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Three of Jodi Picoult's best-selling novels in fine movie form. SALEM FALLS, starring James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek), Sarah Carter (Falling Skies) and AJ Michalka (Hellcats, Super 8), tells the story of a beloved teacher and soccer coach (Van Der Beek) at an all girls' prep school whose career is ruined when a student's crush initiates an uproar of false accusations. When he begins his life again in Salem Falls, a shocking rape accusation turns his world upside down and triggers a modern day witch hunt. PLAIN TRUTH, starring Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Allison Pill (Midnight in Paris), is a movie about high-profile criminal attorney (Hargitay) who ditches her self-indulgent city life to defend an Amish teenager (Pill) on trial for murdering her newborn baby. THE PACT, starring Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), is a powerful story about a supposed "suicide pact" between two teens that goes terribly awry. When only one of the children dies, both sets of parents must look at their friendship, loss, and guilt as they try to figure out the truth about the fateful night.
DISC 1: Salem Falls / Plain Truth
DISC 2: The Pact
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Three Picoult Adaptations Courtesy Of Lifetime TV: A Mostly Successful Collection
July 19, 2012
Author Jodi Picoult has penned some surprisingly ambitious and thought-provoking page turners. Adapting them, though, is a sometimes tricky proposition. Here are three Lifetime TV movie attempts that met with varying degrees of success. Not a bad collection for the price if this is your type of entertainment. I'll comment more extensively on "Salem Falls" as the other two movie have been around for a while and/or released on DVD previously.
Salem Falls (2 1/2 Stars): From 2011, this adaptation probably veers the furthest from Picoult's original vision of small town scandal. When a mischievous trio of high school girls employ the dark arts, one wishes to find a mysterious new love interest. Enter drifter James Van Der Beek, a man who seems to be on the run from a troubled past. The loner meets up with a local diner owner when he almost kills her father! How's that for a meet-cute? As he takes a temporary job in her establishment, romance blossoms between the two even as the high school vixen makes her play for the irresistible stranger that was conjured specifically for her (she's a bit of a nutcase). Of course, the present day circumstances start to feel uncomfortably familiar to Van Der Beek and the secrets he wants to stay buried surface in the most unpleasant ways. After the fairly successful set-up, however, gets Van Der Beek in hot water with the town (it's a literal witchhunt), the movie turns into a pat and convenient mystery.
While Van Der Beek seems a bit too stoic to inspire such instant adulation, the beginning of "Salem Falls" is a decent enough entertainment. But things start to go awry when it strays away from soapy melodrama into supposedly more serious territory. The complicated issues presented aren't explored with any depth and the past mystery is solved with ease (too bad the cops are always inept in these movies). It doesn't help that the movie ventures into very familiar territory and its resolutions are trite and cliched at best. Seriously, when this movie tries for weepy movie of the week hysterics, I lost any good will that I might have had.
Plain Truth (4 stars): From 2004, this endeavor benefits greatly from a no-nonsense approach to its horrific central crime. A baby's mysterious death is the catalyst for most (if not all) of the movie's action that brings a high powered attorney to a small Amish community to defend the young mother against murder charges. Expecting huge amounts of melodrama with such a sensational subject matter, I appreciated that the plot remained focused on the investigation, the facts of the case, and the impact on and responsibility of the Amish community. Of course, any TV production would be lucky to have the presence of Mariska Hargitay. I could have lived without the simpler lessons doled out to this professional woman (city life and success is always looked on with such disdain in these types of stories), but Hargitay is such a terrific actress that she grounds every role. Alison Pill does a good job as the teenaged mother as well. They play off each other well and the movie has a few noteworthy surprises on the journey to the inevitable conclusion. A solid entry for Lifetime and a solid interpretation of Picoult's work.
The Pact (4 Stars): From 2002, this movie gives comedic actress Megan Mullally a chance to stretch in a challenging role. If you love Picoult's source novel, "The Pact" probably suffers by comparison as it doesn't have the opportunity to really dig as deep into the underlying truths of the story. But it is such an intriguing and emotional tale, I still think that it is a worthy TV movie effort. When a young couple engage in what appears to be a suicide pact (only the boy, Eric Lively, survives), the families involved are plunged into a waking nightmare. The families are so close, the movie underscores how this traumatic event forever alters their comfortable existence. Mullally plays off great character actress Juliet Stevenson for the movie's most dramatic sequences (they are the two mothers). As their friendship deteriorates, the film really resonates. Not as preachy as you might expect, the movie does try to examine the realistic emotional consequences without resorting to tear-jerking manipulation. I give it much credit for that. Not perfect, but worth it for the performances. KGHarris, 7/12.
