MARGARET

     ANNA PAQUIN  J. SMITH-CAMERON  JEANNIE BERLIN  MARK RUFFALO 
     JEAN RENO  MATT DAMON  MATTHEW BRODERICK

LISA (PAQUIN) IS SHOPPING FOR A COWBOY HAT WHEN SHE SEES A TRANSIT BUS DRIVER (RUFFALO) WEARING ONE.  IN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE HE GOT THE HAT, LISA DISTRACTS HIM WHILE DRIVING, HE RUNS A RED LIGHT AND CRASHES INTO A WOMAN AND KILLS HER.  IN THE AFTERMATH OF TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE ACCIDENT, LISA TRIES TO GET HELP FROM HER MOTHER (CAMERON), HER MOTHER'S NEW BOYFRIEND (RENO), TWO OF HER TEACHERS (DAMON AND BRODERICK) AND FINALLY THE VICTIM'S BEST FRIEND EMILY (BERLIN.)
THERE IS ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS THE MOVIE: THE ACTING.  PAQUIN, CAMERON AND BERLIN ARE AMAZING IN THEIR ROLES.  THE REST OF THE MOVIE IS CRAP.
FIRST, WE HAVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DEBATING COMPLEX SUBJECTS AND SOUNDING LIKE PHD'S.  THIS WASN'T BELIEVABLE, AND IT SEEMED TO ME IT WAS ONLY THE WRITER SHOWING OFF HIS ABILITY TO WRITE GOOD DIALOGUE.  THAT'S OKAY, BUT THAT DIALOGUE HAS TO BE PUT IN A MOUTH WHERE IT'S TRUTHFUL TO BE HEARD, OTHERWISE IT'S JUST IRRITATING.  HERE, IT WAS EXTREMELY IRRITATING.
SECOND, BELIEVABLE TEACHERS.  THE TWO TEACHER CHARACTERS HERE ALLOW THINGS TO HAPPEN THAT NO TEACHER WOULD ALLOW, AND IN FACT IF I WERE TEACHING I WOULD BE INSULTED BY THE ACTIONS OF THESE TEACHERS.
THIRD, EDITING.  THERE ARE SCENES THAT GO ON WAY TOO LONG, THERE ARE OTHER SCENES THAT JUST END FOR NO REASON AND STILL OTHER SCENES THAT ARE THERE ONLY AS FILLER AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MAIN STORY OR ANY OTHER PART OF THIS MOVIE. 
FOURTH, IN GENERAL IF THE STORY HAD BEEN KEPT TO THE MAIN IDEA OF THE ACCIDENT AND ITS AFTERMATH, THE MOVIE WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD, BUT INSTEAD WE HAVE ALL THESE SIDE STORIES THAT GET IN THE WAY AND ADD NOTHING TO THE MAIN STORY.
AVOID THIS MOVIE, UNLESS YOU LIKE HAVING THE FEEL OF YOUR SKIN BEING SLOWLY GRATED OFF.
RATING  1.5 out of 5