Betty Anne Waters (2010)

Betty Anne Waters: Directed by Tony Goldwyn. With Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Thomas D. Mahard, Owen Campbell. A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.

“Difficult to write anything negative about such an triumphant story. The New York Times ran an touching article October last year regarding the real-life story of Betty Anne Waters, a single-mom who put herself through college and law school to exonerate her brother. Much has also been said about the incredible performances of Hillary Swank and Sam Rockwell, but supporting roles from Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo (Iu0026#39;m glad sheu0026#39;s getting recognition since Homicide Life on the Street) are no less vibrant. So why the average rating?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe level of drama does not rise above Hallmark Made-for-TV movies. The plot, story pacing, and overall tone of the film are very one- dimensional. There are too few moments where we see these characters interact on any level thatu0026#39;s not (melo)dramatic. My favorites scene involves Minnie Driver and Hillary Swank shopping for groceries. Itu0026#39;s the only time these characters feel real.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI keep thinking Conviction has the premise of a David E. Kelley TV series, where the Kenny-theme could serve as a season long arc. The characters are interesting enough, but I was hoping for so much more. Conviction is by no means a bad film, but itu0026#39;s not a very good one either.”