Coupable Innocence

Oh my goodness!! All the negative reviews are ridiculous. This movie never pretended to be anything other than a fun thriller/mystery. Great Lifetime movie. People are complaining (and people do have opinions on everything) but I thought the actors did a fine job with the accents.

This is the worst made-for-television movie I have ever watched. What a waste of time. I enjoy Nora Roberts' books, and Carnal Innocence was a decent book. Other movies made from her books have been okay. This was was horrible. Bad acting, bad screenplay, bad directing. Fake southern accents, no real depth to the characters. The characters were not believable, neither was the setting. And don't get me started about the "violin playing". Next time get a real female violinist as a body double. I kept watching in the hope it would improve. Wasted my time. Please do not waste yours. Read the book instead and use your own imagination. Obviously, the screenwriter(s), actors and director did not or could not.

A woman is found dead in the river near the small town of Innocence, Mississippi. Famed violinist Caroline Waverly (Gabrielle Anwar) returns to her late grandmother's home to escape problems. She hasn't been back since 9 years old. Tucker Longstreet (Colin Egglesfield) is the local playboy from the rich family in town. Josie (Jud Tylor) is his sister, Dwayne is his screw-up brother, and Della Duncan (Shirley Jones) is his longtime nanny. Edda Lou Hatinger believes Tucker is marrying her and she makes a scene at the diner when he rejects her. The killer lures her out to the river and kills her. Sheriff Burke investigates with newly arrived FBI Agent Matthew Burns. Both women were Tucker's exes and he's the prime suspect. Edda Lou's father Austin is arrested after shooting at Tucker.

Romance writer Nora Roberts moves towards the crime drama in this one. I'm not a fan and I couldn't claim to know her writing. As crime drama, this is not good. Caroline shows no sign that Tucker could possibly be the killer. In fact, it's the opposite and the tension is all gone. Why would Austin come after Caroline instead of Tucker? The characters don't always make sense. This is too desperate to make it a romance which only makes it a bad romance. The production is weaker TV level. The actors are mostly second tier. By the second half, the story and the killer's identity stops mattering.

Non believable characters, dialogs, everyone was inconsistent, unecessary drama, forced acting, nothing ever made sense. A killer dropping female bodies in her lake and she coveres up the broken windows with plastic and tape? Doors are always open? Also, this is supposed to be a romance and it is not believable that a man of his league would be interested in a woman who plays violin and seriously look like his mom. So bad I find it the finest of bad romance/thriller movies. It wins both cathegories.

Then this movie is for you.

There are A LOT of cheesy accents (I even heard one of the actors mistakenly do a BOSTON accent at one point!).

Despite these accent issues, if you like a Southern setting (think, 'The Skeleton Key', but with a Lifetime feel) - then you will probably dig this movie.

I would not consider this a suspense film, as there are no suspenseful moments whatsoever. It's a very PG "mystery". I would allow my daughter to watch it (she's 11).

They didn't make this movie to win any awards. It is what it is, and the makers of the movie know it. Lot of cute male eye candy too ;) Perfect for a lazy afternoon on the couch. Give it a shot.

5/10.