Such a frustrating disappointment

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I was really looking forward to watching this movie. However once I did, I was severely disappointed. The movie deviated from the book far too much. It held some resemblance to the book, but not enough for my liking. There were a lot of crucial moments and character interactions that were pivotal to the storyline left out. Too many changes were made to the storyline which took it down a completely different path. I can't believe Jodi Picoult actually signed off on this. I believe a lot more could have been done with this movie to make it better. They got the basic storyline/plot right, but there were far too many changes that stole away from the book that could have made the movie so much more interesting and true to the story as it was written. I am yet to see the other two movies made from a Jodi Picoult novel, I just hope that they are not as disappointing as this one was.

This film was shot on location in my town of Fergus, Ontario. I must say, it makes me so proud to live here. It is amazing seeing your town from an artistic perspective. Pretty here!The film itself was not too bad. I wish that a few things were explained a little better...too many unanswered questions. I think that I will pick up the book because it will probably be more enjoyable. The story itself was intriguing but I thought that a little more character development would have improved the film. Because we did not know enough about the characters it was hard to invest any emotion in them or care about what happens to them.Could have been really good but fell a little short.

Ex-history teacher and soccer coach James Van Der Beek (as Jack McBraddon) heads for "Salem Falls" on his way to begin a new life in California. Out to put a dark secret behind him, Mr. Van Der Beek almost kills the alcoholic father of attractive local Sarah Carter (as Addie Peabody) in an accident; the older man's on a binge and driving his lawnmower recklessly. Grateful Peter MacNeill (as Roy) is unharmed, Ms. Carter invites Van Der Beek to stay in town and gives him a job at her "Do-or-Diner"...Romance between Van Der Beek and Carter develops, but that dark secret from his past surfaces. Also, troubled teen Wiccan practitioner Amanda Michalka (as Gillian Duncan) wants to seduce Van Der Beek. She and her girlfriends are who we see in the opening. Missing in some cast lists are dad Rick Roberts (as Amos) and James Thomas (as Jordan McAfee). This "Lifetime" TV-movie is engaging, but loses points by not adequately explaining how a certain character's semen came to be identified.***** Salem Falls (11/19/11) Bradley Walsh ~ James Van Der Beek, Sarah Carter, Amanda Michalka, Peter MacNeill

I was channel surfing this week and found this little gem! Good little mystery with good casting, locations and lots of twists and turns. An interesting look at what happens to someone once you're labeled. Some of it was pretty predictable- beautiful diner owner, evil head of the town, self-absorbed teenagers. It did have lots of twists and turns to keep me interested through the rest of the movie. It also asks how much would you give up if wrongly convicted? I sure didn't see the last big twist coming, that's a whopper! Don't miss the last 10 minutes, as a major secret will be revealed! You'll kick yourself if you do, if you ever find out what it is...