Posted: 12/30/2011

Alleged

(2011)

by Joe Sanders

Available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Image Entertainment

Set against the infamous Scopes monkey trial of the 1920s, in which a school teacher was arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in his class, Alleged tells the story of a young reporter, Charlie (Nathan West; Miracle), who is assigned to cover the trial. Along for the ride, is Charlie’s precocious girlfriend, Rose (Ashley Johnson; What Women Want), and Charlie’s less than reputable editor, H. L. Mencken (Colm Meaney; Star Trek: The Next Generation constantly pushing Charlie towards more controversial writing.

Probably the biggest problem with this film is that it only serves to remind the audience that there is a far better film about the Scopes monkey trial out there: Inherit the Wind. Either the original 1960 version or the 1999 made for TV remake with Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott are fantastic. Alleged alludes to key moments in the trial that Inherit the Wind goes into more detail about; like defense attorney Clarence Darrow (Brian Dennehy; Tommy Boy) being named an honorary Colonel simply because the prosecution, William Jennings Bryan (Fred Dalton Thompson; Law & Order) is already addressed as Colonel by the court. Alleged almost tries too hard to create a story of its own outside of the famous trial narrative.

There are obvious good things about this film. The Darrow and Bryan characters are fantastic, and well-played here by Dennehy and Thompson respectively, but again, this just reminds us that there is an amazing version of Inherit the Wind possible with these great actors, which we will now never see.

Maybe if Nathan West and Ashley Johnson were more suited to carry an entire film on their own, the central idea of Alleged’s shift in point of view might have worked out pretty well. Unfortunately, both characters, and the actors portraying them have their shortcomings. The Charlie character specifically is too inconsistent. He is too quickly tempted by the dark side of journalism; printing lies and controversy to win favor with his editor, and pushing away his girlfriend the whole time. His entire character arc feels very inorganic.

The Rose character on the other hand feels completely believable, if the movie had taken place after the women’s suffrage movement. In a time and place where women are told to sit down and shut up, Rose is incredibly capable and independent; to the point of it being unbelievable. It’s not so much inspiring to the feminist movement as it is a violation of the world we’re set in.

Special features on the DVD include a discussion guide for people who want to use the film in an academic setting.

Joe Sanders is a playwright and college instructor in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has a Master’s degree in playwriting and a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Western Michigan University, where he currently teaches Thought and Writing.

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