The Tenth Circle (2008)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

disgusting, overrated, pointless

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

What are viewers expected to feel while watching this movie? Glad that the girl who falsely accused a boy of raping her and drove him to suicide got to live? Didn't feel it.Glad that there "must be" a tenth circle of hell for her to go to after hurting her family by lying to them and then going back to life? Glad that there's that circle of hell for her after she drove her beloved boyfriend to suicide based on lies and manipulation? Glad that the boyfriend died after he was "punished" for dumping that prize of a girlfriend Trixi? (nice name for someone so tricky and manipulative BTW)Sorry for the wife because she has a boring marriage and a house husband? Glad for her that she is breaking school rules by sleeping with her drug dealing student to make herself feel better about said boring marriage? Glad that she covered up for her daughters lies? Glad for her that her pesky daughter is out of her hair while she's doing what she wants?Glad that they can all go back to biding their time on earth before arriving at the tenth circle of theirs?I didn't feel any of that. I was waiting for them all to be hit by a bus while the boyfriend and school full of kids stood laughing at them. Films like this make it hard for real victims of rape to be believed. It also provides teasing fodder for other students at schools where these rapes happen.

Not as gripping as it could have been but the essence of Jodi Picoult's story is intact. An interesting aspect of the novel was the graphic novel intersecting each chapter, which explores the father's psyche. His conflicted feelings for wife and daughter are revealed vicariously through his illustrations and story-telling. His wife's obsession with Dante's Inferno, the class she teaches at university, becomes his obsession, too, since he explores the same theme through his comic book characters. Had this been a big budget film with animation telling this aspect of the story, it would have been visually intriguing! The father's sensitivity and artistic bent is an essential part of the central conflict and does not come across convincingly in this TV movie. On a superficial level, this film tells a story of a family in trauma, but the actors are not compelling enough to ring true. Any husband and wife who have struggled with raising a teenage child will probably agree this is a weak portrayal...but a young audience might identify with the teen angst of Trixie, the troubled young victim.

OK Im not really that good with being smart and all that. So this comment probably won't help you one bit!!! But I love the book. I saw the movie and I loved it! And thats how I found about the book in the first place. I just started reading the book and Im sorry if Im repeating myself. But I love both the book and the movie. When I get done reading the book then I'll put away better comment. But I just was trying to get a point out. I think both of them are wonderful. Now I just have to babble because this isn't long enough. But for whoever reads this....Please tell me the difference between the book and movie...But please don't spoil the ending!!!!

Though the movie was better than most of the films produced by lifetime, I don't believe it did the original novel by Jodi Picoult justice. The entire ending of the book is left out and discarded arguably that's where the turning point is when Trixie comes to terms with what has happened to her. Also, more emphasis as the father as a comic book author is included in the book, which adds a more dynamic element to the book, is noticeably absent from the movie. However, a great performance by Jamie Johnston (known best from his role as "Peter" in the teen Degrassi) makes up for plot flaws. The movie kept my attention, and had it not been associated with "The Tenth Circle," I believe it would of been perceived better as a movie. Audiences put high expectations on movies based on books, and this one didn't live up to the standards most Picoult readers expected.