The Trial , based on the Robert Whitlow book, is a 2010 film directed and produced by Gary Wheeler. Attorney Kent "Mac" McClain (Matthew Modine) is considering suicide after the deaths of his wife and sons. However, the local judge (Rance Howard) insists Mac provide counsel for a young man (Randy Wayne) who is accused of murder. Mac rehires his assistant Mindy (Nikki Deloach) and his investigator Ray
(Robert Forster) and gets assistance from
psychologist Dr. Anna Wilkes (Clare Carey). With the prosecuting attorney, Joe Whetstone (Bob Gunton) pushing for the death penalty, will Mac be able to save the young man's life...and begin to live again himself?
This courtroom drama is not the most compelling I have ever watched, but I did enjoy it. It has been a while since I have read the book, so I couldn't remember the details well enough to compare the two. I thought it was well written, and the actors were believable in their roles. A highlight, though, was the comic relief of Rodney MacFarland (Danny Vinson). Altogether, though, I really liked the film.
Girl In Progress, due out in time for Mother's Day 2012 is a story of a dysfunctional relationship between a mother and a daughter. A single mom, Grace (Eva Mendes) tries to balance work in a nearby restaurant, bills, and her affair with a married doctor (Matthew Modine). Her teenaged daughter, Ansiedad ( Cierra Ramirez), has tired of the constant flow of men, moves, and dead-end jobs in her mom's life and decides to take matters into her own hands. Inspired by the coming-of-age stories she is reading in school, she enlists her best friend (Raini Rodriguez) to help her to devise a series of steps she needs to experience so she will be ready for an early adulthood, and a better life than she now has.
I was given an opportunity to see an advance copy of the film recently, and I admit to a few mixed feelings. During the first few minutes, I admit I had doubts, but decided to proceed with the viewing and not just make a snap judgement. Both mother and daughter had too much responsibility to handle and a lack of maturity that caused poor choices. Grace was kicked out of the house when she became pregnant at 17, and was stuck in jobs beneath her capabilities, and felt trapped. She dreamed of better things, but made poor choices. Ansiedad felt like she was having to take on an adult role, so her plan to speed things up and escape had both shades of comedy and pathos. This is not a film for younger children and I was glad to see that it had a rating of PG-13. There are scenes of bullying, drinking, sexual references, and, of course, the mom's affair with a married man. However, there is no bad language or graphic nudity. I have teenaged grandkids and would not object to them seeing this film. There were consequences to decisions made, and lessons were learned from mistakes. I felt a sense of hope for the future of these characters as the film came to a close.
