Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

American Violet

EMAILPRINTSamuel Goldwyn Films

American Violet reviews
56
8.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Bill Haney

Directed by: Tim Disney

Release Date:
Theatrical: April 17, 2009
DVD: October 13, 2009

Running Time: 103 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for thematic material, violence, drug references and language

Starring Alfre Woodard, Michael O’Keefe, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Charles S. Dutton, Xzibit, and Nicole Beharie

Based on true events during the 2000 election, American Violet tells the astonishing story of Dee Roberts, a 24 year-old African American single mother of four young girls living in a small Texas town tow is barely able to make ends meet. While police drag Dee from work in handcuffs, dumping her in the squalor of the women’s county prison, the powerful local district attorney leads an extensive drug bust, sweeping her house projects with military precision. Dee has no prior drug record and no drugs were found a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in a prison, jeopardizing her custody and risking a long prison sentence. She chooses to fight the district attorney and the unyielding criminal justice system, risking everything in a battle that forever changes her life and the Texas justice system. (The Samuel Goldwyn Films)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

An artlessly powerful performance by newcomer Nicole Behaire anchors American Violet.

Read Full Review >
75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

American Violet, it's true, is not blazingly original cinema. Tim Disney's direction and the screenplay by Bill Haney are meat and potatoes, making this story clear, direct and righteous.

Read Full Review >
75

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A torn-from-the-headlines tale of institutional racism and injustice in the Lone Star State of not-so-long-ago, American Violet might not be subtle, but it's certainly powerful.

Read Full Review >
75

San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel

An ideal movie for an ideal time in America.

Read Full Review >
70

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

What sticks in my craw -- just a bit -- is the way the film doesn't fully trust the true story's inherent power.

Read Full Review >
70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Packed with dialogue and issues, and it’s most provocative when dealing with the dangers of plea bargaining.

Read Full Review >
70

Variety Todd McCarthy

Dee is an engaging, admirable lead character, and the striking, petite Beharie, in only her second screen role, is a real winner, bringing energy and fortitude to a woman who easily could have joined the ranks of society's victims and losers.

Read Full Review >
67

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Worth a look.

Read Full Review >
60

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

A message movie that's genuinely worth watching.

Read Full Review >
60

Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

The narrative is infused with chilling facts, and the filmmakers know how to build their case, but a drama demands more. We should have been immersed in Dee's wrenching journey, not just sitting it out on the sidelines.

Read Full Review >
58

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

It’s hard not to get swept up by the film's progressive zeal, but Disney doesn’t allow for much grey area.

Read Full Review >
50

The New York Times Stephen Holden

The movie's staunchly liberal point of view extends to the 2000 presidential election, which is shown unfolding in the background. Al Gore's concession speech is used to suggest that the systemic racism in Melody is a symptom of a broader climate of injustice.

Read Full Review >
50

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

American Violet feels less like life and unreasonably more like the movies.

Read Full Review >
50

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Earnest, mostly predictable and candidly didactic. That said, I'm glad it got made -- what's wrong with films that teach? -- and especially glad that a remarkably gifted newcomer named Nicole Beharie got to play the central role.

Read Full Review >
50

Village Voice Melissa Anderson

A docudrama with a good heart but a heavy hand.

Read Full Review >
50

New York Magazine David Edelstein

If you're in the mood for a liberal message movie in which the only surprise is no surprise, American Violet is the ticket.

Read Full Review >
40

The Hollywood Reporter Sura Wood

Wears its righteous indignation and good intentions on its sleeve but its simplistic, heavy handed treatment of a complex issue gives it the weight of a contrived movie of the week melodrama.

Read Full Review >
25

New York Post Kyle Smith

Plodding drama.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jay H. gave it a6:
Predictable but generally well done drama. Nicole Beharie is excellent in the lead role. Fair screenplay, it didn’t really have anything new to offer. Alfre Woodard is always good.

Juana H. gave it a10:
I saw this movie and it really was an eyeopener as to how the justice system works for some. The young actress did a great job.

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use