Throughout most of the movie, Beth is a character impossible to like because of her short fuse responses bordering on violence when things don't go her way. Her transformation towards the end, when she becomes a Solomonically wise person to benefit her son,, stretches my credibility at least.
The character of Jess irks me in another, more general way. Emma Roberts, besides being a talented actress, is a woman of exceptional beauty and skin complexion. In America, girls with such physical qualities almost never have as their career goal to be lawyers helping the lower strata of society. They either choose more snazzy and lucrative professions or at least try to get a job with major law firms that provide more career exposure, a better pay, and better marriage prospects. But, this is nothing new. One of the reasons movies, even when they deal with serious subjects, lose some of their verisimilitude is the fact that most actors look much better than common people in the street they're supposed to portray.
The character of Jess irks me in another, more general way. Emma Roberts, besides being a talented actress, is a woman of exceptional beauty and skin complexion. In America, girls with such physical qualities almost never have as their career goal to be lawyers helping the lower strata of society. They either choose more snazzy and lucrative professions or at least try to get a job with major law firms that provide more career exposure, a better pay, and better marriage prospects. But, this is nothing new. One of the reasons movies, even when they deal with serious subjects, lose some of their verisimilitude is the fact that most actors look much better than common people in the street they're supposed to portray.