be a D. I think even that's a little too kind...
AD
