Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge

This film deals with the true case that occurred in Glen Ridge, New Jersey with the graduating class of 1989. Obviously, what the students did to this girl is disturbing and inexcusable. What is also offensive is the attitude of the community, school and parents; the denial and discrimination.

Eric Stoltz is excellent as prosecutor Dan Laurino,who empathizes with the victim (well-done by Heather Matarazzo). The character Ally Sheedy portrays is a detective who used to work in NYC, and is now on the task force, prosecuting the members of the football team who took part in the gang-rape of a mentally disabled student.

There is much denial and deferral of responsibility, the group mentality of "don't make waves" and the accusations that, as an unstable person, the character Matarazzo portrays had deserved, and even asked for, what happened to her. It is the utmost disgrace that American communities like this still react this way.

The next time you see a tragedy in the local news, and a neighbor comments they couldn't believe it happened in his/her neighborhood, chalk it up to the mechanism of denial; the fact that people cannot comprehend such things does not mean they are not happening every day, and that we need stricter laws protecting the disabled. 10/10

I don't care that it's "only" a television movie, this movie is really good. Based on a true story, turned into a book and now this film, it stars Heather Matarazzo as an abused retarded high school girl. She just wants people to like her, so she 'goes along' with her rape, in a very disturbing scene, kind of shocking for television, not titalating at all. The supporting cast is wonderful. Ally Sheedy and Eric Stoltz are the adults in the piece, in charge of bringing the teens who did this awful crime to justice, and they are really good. So are the teen jocks who rape her. A good lesson in safety and 'fitting in', well told, good music and direction, overall this is a very good production and all should be proud to have done it.

Heather Matarazzo was fantastic in this movie, as well as "Welcome To The Dollhouse", both of which center around a young girl who's so desperate to have friends and fit in, even at the expense of her dignity. What really made me sick was not only what those football jerks did to that poor girl but the fact that the whole town believed their side of what happened, with the exception of Ally Sheedy, Eric Stoltz and the girl's parents. In the end, however, the truth finally came out and she got the justice she deserved. I think Heather did such a wonderful job in this movie. She has a lot of guts to agree to play a mentally challenged girl, and I really admire her for that.

The film is really great. It shows both the positive and negative effect when we're telling the truth. What will happen to my friend if i reveal the truth about them. Will i ever have another friend. Will I hurt my other friends who trying to help me? - I think these questions is very difficult to respond to especially if you're the one who being put in the same situation as Leslie in the film. I personally really like the film a lot, it shows me the desire of friendship when you're alone, isolated from everyone emotionally because they think you're not part of the group, and i do see this happen a lot especially in the school community and also mostly in a teens environment. I'm every into film making, and i wish to be a film maker in the future years. Thank You

This is one of best movies about rape that I have ever seen. I usually do not watch movies about rape since Lifetime shows the same, typically-scripted ones with predictable endings. But this one was quite exceptional. Heather was outstanding in her performance, and the writers were firm at portraying the snobby, reckless, middle-class boys as the gods of the sports-oriented school; then there's that outcasted punk-looking guy that supported Ally's character in understanding the town's fascination with the jocks; and the African-American boy whose honesty was twisted into betrayal, leaving him socially and racially outcasted in the town.

I really enjoy the small-town suburbia chemistry because there are places like that around the country, so this movie makes you more aware of that, and that no matter how bad people turn against you, it's always best to stick to the truth and to fight for justice.

Rating: 9/10