A high school football player is accused of the statutory rape of his 16-year-old girlfriend in this made-for-MTV movie. TV's Matt Frewer stars. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
The cruelty of the law has been better demonstrated with news stories, and unless you're a Californian with two strikes against you, I don't know why you'd want to do this movie to yourself.
It's really not much fun watching the non drama of our hero Randy (Michael Pitt) staring at the walls and keeping the hands of the more brutish Jake from clawing up his skirt.
Not since Tom Arnold was employed as another horny criminal, one who tried awfully hard to sexually abuse Edward Furlong in 2000's "Animal Factory," has a penitentiary movie been so undone by a charisma-less performance.
In the final analysis it all feels very much like a successful acting exercise that while psychologically acute, doesn't really bring much more to the table than what we've already gleaned from a few episodes of Oz.
Jailbait argues that prison is an unpleasant place to spend time, but didn't Oz already destroy any remaining romantic notions about life behind bars years ago?
A very gripping, thought provoking film, no easy feat since it mainly only has two actors in it and most of the movie takes place in one room! Of course it helps that one of the actors is Michael Pitt - honestly I am yet to see him put in a bad performance in a movie. He is fantastic in this one as Randy, a teenager
sentanced to 25 years in prison for a minor offence, playing the character with such vulnerability and honesty that you really feel for him. The part at the end where his cellmate gives him the speech about why he is his friend (not wanting to say too much and spoil it for anyone) is really horrifying because this guy is pretty much a monster, but there is actually truth in what he says as well. I found myself thinking about this one long after I had watched it and feeling very unsettled by it. Excellent and highly recommended.
Stephen Adly Guirgis is pretty good in this film, but Michael Pitt is outstanding. His performance is unnerving in its realism and contains a rare amount of blatant honesty - one of the most transfixing pieces of acting from the year 2004. The script, although interesting in a strange way, is peppered with its share of
flaws. The character dynamics are unique but they are also muddled at times. Overall I enjoyed the film, mostly for Michael Pitt's excellent work.
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