• American Violet (2009)

    After an overzealous district attorney's drug bust lands her in jail, single mother Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie) must face an agonizing choice: Plead guilty and go home a convicted felon, or fight the charges and risk a lengthy prison sentence. Despite her mother's (Alfre Woodard) advice and risking everything, innocent Dee chooses to fight the Texas criminal justice system, joined by an ACLU attorney (Tim Blake Nelson) and a former narcotics cop (Will Patton).

    Amazon.comiTunes StoreXFINITYYouTubeWatch Online
American Violet
56
metacriticBased on 18 Critics
83
Based on 4 Users

Release Date: April 17th, 2009

DVD Release Date: October 13th, 2009

PG-13 |1 hr 42 min

Plot Summary

After an overzealous district attorney's drug bust lands her in jail, single mother Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie) must face an agonizing choice: Plead guilty and go home a convicted felon, or fight the charges and risk a lengthy prison sentence. Despite her mother's (Alfre Woodard) advice and risking everything, innocent Dee chooses to fight the Texas criminal justice system, joined by an ACLU attorney (Tim Blake Nelson) and a former narcotics cop (Will Patton).

Cast: Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard, Tim Blake Nelson, Michael O'Keefe, Xzibit , Charles S. Dutton, Malcolm Barrett

Director: Tim Disney

Genres: Drama

Production Co: Uncommon Productions LLC

Keywords: Emotional , Pursuit , 2000s , Mother , Inspiring , Sacrifice , Prison , Underdog , Police officer ,

More on Wikipedia

Watch Online

Cast & Crew

view all

Ratings & Reviews

  • 75
    Steven ReaPhiladelphia Inquirer

    A torn-from-the-headlines tale of institutional racism and injustice in the Lone Star State of not-so-long-ago, American Violet might not be subtle, but it's certainly powerful. show more

  • 50
    Joe MorgensternWall Street Journal

    Earnest, mostly predictable and candidly didactic. That said, I'm glad it got made -- what's wrong with films that teach? -- and especially glad that a remarkably gifted newcomer named Nicole Beharie got to play the central role. show more

  • 40
    The Hollywood Reporter

    Wears its righteous indignation and good intentions on its sleeve but its simplistic, heavy handed treatment of a complex issue gives it the weight of a contrived movie of the week melodrama. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com