The movie centers on Dee Roberts, a 24-year-old African-American single mom struggling to clear her name after being wrongly accused and arrested for dealing drugs in an impoverished town in Texas.
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.
East Bay Express
August 18, 2011
Less a social-problem film than a drama of personal courage.
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.
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.
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.
