American Murderer

THIS FILM GIVES A VERY GOOD DEPICTION OF THE DAMAGE THAT CAN BE CAUSED BY A CHARMING CON MAN. I REMEMBER ONCE HEARING THE LEAD CHARACTER ON THE TV SHOW "JUDGING AMY" TALK ABOUT "THE POWER OF THE PRETTY GIRL." WELL, THIS FILM PROVES THAT "THE POWER OF THE PRETTY BOY" CAN BE EVEN MORE COMPELLING- AND ALSO MORE DEVASTATING AND DESTRUCTIVE. THIS POINT IS ENHANCED EVEN MORE BY THE CHARISMATIC PERFORMANCE GIVEN BY TOM PELPHREY AS JASON. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN THE SCENE WHERE HE RESPONDS TO HIS OLDER BROTHER, DAVID'S (PAUL SCHNEIDER) REFUSAL TO HELP HIM WITH RIGHTEOUS ANGER, AND THEN TURNS TO SHEDDING CROCODILE TEARS WHEN DAVID AGREES TO HELP HIM. I ALSO LOVED SEEING HOW JACKI WEAVER (AS JASON'S MOTHER) WAS ABLE TO SHED THE STERN PERSONA SHE HAD TO PUT ON IN DEALING WITH JASON WHEN SHE WAS TRYING TO MAKE HER DAUGHTER, JAMIE (SHANTEL VAN SANTEN) FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT JASON. WHEN SHE TENDERLY TELLS, JAMIE, "OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HE HAS HURT, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE HE EVER REALLY CARED ABOUT," YOU SEE HOW BADLY JASON HAS HURT HER, TOO. I ALSO LOVED SEEING HOW SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS FILM WHOM I HAD PREVIOUSLY SEEN IN OTHER FILMS AND PLAYS GAVE SUCH INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES IN THIS FILM. FOR EXAMPLE, I REMEMBER THE DAZZLING PERFORMANCES THAT IDINA MENZEL GAVE IN "WICKED" AND "THE WILD PARTY," BUT, IN THIS FILM, SHE COMES ACROSS AS SO DOWN-TO-EARTH AND TRUSTING THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW SHE CAN FALL PREY TO JASON'S LIES. (MS. MENZEL WAS ALSO IN A HORRIBLE MUSICAL CALLED "RENT," BUT MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO AVOID MENTIONING THAT). I ALSO REMEMBER RYAN PHILLIPE, WHO PLAYS DET. LEISING, AS THE NAIVE LONG ISLAND BOY WHO FELL UNDER THE SPELL OF THE LATE STEVE RUBELL (ANOTHER CHARMING CON MAN) IN "54," BUT IN THIS FILM HE COMES ACROSS AS TOO CONVINCINGLY CYNICAL AND HARD-BITTEN TO BE FOOLED BY ANYONE. AND THERE'S ALSO A VERY REALISTIC PORTRAYAL OF JASON'S FATHER BY KEVIN CORRIGAN, WHOM I ALWAYS REMEMBER AS BEING INCREDIBLY VULNERABLE AND POIGNANT IN THE SCENE IN "WALKING AND TALKING" WHEN HE TELLS HIS GIRLFRIEND ABOUT HEARING A VOICEMAIL FROM HER FRIEND ON WHICH TALKED ABOUT HER REFERRING TO HIM AS "THE UGLY GUY." THERE WAS CERTAINLY NOTHING VULNERABLE OR POIGNANT IN HIS BRIEF PERFORMANCE IN THIS FILM. THE FACT THAT THEY WERE ALL ABLE TO SHOW SUCH DIFFERENT SIDES OF THEMSELVES PROBABLY OWES A LOT TO THE DIRECTION OF MATTHEW GENTILE. I ONLY WISH THAT WE COULD HAVE LEARNED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE FATHER'S ACTIVITIES. ALTHOUGH WE SEE HIM FILL FRIGIDAIRE WITH MONEY, WE NEVER SEE WHAT POSSIBLE CRIMES HE COMMITTED TO GETTING IT. (I ALSO WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN A DEPICTION OF THE MOTHER IN HER YOUNGER DAYS, WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN US MORE INSIGHT IN TO HER CHARACTER.