Salem Falls (2 1/2 Stars): From 2011, this adaptation probably veers the furthest from Picoult's original vision of small town scandal. When a mischievous trio of high school girls employ the dark arts, one wishes to find a mysterious new love interest. Enter drifter James Van Der Beek, a man who seems to be on the run from a troubled past. The loner meets up with a local diner owner when he almost kills her father! How's that for a meet-cute? As he takes a temporary job in her establishment, romance blossoms between the two even as the high school vixen makes her play for the irresistible stranger that was conjured specifically for her (she's a bit of a nutcase). Of course, the present day circumstances start to feel uncomfortably familiar to Van Der Beek and the secrets he wants to stay buried surface in the most unpleasant ways. After the fairly successful set-up, however, gets Van Der Beek in hot water with the town (it's a literal witchhunt), the movie turns into a pat and convenient mystery.
While Van Der Beek seems a bit too stoic to inspire such instant adulation, the beginning of "Salem Falls" is a decent enough entertainment. But things start to go awry when it strays away from soapy melodrama into supposedly more serious territory. The complicated issues presented aren't explored with any depth and the past mystery is solved with ease (too bad the cops are always inept in these movies). It doesn't help that the movie ventures into very familiar territory and its resolutions are trite and cliched at best. Seriously, when this movie tries for weepy movie of the week hysterics, I lost any good will that I might have had.
Plain Truth (4 stars): From 2004, this endeavor benefits greatly from a no-nonsense approach to its horrific central crime. A baby's mysterious death is the catalyst for most (if not all) of the movie's action that brings a high powered attorney to a small Amish community to defend the young mother against murder charges. Expecting huge amounts of melodrama with such a sensational subject matter, I appreciated that the plot remained focused on the investigation, the facts of the case, and the impact on and responsibility of the Amish community. Of course, any TV production would be lucky to have the presence of Mariska Hargitay. I could have lived without the simpler lessons doled out to this professional woman (city life and success is always looked on with such disdain in these types of stories), but Hargitay is such a terrific actress that she grounds every role. Alison Pill does a good job as the teenaged mother as well. They play off each other well and the movie has a few noteworthy surprises on the journey to the inevitable conclusion. A solid entry for Lifetime and a solid interpretation of Picoult's work.
The Pact (4 Stars): From 2002, this movie gives comedic actress Megan Mullally a chance to stretch in a challenging role. If you love Picoult's source novel, "The Pact" probably suffers by comparison as it doesn't have the opportunity to really dig as deep into the underlying truths of the story. But it is such an intriguing and emotional tale, I still think that it is a worthy TV movie effort. When a young couple engage in what appears to be a suicide pact (only the boy, Eric Lively, survives), the families involved are plunged into a waking nightmare. The families are so close, the movie underscores how this traumatic event forever alters their comfortable existence. Mullally plays off great character actress Juliet Stevenson for the movie's most dramatic sequences (they are the two mothers). As their friendship deteriorates, the film really resonates. Not as preachy as you might expect, the movie does try to examine the realistic emotional consequences without resorting to tear-jerking manipulation. I give it much credit for that. Not perfect, but worth it for the performances. KGHarris, 7/12.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
These three movies kept me hanging on to every scene. I watched all three in one night. Really enjoyable. Great plot
By doctorhank
Amazon Verified Purchase
I know the movie is never as good as the book.. If you hadn't read the book first, I would have enjoyed the movie more, but still glad I ordered it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jodi Picoult's Works
This DVD arrived promptly in excellent condition. If you have read any of Ms. Picoult's books, you will enjoy this DVD. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Annabelle Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Collection of DVD
I received the Jodi Picoult collection on dvd and it was in excellent condition and still had the wrapping on it. I was very surprised and excited. Thank you!
Published 2 months ago by Danielle Pyeatt
4.0 out of 5 stars
awesome
Great movies. Man, this woman knows how to write a story. The star cast was fab in all three movies. Mariska hargitay was amazing
Published 3 months ago by stevieLUVSAlex
