Director Tony Goldwyn is clearly a fan of The Game, the instructional book on the art of manipulation and seduction penned by professional pick-up artist Neil Strauss. But Goldwyn’s object of desire isn’t women, it’s a golden statuette called Oscar, and he wants him bad. Cue Conviction, an exploitative Hallmark interpretation of a true story that features so much blue-collar “Bawston” charm, so many inspirational speeches and so much gosh-darn moxie that Goldwyn may as well have led the Academy into a dimly lit hotel room and read them a sonnet while gently stroking their cheeks with rose petals. This movie’s clearly got strings, but Goldwyn’s puppet mastery just about makes it work.
When charming ne’er-do-well Kenny Waters (the ever-resplendent Sam Rockwell) is charged with a woman’s murder, the evidence against him seems sorely lacking. But when two of his ex-lovers claim that he admitted to the crime, he’s unable to smooth-talk his way out of a life sentence. His adoring sister Betty-Ann (Hilary Swank) becomes obsessed with proving her brother’s innocence, and so she defies her trailer park roots to earn her GED, bachelor’s degree and finally a law degree so that she can fight the good fight and free her brother. For 18 thankless years, Betty-Ann doggedly perseveres, watching as Kenny transforms from a mischievously cocky brat into a prematurely aged and hopeless lifer.
As Betty-Ann, Swank merely rehashes her endearingly bucolic “Aw shucks, I’m shit outta luck” schtick, but you can’t help but root for her. As she travels the predictably twisted yellow brick road of missing evidence and corrupt cops, she’s joined by a sass-slinging sidekick Minnie Driver, while Juliette Lewis’ scene-stealing junkie gets in the way. Each performance is pitch-perfect, distracting the audience from the fact that this is ultimately Lifetime TV Movie fodder, and seducing them into believing that it really is a triumphant film about the enduring power of family loyalty.
But seduction’s a funny thing – its effects only last so long. Conviction may draw you in, but you’ll later realize that the expert delivery of carefully scripted chat-up lines made you forget you were merely a means to an end. You may enjoy the ride, but you’ll ultimately be left feeling cold, and not a little bit used.