Case 39-Film Review

I have never been a Renee Zellweger fan that much. Maybe in Empire Records way back when and also Jerry McGuire. But really a lot of actresses could have done her roles and it wouldn't have changed anything. In this film she does nothing that changes my mind about her ability except to say she does an adequate job here. The real star here is little Jodelle Ferland as the "Case 39" that social worker Emily Jenkins (Zellweger) comes across when she is handed another pile of cases over her already substantial workload. This one is interesting because she learns that little Lilith is saying that her parents are trying to kill her. When we meet them the viewer thinks that these are the lowest forms of life on earth but later we learn that they have their reasons for their actions. This movie was put on the shelf for over a year and finally released and my question after seeing what comes out in the theaters why wasn't this given the same treatment? I have heard later that this movie was the unfortunate result of the people who brought the movie together were not in the same position and as a result which happens quite regularly some movies get pushed back and some never get released except to straight to video (almost nothing worse of an example as Trick r Treat, the great horror film from a few years ago which never got the theatrical run it so deserved). Well this one did make it out theatrically for a little while but not for very long. Pretty solid acting and script with Bradley Cooper as Emily's friend/love interest and Ian McShane as Detective Mike Barron as a friend of Emily's round out the cast. But the movie belongs to Ferland, mainly because of one scene with Cooper which is pretty chilling. This girl has talent believe me. Recommended.