Girl Fight

Produced by celebrity defense attorney Gloria Allred, director Stephen Gyllenhaal's true-story-inspired Lifetime original TV movie takes on teen bullying in the Internet era. Real-life couple Anne Heche and James Tupper play Melissa and Ray Macklin, parents of insecure, high-achieving 16-year-old Haley (Jodelle Ferland). Kids make fun of Haley for knowing all the answers, but she just wants to fit in. After offering to help mean girl Alexa (Tess Atkins) with her class work, Haley ends up at a party where the alcohol flows freely. Soon, Haley starts to hang out with Alexa's crowd (who like to post videos online), disobeying her parents and abandoning her less popular friend (Chanelle Peloso), but while Alexa accepts Haley, her so-called posse is less open-minded. When Alexa's friends find critical comments that Haley left about them on a social networking site, they lure her to Alexa's house, beat her up, record the altercation on camera, and instruct her not to tell, but she does—which eventually leads to their arrest. Unfortunately, the attention just emboldens them. For Haley, the road to resolution is far from smooth, as she initially resists testifying and the media turns the situation into a circus. While the psychological complexity here is not very deep, this cautionary tale is effectively told. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)