Accused at 17

Movie review by S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Accused at 17 Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 14+

Melodramatic teen tragedy is full of mean-girl drama.

NR 2011 90 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 16+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this Lifetime movie focuses on a mean-spirited prank among teens that leads to an intense, but largely offscreen deadly encounter. There's a good bit of teen and adult drinking and one couple fools around at a rowdy high school party. Expect some mild swearing ("bitch," "crap") and a few intense fight scenes.

Community Reviews

wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
February 8, 2013
age 15+

Too predictable.

This film was not the greatest because the acting was pretty bad and the story was way too predictable. The teen girls seemed very selfish, but I guess realistic in some ways. It's basically about a girl named Dory who steals another girl (Bianca's) boyfriend by sleeping with him at a party. When Bianca finds out, she's upset but her friends are even more upset. They plan to play a prank on Dory to teach her a lesson. They take her out to the middle of nowhere pretending to hook up with cute guys at another party, but after Bianca leaves upset, her friends accidentally kill Dory after knocking her out (the scene was pathetic and unbelievable). The friends eventually tell Bianca what happened and they all must try to act as normal as possible, as if nothing had happened until finally the truth unfolds. Bianca does not have a good relationship with her mother - lots of arguments. The violence isn't too bad but there are death scenes, some bullying, one of girls has an asthma problem and has an attack and dies. Language is your typical teenage name calling. Sexual content has a girl kissing a guy and unbuttoning his pants. A party scene with drinking and a boy mentions he smokes pot. I wouldn't recommend it to kids under 16.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

When Bianca (Nicole Gale Anderson) learns that her boyfriend hooked up with Dory at a party, she and her best friends Fallyn and Sarah concoct a nasty lesson to punish the girl. But the plan shockingly takes an even worse turn, leaving Dory dead, and Bianca is suddenly ACCUSED AT 17, of murder. The three girls have conflicting stories and it's clear that someone isn't telling the truth -– can Bianca's mom (Cynthia Gibb) find out what really happened and save her daughter?

Is It Any Good?

The story here is almost believable, as a plan to teach a teen a lesson results in terrible consequences, and it offers valuable lessons in honesty and how bad choices can lead to even worse choices. But the plot is overly dramatic, the acting is stiff, and the characters are thinly drawn. Bianca's pal Fallyn (Janet Montgomery) in particular is hard to fathom as BFF in one scene, chilling sociopath in another. And Fallyn's mom is a caricature of a spoiled lady-who-lunches, belittling her husband and quick to lie when the stakes are high and her comfortable life is threatened (usually with a stiff drink nearby).

Though the message of this film is important, Accused at 17 is tedious and preachy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about pranks. What do you think about the prank that Bianca and her friends plan? How did the encounter go awry? Is this a realistic story?

  • What do you think about the way the two mothers are portrayed in this film? Which one are you supposed to sympathize with and why? Do these women represent stereotypes?

  • Talk to your teens about high school relationships and the intrigue/drama that goes along with it. Is friendship drama just a part of teen life or can it be avoided? What are some good coping methods when teens encounter unwanted drama?

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