In "The Wrong Woman," Ms. Ellen Plainview had to represent herself at trial when she was falsely accused of murder. In this sequel, "Mommy, I Didn't Do It," it is déjà vu all over again! Ms. Plainview must represent her daughter Julie, who has been arrested for first-degree murder of her high school tennis coach/music teacher, Mr. Dutton!
The police have no murder weapon and the flimsiest of evidence to convict a minor of first-degree murder. The lead detective also has an axe to grind against Ms. Plainview because he looked like bumbling fool at her own trial. Ms. Plainview does the best she can in casting doubt on the prosecution's case. She has a former boyfriend, Ben Saverin, who has become a successful mystery writer, drawing upon her own case for one of his stories. Ben provides good moral support to Ms. Plainview.
The film proceeds at a slow pace with very few suspects for the audience to consider. There is the nasty widow Dutton who is one of the key witnesses who has accused Julie of killing her husband. The widow actually sensed correctly that there was some shenanigans between her husband and Julie. There is a strange boy named Steve Guier, who loves Julie so much that he admits that he committed the murder of the tennis coach. The only problem is that Steve has an airtight alibi. Julie even provides exculpatory evidence for young Steve.
The most moving part of the film was Ms. Plainview's closing argument, a sob story in which she addressed the jury more like a mom than an attorney. While tugging at the jury's heartstrings, Ms. Plainview played up the themes of "integrity, strength, and truth" that were characteristics of her daughter.
As the jury is deliberating, it is the quick-thinking Julie who solves the case. Although she was a brat for much of the film, failing to recognize the depth of her hard-working mother's love for her, she comes into her own when examining the evidence and noticing a list of hip-hop songs on a CD burned for Mr. Dutton. Julie knows that he hated hip hop, so it is now only a matter of which one of her friends has those musical tracks to know who killed Mr. Dutton.
The film's theme "like mother, like daughter" is one of belonging to the club of victimhood. It is not surprising that young Julie wants to attend law school and follow in the footsteps of her devoted mom. There is nothing at all plain about Plainview women!
The police have no murder weapon and the flimsiest of evidence to convict a minor of first-degree murder. The lead detective also has an axe to grind against Ms. Plainview because he looked like bumbling fool at her own trial. Ms. Plainview does the best she can in casting doubt on the prosecution's case. She has a former boyfriend, Ben Saverin, who has become a successful mystery writer, drawing upon her own case for one of his stories. Ben provides good moral support to Ms. Plainview.
The film proceeds at a slow pace with very few suspects for the audience to consider. There is the nasty widow Dutton who is one of the key witnesses who has accused Julie of killing her husband. The widow actually sensed correctly that there was some shenanigans between her husband and Julie. There is a strange boy named Steve Guier, who loves Julie so much that he admits that he committed the murder of the tennis coach. The only problem is that Steve has an airtight alibi. Julie even provides exculpatory evidence for young Steve.
The most moving part of the film was Ms. Plainview's closing argument, a sob story in which she addressed the jury more like a mom than an attorney. While tugging at the jury's heartstrings, Ms. Plainview played up the themes of "integrity, strength, and truth" that were characteristics of her daughter.
As the jury is deliberating, it is the quick-thinking Julie who solves the case. Although she was a brat for much of the film, failing to recognize the depth of her hard-working mother's love for her, she comes into her own when examining the evidence and noticing a list of hip-hop songs on a CD burned for Mr. Dutton. Julie knows that he hated hip hop, so it is now only a matter of which one of her friends has those musical tracks to know who killed Mr. Dutton.
The film's theme "like mother, like daughter" is one of belonging to the club of victimhood. It is not surprising that young Julie wants to attend law school and follow in the footsteps of her devoted mom. There is nothing at all plain about Plainview women!