Prosecuting Casey Anthony (2013)

Touches You

Sorry, this movie sucks

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

First off, I agree with everyone that we did not need to see a movie about the most hated and despicable woman of the Twentieth Century, but with the film more focused on Rob Lowe and the prosecution, it becomes much more easier to see how a trained attorney with such an easy case could lose to a shifty lawyer over a morally-deficient and completely repugnant waste of human life. No one in the world is stupid enough to believe that Caycee Anthony's father covered up what was being passed off as an alleged poolside accident. Anthony herself had a long history of lies, deception and immoral issues; all you needed was to psychoanalyze her and bring twelve to fifteen character witnesses of her record of behavior to prove she very likely killed her daughter. To say she was incapable of murder is like saying Jack The Ripper was just a little girl crazy or that Lizzie Borden only had daddy-issues. The movie runs a little short at two hours. To get the full impact of the case on the public, it really needs two parts. Rob Lowe plays his character with conviction, and his opponent Oscar Nunez is equally capable depicting Jose Baez as just a bit shady. Instead of trying to get to the truth, he endorses the lie with gusto and attacks those trying to get to the truth. This is the antithesis of a witch-hunt; you can't prove your client innocent so you just attack the state's case, and let's not forget the talented actress who actually "plays" Caycee. I can't imagine any actress even wanting the role, but she's got Caycee's cold vacuous empty stare down perfect. To tell the truth, there's no story or a lot of behind the scenes exposition as there was on a movie like "JFK," the movie is almost a step by step re-enactment of the court transcripts, but then it is a Made-For-TV movie so that kind of exposition would not be included to fit it into a time slot. The movie is worth a watch for a true crime buff or someone with the remotest unfamiliarity of the case, but like everyone else who lived it, no one wants to be reminded that someone got away with murdering their own daughter.

Rob Lowe looked too young to be playing a prosecuting attorney with 30 years experience stating that this would be his last case.The movie was informative and showed a jury that was very much not in sync with 94% of the population who thought Ms. Anthony was guilty.Note how little screen time was devoted to the Anthony character.Unless the writing went astray, there certainly was controversy regarding the chloroform/ duct taping of the child.Nonetheless, this was a riveting film with Lowe giving one of his best performances in years as a slick prosecutor brought to humility at the jury's verdict.

Prosecuting Casey Anthony (2013) *** (out of 4)State lawyer Jeff Ashton (Rob Lowe) gets himself the Casey Anthony case just as he wanted so that he can turn her into the most hated woman in America but it ends up with her walking free. PROSECUTING CASEY ANTHONY is based on Ashton's book so it's to be expected that the film would show him in a positive light and Anthony in a negative one. For a Lifetime movie this here is certainly above average thanks in large part to Lowe's performance but there's still no question that there are many flaws. As someone who really followed this case, one of the first questions asked in the film is how Anthony walked away being found not guilty. In the film Ashton says he doesn't know and this is a problem with the film because the truth of the matter is that he never proved the case. For the most part the film spends way too much time going over the court case and all the big evidence or lack of evidence if you will. If someone has followed the case then none of this stuff is going to be of much interest because we know the evidence and have probably heard countless talking heads discuss it to death. The film would have been much better had it tried to give us something new including Ashton's state as these events started to unfold. The majority of the film just has him insulting the defense lawyer and this here really goes nowhere. However, as I said, the film remains watchable as a trashy made-for-TV flick but we've also got a very good performance by Lowe. I really thought he was believable as the lawyer and I liked the way the actor managed to perform with his eyes, meaning, we're able to see how he thinks and feels simply by looking into his eyes. The supporting performances are decent at best but the actors had a pretty hard job since most people are so used to their real counterparts. PROSECUTING CASEY ANTHONY certainly isn't a great movie by any stretch of the imagination but it's at least mildly entertaining.

I read Jeff Ashton's book and have seen most of the coverage on television. Sadly, the mixing of Jane Velez-Mitchell and Nancy Grace intertwined into the film here lost it's edge to me. I found the movie to be watchable. Kevin Dunn does a fantastic job as George Anthony. Elizabeth Mitchell is almost perfect as Assistant District Attorney Linda Drane Burdick. Rob Lowe is the star as Jeff Ashton but he doesn't resemble him at all. Oscar Nunez is surprisingly great as Jose Baez. I liked the fact that Casey's participation in the film was low-key. Most of the time it's the prosecution's responsibility to prove Casey killed little Caylee. Unlike the actual court case, we never saw the skeletal remain photos out of respect by the court. Here, I felt it completed the case. The woman who played Cindy Anthony was fine and adequate. We never see Mallory Parker. There was plenty of courtroom drama in the actual case. I was hoping to see the scene where Cindy breaks down while listening to the 911 calls. Of all the moments in the trial, it is something unforgettable and heartbreaking. Ashton's book was pretty sensitive to the Anthonys as a family and here as well. The idea of Cindy being prosecuted for perjury would add insult to injury. Cindy and George loved Caylee, their beloved granddaughter. Her loss is unbearable but they keep moving on. Finally, I would have liked to have seen what happened to those involved. I didn't stay to watch behind the scenes. Still for those of us, less Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell. I followed the case quite closely myself and can never understand how somebody like Casey ended up this way. The film also misses key players like her brother, Lee Anthony; Leonard Padilla; and others involved in the case.