Plain Truth

COULD have been a fine film, but the slipshod script and corny manipulations made it annoying instead. Oh for intelligent dialogue and more plausible story clashes: Katie insists on telling the plain truth in court, and yet has had no compunction re lying to Ellie at every turn.

Easy on the eyes, this film is flakey on the brain and thus misses the heart. I am sure the author of the book felt sad to see what became of her sensitive story.

The cast did their admirable best, especially the main family as well as Hargitay and LaPaglia. Kate Trotter's subtle genius as the mother was the highlight of the film. These gifted actors surely deserved better than a director who seems to assume his viewers are plain stupid. Watchable, yes, but what a let-down!

Plain Truth is much better than the average made-for-TV Canadian production. For one thing, the sound track is intelligible. I can't count how many Canadian-made movies I've seen that have poor quality sound. Another distinction for a Canadian movie is the strong writing and plot line. This may be because the movie is adapted from a book. Perhaps the movie isn't as good as the book but adaptations are always difficult to put on the screen. As a made-for TV movie, I would class Plain Truth as above-average.

The acting and casting are also above-average with the exception of the pneumatic, ever-scowling Mariska Hargitay. How that sour face could ever gain confidence in a pious Amish community strains the viewer's credulity. Despite these obvious flaws, I still recommend Plain Truth, should it come your way.

I liked the overall look of this film and also the work of the actors. Escpecially the main characters, Amish girl and her lawyer do a good job, I like the closeup shots of their eyes and faces, those are wonderful, to portray emotions and expressions in their eyes in such a way is really good. The problem of this movie is that it is trying to be a thriller and an psychological movie at the same time. It could have chosen one or the other, that would have made it more intense. I think a murder mystery thriller in the Amish environment would have been a mighty good idea. Or then full-time psychological drama, the clash of Amish world and regular Western world through personal drama of one person. At the moment this hoovering on the border of both genres makes the movie weaker. In spite of this, overall it was an interesting movie, and the actors did a really good job.

I first heard about Jodi Picoult (author of the book Plain Truth) from one of my teachers during a Values through Literature class. I decided to read Plain Truth after reading one of her other books. Then a buddy of mine bought me the movie. The movie and the book work really well together. I wish they would have used more from the book and made the movie longer, but i really really enjoyed it. I'd recommend that you read the book, then watch the movie. This way you know a lot more about the characters, and then get to see them. It's a great companion. Mariska Hargitay as always gives an incredibly convincing and extraordinary performance. I had never heard of Alison Pill, but was pleasantly surprised with her performance. The soundtrack is also amazing. A movie I would definitely recommend.

Most lifetime films are lower budget, and some can be hard to sit and watch, but this one was entertaining. The mystery of what really happened keeps the audience captivated as the film slowly unravels. Its always nice to see a peek into the amish world, its something that's kept hidden and I think most people don't quite understand it because of how hidden it is. The biggest downfall to the film is the low budget filming , but the story and acting make up for it.