evening1 I wasn't surprised to see that Rob Lowe soars here as prosecutor Jeff Ashton, who went head-to-head with Jose Baez in the notorious 2012 trial of Casey Anthony.This film portrays the Florida single mother as a manipulative liar who concocted her defense out of whole cloth, accusing her white-haired father -- seated in court every day -- of sexually abusing her as a child.Lowe is a very attractive man, but that doesn't detract from his believability as a state's attorney eager to win justice for a 3-year-old whom he said was killed because Casey wanted to party.Also excellent in this film is Oscar Nunez as Baez -- initially believed to lack the experience to argue a death-penalty case -- and Kevin Dunn as Casey's father, George. The older man comes across as a simple and sincere soul who tried to do right by testifying for the state.Ms. Anthony was eventually acquitted of killing her only child in a verdict that stunned many.Viewing this, I was struck by the inequality of burdens in this country between the prosecution and the defense. The state can't even bring a case unless it has enough evidence to justify a conviction. The defense can tell any story it likes, without having to prove a word of it. This is part of what makes America great. We trust that jurors will be reasonable and responsible. In this case, three words echo in one's mind -- Alas, poor Cayley!

aesgaard41 First off, I agree with everyone that we did not need to see a movie about the most hated and despicable woman of the Twentieth Century, but with the film more focused on Rob Lowe and the prosecution, it becomes much more easier to see how a trained attorney with such an easy case could lose to a shifty lawyer over a morally-deficient and completely repugnant waste of human life. No one in the world is stupid enough to believe that Caycee Anthony's father covered up what was being passed off as an alleged poolside accident. Anthony herself had a long history of lies, deception and immoral issues; all you needed was to psychoanalyze her and bring twelve to fifteen character witnesses of her record of behavior to prove she very likely killed her daughter. To say she was incapable of murder is like saying Jack The Ripper was just a little girl crazy or that Lizzie Borden only had daddy-issues. The movie runs a little short at two hours. To get the full impact of the case on the public, it really needs two parts. Rob Lowe plays his character with conviction, and his opponent Oscar Nunez is equally capable depicting Jose Baez as just a bit shady. Instead of trying to get to the truth, he endorses the lie with gusto and attacks those trying to get to the truth. This is the antithesis of a witch-hunt; you can't prove your client innocent so you just attack the state's case, and let's not forget the talented actress who actually "plays" Caycee. I can't imagine any actress even wanting the role, but she's got Caycee's cold vacuous empty stare down perfect. To tell the truth, there's no story or a lot of behind the scenes exposition as there was on a movie like "JFK," the movie is almost a step by step re-enactment of the court transcripts, but then it is a Made-For-TV movie so that kind of exposition would not be included to fit it into a time slot. The movie is worth a watch for a true crime buff or someone with the remotest unfamiliarity of the case, but like everyone else who lived it, no one wants to be reminded that someone got away with murdering their own daughter.

Syl I read Jeff Ashton's book and have seen most of the coverage on television. Sadly, the mixing of Jane Velez-Mitchell and Nancy Grace intertwined into the film here lost it's edge to me. I found the movie to be watchable. Kevin Dunn does a fantastic job as George Anthony. Elizabeth Mitchell is almost perfect as Assistant District Attorney Linda Drane Burdick. Rob Lowe is the star as Jeff Ashton but he doesn't resemble him at all. Oscar Nunez is surprisingly great as Jose Baez. I liked the fact that Casey's participation in the film was low-key. Most of the time it's the prosecution's responsibility to prove Casey killed little Caylee. Unlike the actual court case, we never saw the skeletal remain photos out of respect by the court. Here, I felt it completed the case. The woman who played Cindy Anthony was fine and adequate. We never see Mallory Parker. There was plenty of courtroom drama in the actual case. I was hoping to see the scene where Cindy breaks down while listening to the 911 calls. Of all the moments in the trial, it is something unforgettable and heartbreaking. Ashton's book was pretty sensitive to the Anthonys as a family and here as well. The idea of Cindy being prosecuted for perjury would add insult to injury. Cindy and George loved Caylee, their beloved granddaughter. Her loss is unbearable but they keep moving on. Finally, I would have liked to have seen what happened to those involved. I didn't stay to watch behind the scenes. Still for those of us, less Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell. I followed the case quite closely myself and can never understand how somebody like Casey ended up this way. The film also misses key players like her brother, Lee Anthony; Leonard Padilla; and others involved in the case.

dutchchocolatecake The characters cast in this movie do NOT match the real life personalities whatsoever - not in looks OR demeanor. None of them actually resemble the people I saw on television for the countless hours this case was covered.For example, George Anthony was not a chubby, pathetic little man at the mercy of everyone around him. No, he was a tall, fit, intelligent ex-cop that was often forceful when he took the stand. I don't expect dramatization to be perfect, but come on.This probably deliberate; as this movie is based off of the perspective of Jeff Ashton, the prosecutor of this case. It's interesting that the people who have made money off this case are the ones who do the most to stir public outrage. He admits that is his real goal: "When I'm done, she will be the most hated woman in the country." This tells me he doesn't care about justice for Caylee, he wants to instigate a public lynching. "I'm a believer in Karma," he says, so in the event a vigilante goes after Casey, he can deny deny deny any responsibility in his part of the entire media circus.And that is what I find is most offensive, is Jeff Ashton's attitude toward this case and his own job. It's clear to me that he has no respect for the justice system, the court of law, nor to the jurors who took time out of their personal lives to serve their duty. Apparently his respect for the justice system extends only so far as the outcome results in what HE wants.And who *smiles* at a death penalty trial? Really? I don't care who it is on trial, someone's life is on the line. Surely a death penalty qualified prosecutor would find it in his conscience to appreciate the gravity of the situation, to take it seriously enough to give it the treatment of dignity it requires. He treats his job like a game - in the courtroom, in interviews, and in the movie.I'm not giving this movie a 1 just because I dislike Jeff Aston. I am giving it a 1 because this movie really is poorly done; and it resembles propaganda too much. The point of propaganda is to arouse a specific reaction - and that is what this movie was made to do. It was NOT created to give people a fair or impartial depiction of the events surrounding the death of Caylee Anthony. It was specifically created to pander to the perspective of a man who cared more about making the country hate Casey Anthony than doing his job well and prosecuting a case with professionalism and competency.Common sense would say that if you care about justice, then it wouldn't matter if the entire country hates Casey Anthony. That's just not what happened here, though.