Tell Me No Lies

Laura Cooper runs a coffee shop and is divorced from her husband. She is getting an online college degree in marketing. She is so busy her rebellious teenage daughter Samantha is fast becoming a delinquent that the police think should be locked up.

One night the car is missing and Laura reports it stolen. She knows Samantha took it, and that Samantha is only 15 and has no license. Samantha is at a party where she witnesses Jordan, Derek and Glenn threatening Alex. Alex is accidentally pushed off a cliff. The boys show no remorse, however, so it's the same as if they had murdered him. They don't see Samantha, but since they videotape their adventures, they see her when they watch what happened on Jordan's computer.

Samantha is so upset after what she witnessed that her reckless driving attracts the attention of a cop. This is just her first run-in with the law (in this movie), and she's not going to get any more second chances. Laura tries to help Samantha, but Samantha's not willing to listen to her, and if she thought her father wanted her, she would be going to live with him.

The guys start threatening Samantha. She tells her best friend Tori (who has been the boys' victim) what happened, but won't talk to anyone else. Laura doesn't know why her daughter is behaving so strangely or why she has to keep picking her up from jail--or why the cops finally make her spend the night.

The threats get worse and worse, and turn into more than threats. Something has to be done. It doesn't help that Jordan's father is the chief of police. And Derek's father is Laura's mechanic.

This is quite an exciting movie. Of course it's kind of scary to see teenage boys with no morals, though maybe they aren't as bad as they seem. It's rare to see ordinary small-town kids go so overboard with threatening behavior.

Everyone does such a good job, particularly the two female leads, Kelly Rutherford and Kirsten Prout. Samantha Ferris as Tori's mother and David Pearson as Derek's father also stand out in relatively brief roles.

When pushed hard enough, Laura has the ability to get things done. Some may not approve of everything she does, but under the circumstances, certain behaviors are justified.

I only recall one weakness--very strange weather. The ground can be covered with snow in one part of town, while no snow at all has fallen in other areas.

It's really worth seeing.

Samantha Cooper (Kirsten Prout) is a rebellious teen. Her divorced mom Laura Cooper (Kelly Rutherford) is overwhelmed. Sam witnesses a murder while out at a party in the woods. She drives away recklessly and gets arrested. The murderers are led by Jordan Bates who is the son of the police chief. She tells her friend Tori. The boys videotaped the incident and notice Samantha running away. They threaten her. She tries to run away to her dad. Her mother starts asking questions and Jordan sabotages her car. She finally tells her mother the truth but they plant ecstasy in her locker and she's arrested.

This is pretty good for a TV movie. There is good tension. Rutherford and Prout make a good combative mother daughter relationship. It is good that not every adult is clueless like most other similar movies. They are somewhat realistic human beings. It does need to be tightened up to build to a more exciting climax and the production value is limited. Considering what it is, this is a pretty good movie.

This movie is aptly named! The title names accurately the ways in which the problems arise for the characters involved - both the protagonists and antagonists. Everything hinges on lies and secrets, but it's easy to see that doing anything different would have been difficult - especially for the (main) teen-aged girl. What surprised me was how suspenseful this movie was. I anticipated a crime drama, but with the suspense level in this movie, it borders on thriller. You know, the kind where you aren't entirely sure the "bad guy" isn't going to get away with what s/he did. (I don't normally watch thrillers, so it will probably be tame to most of you.) The ways in which the characters deal with the issues - and the ways in which they don't - are believable and make for an interesting story. It was not hard to believe that they responded in the ways they did, which was refreshing, and kept the story moving. Never a dull moment in this one!

TELL ME NO LIES, in opinion, is a good Kelly Rutherford drama that's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. There were only two people I couldn't stand, and those were the Bates men (Jesse Moss and Eric Keenleyside). There are several reasons I said that. One reason was because of their attitudes towards Samantha. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that the performances were spectacular, the production design was good, the writing was sharp, and the direction was strong. Now, in conclusion, if you liked Kelly Rutherford on "MELROSE PLACE," you'll really love her in this good drama that's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I generally liked "Tell Me No Lies" and I noticed through seeing the movie on the second occasion that when Jesse Haddock (Derek Russell) was forced off the road that he was driving a Camaro and later on in the movie when the police investigated the accident they improvised Derek's Camaro for a Firebird.I actually contacted Front Street Pictures and received no reply to me e-mail. Other than that I liked the movie and I think Kirsten Prout and Kelly Rutherford are great actresses and wish them well.Kirsten Prout was better in Elektra and I feel that she would be great in a sequel to Elektra along with Jennifer Garner and Terrance Stamp.