Another day, another prestige trailer to make us wish it was fall. Though, truth be told, Conviction ranks well behind Somewhere and Never Let Me Go on our list of must-see fall Oscar contenders, if only because it’s yet another showcase for Hilary Swank.
Based on a true story, Conviction stars Swank as Betty Ann Waters, a Massachusetts woman who quits her job and goes to law school in an attempt to get her wrongfully convicted brother out of jail (hey, Sam Rockwell!). And that means tin-eared Boston accents! And tears! And dramatic music that sounds ripped out of The Lovely Bones trailer! And, well, we just got tired of seeing this kind of performance from Swank around the time of Amelia.
That said, it’s all perfect Oscar-bait — though if the trailer gave away any more of the movie, it would have shown the closing credits. And any film that tracks Sam Rockwell’s looks from “used car salesman” to “cast member on Oz” can’t be all bad, even one directed by actor-turned-director Tony Goldwyn.
