Accused at 17 (2009)

A teenager is accused of murdering a classmate and claims that she was framed by her best friend. Her mother must try to find the truth.

Director:

Doug Campbell

Writers:

Ken Sanders (story), Christine Conradt

Stars:

Cynthia Gibb, Nicole Gale Anderson, Janet Montgomery

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cynthia Gibb	...	Jacqui Madler
Nicole Gale Anderson	...	Bianca Madler
Janet Montgomery	...	Fallyn Werner
Stella Maeve	...	Sarah Patterson
William R. Moses	...	Michael Werner
Barbara Niven	...	Claire Werner
Linden Ashby	...	Detective Reeder
Jason Brooks	...	Trevor Lautten
Lindsay Taylor	...	Dory Holland
Reiley McClendon	...	Chad Voyt
William Stanford Davis	...	Detective Gilson
Shirley Jordan	...	Ellen Walterson
Timi Prulhiere	...	Rita Patterson
Mark S. Porro	...	Clinton Thane Esq. (as Mark Porro)
Jon Mack	...	News Reporter

Storyline

An innocent teenage prank plunges three high school girls into a world of chaos after the target of their torment turns up dead, and the police seek the evidence needed to charge them with murder. Bianca is furious. Her boyfriend has been going out with Dory behind her back, and now it's time to make the other girl pay. With the help of her best friends Fallyn and Sarah, Bianca lures Dory far from home, and abandons her in the middle of nowhere. Soon thereafter, the local police discover Dory's body on the outskirts of town, and race to catch her killer. When the time comes for someone to take the fall, growing tensions between the three girls lead to a cover-up that quickly turns deadly.

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Plot Keywords:

bikini | number in title | 

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Taglines:

Accused of murder...and only her mother can save her!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Accused at Seventeen

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Act Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot under the title "Dark Side of Nowhere."

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Goofs

When Dory is in the back of Sarah's car on the way to the "frat party" you see her remove her hair barrette from the right side of her hair and place it on the back seat. Then when they reach their destination she is again wearing the barrette in her hair. Later, Sarah approaches Fallyn at school with the same barrette wrapped in a tissue and tells her that she found it in the back of her car.

User Reviews

Worth repeated viewings

Ah, the teenage years. I do not miss them. "Accused at 17" largely focuses on how out of control a teenage prank can become and emphasizes this point by death as the result. The most concerning note is that something like this could occur in real life.

It is not so uncommon that different individuals involved with the scheme go on to take attitudes in different directions as the plot thickens and intensifies. I love the semi-sarcastic yet smooth way in which the detective says, "Get what's coming to you? Call me crazy, sounds like a threat" and could view this scene over and over again. It is not the best line of the movie however because later the villain's father responds to antagonism from his evil wife by saying, "I know what they call women like you." That was classic.

Considering that Columbo was absent from the situation, the accused's mother did a fine job of sleuthing to expose the truth. Although far removed from teenage years, I would want that feisty character on my side if ever in similar trouble.

"Accused at 17" succeeds in interpreting teen angst in a justifiably and appropriately serious way, with important lessons to be applied.