Accusée à tort

Ah, the teenage years. I do not miss them. "Accused at 17" largely focuses on how out of control a teenage prank can become and emphasizes this point by death as the result. The most concerning note is that something like this could occur in real life.

It is not so uncommon that different individuals involved with the scheme go on to take attitudes in different directions as the plot thickens and intensifies. I love the semi-sarcastic yet smooth way in which the detective says, "Get what's coming to you? Call me crazy, sounds like a threat" and could view this scene over and over again. It is not the best line of the movie however because later the villain's father responds to antagonism from his evil wife by saying, "I know what they call women like you." That was classic.

Considering that Columbo was absent from the situation, the accused's mother did a fine job of sleuthing to expose the truth. Although far removed from teenage years, I would want that feisty character on my side if ever in similar trouble.

"Accused at 17" succeeds in interpreting teen angst in a justifiably and appropriately serious way, with important lessons to be applied.

Teenager Anderson is accused of murdering classmate Taylor after she and her friends (Maeve and Montgomery) play a prank on her for sleeping with boyfriend McClendon. The accused's mother (Gibb) must now try to find the truth in order to save her daughter from a longtime prison sentence, and soon suspects that it was best friend Montgomery who may have framed her. Yet another Lifetime Movie about a complex situation that is resolved by simplistic plot devices. However, one must give credit where credit is due; the teenagers' parents (particularly Gibb and Moses) are incredibly likable and believable, and have impressively sharp dialogue. Could've been a lot lot worse.

** (out of four)

If horrible lifetime movies are a go-to on a sick day, please don't miss this one! It is standard lifetime crap, but very entertaining nonetheless. If you watch this with others you will get a great peanut gallery going--there are just too many things to laugh about. The dialogue is corny, the plot is unrealistic (I mean really, who would kill someone for chucking a rock at them?), and the acting is pretty over the top. Despite all of this, you will find yourself laughing at the ridiculousness that seeps out of every scene.

What I love most about this movie is Fallyn--the girl looks EXACTLY like Val from "Brink". It is hard to take her seriously when all you can think about is her skating for "x-blades" and getting a milkshake thrown in her face.

Well, I will start right off with admitting that I had initially expected this to be much worse than it actually turned out to be, given the synopsis of the storyline.

Sure, this was predictable to the core, and followed the essential "how to make a lifetime drama movie" manuscript. But still, there is just something oddly entertaining about these particular kind of movies in a weird sense.

The movie is about three young friends, Bianca (played by Nicole Gale Anderson), Fallyn (played by Janet Montgomery) and Sarah (Stella Maeve), who find out that Bianca's boyfriend is cheating on her with Dory. Setting out to teach Dory a lesson, the girls drive her out to a remote location, where they play to leave her and let her walk all the way back home. But then something unforeseen happens and things take a turn for the worse. And soon Bianca is finding herself fighting for her innocence and having her two friends turn against her in a web of lies. While incarcerated, it is up to Bianca's mom, Jacqui (played by Cynthia Gibb) to bring out the truth and cleanse her daughter from any accusations.

Of course, you know exactly how the storyline will span out and how it will turn out to be. And yes, director Doug Campbell managed to follow the stereotypical mould to every last shot.

The ending to this movie, was about as abrupt and totally out of sync with the entire movie as it could be. With events that had happened like that, no one would just walk out into an ending like that. It was so anti-climatic.

I will say that the people on the cast list were doing good jobs with their given roles and characters, despite having a very stereotypical script and storyline to work with. Nicole Gale Anderson and Cynthia Gibb did carry the movie quite nicely with their performances in the lead roles.

If you enjoy these sappy kind of lifetime dramas, then you are bound to get enjoyment out of "Accused at 17". I rate this movie a mere 4 out of 10 stars, given the fact of its predictability, stereotypical storyline and the horrendous ending.

Over the opening credits, cameras show a Southern California crime scene. The presence of a coroner confirms the arm we see is attached to a dead body...

Five days earlier, grumpy high school student Nicole Gale Anderson (as Bianca) is mad because she can't go to a party and meet her boyfriend. Instead, she must have dinner at home with her mom Cynthia Gibb (as Jacqui) and a future step-father. While Anderson is at home and bored, boyfriend Reiley McClendon (as Chad) is charmed out of his pants by trampy Lindsay Taylor (as Dory). Anderson learns about the rum-fused incident and is understandably irked. Anderson, best friends Janet Montgomery (as Fallyn) and Stella Maeve (as Sarah) get into their skimpy bikinis, sit by the pool and decide to get even...

She looks a little too old to be in high school, but Ms. Montgomery shows that, as usual, the villain gets the best part. Montgomery also looks like she could be Ms. Gibb's daughter. Anderson must look like her father. The characters are all stereotypes and there is no new ground to be found in "Accused at 17". The asthmatic best friend and African-American confidante are true to form. Men are attractive and secondary. The story is meant to fill space in an assigned TV Movie slot. Some of these formulaic dramas throw in subversion or go deliciously over-the-top. This one doesn't do anything unusual.

**** Accused at 17 (12/5/09) Doug Campbell ~ Cynthia Gibb, Nicole Gale Anderson, Janet Montgomery, Stella Maeve