Gimme Shelter

Earnest but ham-fisted, filmmaker Ron Krauss's tale of a pregnant teen who finds familial support in a religiously-affiliated group home plays like an Afterschool Special for the Eternal Word Network. Vanessa Hudgens delivers a committed but uneven performance as Agnes “Apple” Bailey, who flees the apartment of her violent, drug-addict mother (Rosario Dawson) and makes her way to the father (Brendan Fraser) she's never known, a wealthy Wall Street broker. Although surly and abrasive, dad takes her in, much to the distress of his wife (Stephanie Szostak)—a situation that becomes even more tense once they discover that Apple is pregnant. Pressured towards having an abortion, Apple takes off again, winding up in a hospital where kindly Father McCarthy (James Earl Jones) refers her to a private Catholic shelter for unwed mothers and mothers-to-be. Here, Apple warms to the sense of camaraderie and gives birth to her child. Based on a true story, Gimme Shelter's portrait of a disadvantaged young woman who overcomes myriad obstacles to triumph as a person aims to capture a sense of gritty realism, but instead comes across as mawkish and grossly manipulative—more high-minded pro-life lecture than compelling drama. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (13 min.), deleted scenes with optional commentary by writer-director Ronald Krauss (6 min.), trailers, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)