I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Strong and Moving!

An Exercise In Nonsense

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I'm writing this review because so many reviewers (and the IMDb synopsis) seem to think the Jennifer character is some kind of ghost, when it's made very clear she is a construct within Grace's psyche: perhaps her 'guilt', perhaps her 'conscience'. There are references to FIGHT CLUB, both verbal and visual, which had a similar but very Freudian theme (the Id fighting to emerge) and while it's understandable people would believe 'Jennifer' to be a good old fashioned movie-style ghost, that character most certainly is not. She is a part of Grace's fractured psyche trying to inform or guide; as such she appears to be Jennifer, but actually isn't: she is an image Grace's psyche is using in a sort of metaphorical way to represent a value within Grace herself. This is a really high-minded concept to use in a, basically, supposedly mundane Lifetime movie about the dangers of teen drinking and driving! I was shocked. It's like HERMAN'S HEAD or INSIDE OUT, but much more intelligent and corrosive. I admit I watched this movie on Netflix because I knew my teenage daughter had seen it, and I don't see her that much. Teen flicks on Lifetime are not my thing; I would not normally watch this kind of movie; but this is some very intelligent film-making. Thing is, with this kind of psychological theory (mostly Jung), the figures used are just symbolic or metaphorical, and are not the physical figures themselves: they are kind of... 'borrowings'; in this movie's case, the seemingly ghostly 'Jennifer' isn't the (now-dead) physical Jennifer at all, but an image of Grace's friend Grace's mind/psyche is trying to use, un/subconsciously, to comprehend the tragedy. Jennifer in this movie is a part of Grace's personality, not Jennifer. This is a VERY complex idea, like I said, to use in a more-or-less throwaway Lifetime movie! Somebody put a lot of thought into this. It's as if INSIDE OUT used, instead of distinct characters (Joy & Co) to represent Riley's psyche, figures from her physically real life (parents, etc.) were used instead, and functioned on two levels: outer physical life, as themselves; and Riley's inner life, as metaphors. LHIS does this: it uses a physically existing person (even if now dead) to represent a part of Grace's psyche. This is complex stuff and it can get very confusing. I'm very surprised someone used it in any movie; I think that maybe it got done because of the Lifetime sponsorship: if it was a big-budget production, I seriously doubt anything this confusing would have made it past the first draft. And there is one awesome sight-gag in this very special and very smart film: Grace brawling with Jennifer, having another character catch her at it... and revealing there is no Jennifer: it's just Grace herself, who is, literally, 'wrestling with her conscience'! That scene blew me away; I was open-mouthed at the audacity of it. This movie really sticks in my memory. It's really, really good.

This is a very well made and touching movie. I connected with Grace greatly, and even by the end I still felt sick and depressed just as she must have felt, rather than disliking her for what she did and being glad about the outcome (not to say she wasn't wrong, but still). That means the acting was very good and believable...except for the fact that Grace (and her mom or really anyone else, actually) did not shed any tears at any point, which is very unrealistic. Guess that was too hard for the actors...but it's really not such a big deal. Just saying. While I thus was, initially, very disappointed that the ending did not turn out to be, as I put it, "for the best" or what "should have happened", I realize that that is actually a fact of life and this movie shows harsh reality about what mistakes and carelessness lead to. Clearly you can see that Grace normally wasn't such an irresponsible or risky person, but she made a mistake and indeed paid the consequences. However there are two things I would like to point out in light of some other reviews, based on my opinion (note that the following is particularly where MAJOR spoilers are included, by the way, so only read if you've seen the movie!). First, I'm pretty sure that the "sadness" conveyed in the end is not so much about Grace having to go to prison for the crime she only just realized she committed, but that she caused her friend's death. Note that what actually caused the crash wasn't so much that Grace was too drunk to drive properly (although obviously that didn't help and could have caused a crash regardless), but that she turned around to yell at Jen in a way she really didn't mean and regretted. Think about it. In theory, that accident could have happened to a sober person, who was extremely stressed and distracted, in just the same way. Grace already cried after the confrontation with Pete because she realized she caused the crash. Her later sadness by the lake, which carried through and set the tone of the end the movie, was due loosing Jen, particularly with the last interaction they had in the car. The other thing is that Jen's appearance is not really as a ghost. True, at times I would like to believe that, since it does make a lot more sense at times and is easier to understand. However, if that was true then Jen would have either expressed from the start that it was Grace's fault....and Jen would have been still upset, or at least hurt, that Grace was "cutting ties" between them right before the crash. Yet Jen was acting as if they were still friends...and they were, since Grace didn't really mean what she said in the car and did not hold on to those feelings afterward (in fact she regretted it so much she shut it out of her memory). Furthermore Jen even says to Grace that "I am a manifestation of your guilt". Of course, Jen does act more as a ghost than a hallucination by appearing as more of her own person than something out of Grace's mind. However, it just doesn't match up- the "Jen" that follows Grace around during the search for what happened does not know any more than Grace does, other than the fact that she sees and remembers some of Grace's memories better than Grace. That means that she is like Grace's conscience, in that sense.Anyway, although the movie depressed me and has stuck to my mind for who knows how long, I think it has a good and well made plot, with very valuable lessons, ideas, and messages.

I don't usually watch Lifetime Movies. But for whatever reason I found myself watching this one. It kept drawing me in as I tried to figure out what was going to happen next.The story is completely relatable. So many parts of it are like scenes from my own memory of days gone by. The two girls were very convincing. They reminded me of, me and my best friend, total opposites and of course often bickering like sisters. The two male actors were great too. Naturals in fact! I believed every second, and am pretty sure that I have encountered guys just like them at parties I have been to.The message of this movie is wonderful. It reminded me of an after school special that might have been on when I was younger, but with better acting, better producing, better editing and a way better script.Overall, I have to say, Bravo! I may just have to catch another Lifetime Movie to see what they have in store next!

I tuned into this movie on Saturday evening and hesitated at first....do I really want to watch this? I deal with kids every day as an educator and it looked like just another teen flick at first, but, it soon caught me up in the emotion of a young girl who is facing prison for decisions made in one night of partying, drinking and driving. I dare say we all know at least one person who has been killed by a drunk driver.The actors were real in their characters but a couple do stand out: Malara Walsh as the girl who died and Steven A. Miller as the young man who has turned to alcohol to assuage his guilt. I also enjoyed Kelcie Stranahan as Grace.I hope this movie is viewed by lots of adolescents as a warning of what can happen when decisions are made after drinking and partying.