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American Violet

American Violet (2008)

tomatometer

74

Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 57
Fresh: 42 | Rotten: 15

Though its politics are as obvious as its outcome, American Violet is an earnest docudrama about the justice system with a powerful performance from Nicole Behairie.

65

Average Rating: 6.4/10
Critic Reviews: 20
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 7

Though its politics are as obvious as its outcome, American Violet is an earnest docudrama about the justice system with a powerful performance from Nicole Behairie.

audience

72

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 15,947

My Rating

Movie Info

Nicole Beharie, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, and Xzibit headline this fact-based drama about an innocent Texas mother caught up in a high-profile drug raid, and unjustly accused due to the uncorroborated testimony of a single informant. Dee Roberts (Beharie) is a young single mother of four living in a small Texas town. Arrested during a drug raid and accused of a crime she didn't commit, Dee goes against the wishes of her mother, Alma (Alfre Woodard), and rejects the plea-bargain that would

PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.

Drama

Bill Haney

Oct 13, 2009

$0.5M

Samuel Goldwyn Films

Cast

All Critics (57) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (15) | DVD (4)

A well-played if too-familiar story of oppression and injustice.

May 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A conventional but wholly gripping docudrama.

May 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comment
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

American Violet dramatizes Kelly's case, and does so in a way that will leave audiences applauding in their seats -- and wondering how much of the film is true.

May 1, 2009 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Director Tim Disney and screenwriter Bill Haney lay out Dee's story with a minimum of fuss. They are smart enough to realize that the material is compelling all on its own.

May 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | Comment
Christian Science Monitor
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

May 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | Comment
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

April 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Boston Globe | Comment (1)
Boston Globe
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Less a social-problem film than a drama of personal courage.

August 18, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express | Comment
East Bay Express

While it may be about as subtle as a swinging sledgehammer, it does leave its mark.

October 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Seattle Times | Comment
Seattle Times

Raw and heart wrenching, uncovering the sort of discomforting, concealed when not buried history that in an odd trend lately, is more likely to make its way to the big screen than the news headlines.

October 8, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

movie which earns high marks simply for being the first feature film with the guts to take the subject of racial profiling dead seriously.

October 8, 2009 Full Review Source: Sly Fox | Comment
Sly Fox

Nicole. Beharie. Remember the name, for if her stunning lead turn is any indication, huge things are in the future.

August 31, 2009 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment
TheMovieReport.com

[American Violet] is so compelling and intriguing that it's easy for the audience to forget they're being preached to.

August 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Washington Times | Comment

Put on your outrage cap.

July 17, 2009 Comment
Kansas City Star

It does almost everything well, from the direction to the performances. But it does nothing great, dragged down by an uninspired, and oddly uninspiring, script.

July 17, 2009 Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | Comment (1)
Times-Picayune

Newcomer Beharie gives a polished performance that deserves awards consideration.

July 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | Comment

It's not enough for a movie to have a Black cast for it to be good, it must have good writing, engaging stories and impassioned actors. This film has all three.

June 10, 2009 Full Review Source: BET.com | Comment
BET.com

American Violet is an earnest muckraker about the justice system that won't win points for style, but wins plenty for substance.

May 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | Comment
Philadelphia Daily News

Movingly told and packed with powerful subject matter.

April 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | Comment
Austin Chronicle

Thematically, there's a lot to like here, but the execution couldn't be more heavy-handed and two-dimensional.

April 21, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | Comment
Movie Retriever
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for American Violet

It's a story that's been done many times, and it's a bit predictable, but American Violet is a gripping docudrama about the Texas justice system that features powerful and award-worthy performances from the whole cast but I expect nothing but greatness and stardom for Nicole Behairie. (Alfre Woodard is also amazing).

December 29, 2011
Raymond Wieser

Super Reviewer

Really, really good movie. Unreal that this stuff really happened, and still happens. I love a good true story, especially if it has Alfre Woodard in it. I cannot believe that this District Attorney was never fired, AND was re-elected to boot. What a world we live in. sheesh

September 14, 2010
itsjustme2004

Super Reviewer

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