FOR MY DAUGHTER'S HONOR\INNOCENT SEDUCTION
BASIC PLOT:
A teenage high school student, Amy Nash, (played by
Nicholle Tom) is seduced by her biology teacher, Pete Nash (played by
Gary Cole).
WHAT WORKS:
*The acting in this is very believable, both
Gary Cole and
Nicholle Tomdo a great job. The potrayal of small town Texas (where the original incident took place) in the 1980's is very accurate. Football is God, women have their place etc. The movie portrays this accurately.
Everyone always blames the women who are sexually violated. Movies that force us to confront this fact, may make us uncomfortable, but it's a good thing. We should never be afraid to confront our own biasis. The fact that a legal precedent was set when the girl sued, should be celebrated.
*Having grown up in the time and place this true story takes place, I can relate. I was never taken advantage of by an older adult, but we as teenagers had our own lives. Helicopter parenting is detrimental to all involved, and the answer here is not to smother your children, but to give them good life skills BEFORE you push them out of the nest. Amy confesses to Coach Nash that all her parents do is fight, and they don't even notice the family unit anymore. He responds by understanding that it's "rough on her," and that "parents get so caught up in their own problems, they don't see the affect it's having on their own kids". HE IS RIGHT. She wouldn't be vulnerable to him, if she had a strong foundation at home. Kids look for stability, if they have good role models at home, they can have more freedom, and still make good choices. Give you kids a soft place to land, a sympathetic, non-judgmental ear, and they will surprise you with good decision making.
*On a personal note: I think it is so sad where we have ended up as a society. Principal Arnet (played by
Tom Virtue) says to a teacher who is expressing concern over Coach Nash's behavior with the girls, that all kids need affection, that's why he had bumper stickers made up that say, 'have you hugged your student today'. How sad we now live in a world where there is NO contact between anybody, and Principal Arnet's sentiment, that sometimes kids need a hug, would have him drawn and quartered. I am in no way condoning his blind eye, but instead understand his yearning to see the good in people. That can blind us to bad behavior, but the opposite, being fearful of everyone, is just as bad.
I had a TERRIBLE childhood, and my teenage years were bad. But I had a teacher in the '80's, Mr. McElvain at Rider High, in WF, TX, who saw that I was in trouble, and wrote me a note telling me I was smart, capable and deserving of love especially from myself. I carried that letter with me for all of my teenage years, and would take it out and read it, especially after I was removed from my parents home. Have we, as a society, really decided that a teacher can't hug a student who needs it, or write a letter to a student encouraging her to better things? I know that letter wouldn't be written today, and that's sad, because it saved my life-literally. We SHOULD NOT as a society, let a few bad apples, rob us of our human compassion, and need for others.
*One of my HUGE pet peeves is bad accents in movies. I have often thought I should have been a dialect coach for Southern accents (I am from Texas). I was expecting to have the accents in this movie grate on my nerves, but aside from a few hiccups, they aren't that bad.
*I love using the band The Mavericks as the soundtrack, it really works.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*I don't know the true ages of the girls involved in the real story, but here to move the plot along, they have 16 year old Kimberly Jones (played by nm074908), Amy's best friend, tell the principal, that Amy and Coach Nash are having an affair. This is highly improbable. Kimberly had been participating in Coach Nash's bad behavior, just not anything sexual. Kimberly got Coach Nash to buy the girls wine coolers, break into the school's library, and take his truck 4 wheelin'. She is complicit in all these goings on, she would not suddenly rat on her friend (and herself), especially for no reason. Teenagers live in a closed society, and usually they don't break ranks, even if they don't like each other. Kids don't rat out other kids for no reason. It doesn't feel genuine, and kicks you out of the movie.
TO RECOMMEND OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IT THE QUESTION: I would recommend this movie. It's tough to watch, but it's done well, and for the most part, it's believable. That is no small feat for a small budget, Made-For-TV movie.
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.
