Seduction in a Small Town (1997 TV Movie) User Reviews

Not a work of art, but...

[DennisLittrell · 6/10 · 20 July 1999]

This is a political movie in reaction to the child-abuse hysteria that swept this country during the eighties and early nineties, only this time the good guys are the parents and bad guys are the social workers and the accusers. You don't have to guess who's who when Melissa Gilbert plays the mother, nor when Dennis Weaver plays the grandfather. This is Little House on the Prairie circa 1997 versus Big Brother (as played by the social welfare system). We can depend on TV MOW's to reflect the current PC position, even if they have to make a 180 degree turn from what they were spouting just a few years ago.

Joely Fisher does an excellent job as the evil woman who makes the false accusations and tries to frame the mother out of jealousy. Brian McNamara gives a not-so-strangely Michael Landon- ish portrayal of the father despite the scraggly beard, while Dennis Weaver is something close to wonderful in a bit part as the grandfather. Gilbert, looking solid and healthy, is steady but without finesse in a part big enough for a great actress.

When we see the cop cars and the social welfare people drive up and haul off the family's two children, we know this is about war in American, the family against the larger community. Unfortunately there are few shades of gray in the script: the family is clearly innocent and victimized. Nonetheless, since MOWs always reflect the zeitgeist and of course pander to their audiences, telling them what they want to hear, this movie is clear and welcome evidence that the public has finally seen that the social welfare industry has been given too much power: the crucial point being that it is horribly wrong to allow children to be taken from their parents without due process of law. With this movie it might be said that the tide has turned and the justice system and the public have awaken from their long, self-induced nightmare of hysteria. One hopes so.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

Good TV movie about the all to common problem of false accusations(child-abuse) that upsets so many families and towns. Also Melissa Gilbert shows that she's now a beautiful adult.

[Brian-272 · 5/10 · 22 March 2001]

I remember this 1997 TV movie which aired on ABC and now is commonly shown on Lifetime. It has a very serious message that can mess up so many people. Melissa Gilbert finds her family rocked by child-abuse accusations she discovers that the new town seducer(Joely Fisher) tries not only to destroy her as a mother but wife also as Fisher plots to take away the husband of Gilbert. That develops this movie into an interesting drama but you feel rewarded in the end as Melissa and her family have life to come back to normal. I must mention the best scene of the movie you will see it in the first few minutes is when Melissa undresses from her blouse displaying herself in a silk gray bra. Now Melissa sure has grown into a beautiful adult. Try to catch Seduction in a Small Town on Lifetime they rerun it often you will enjoy it.

This is a great movie, worth watching & re-watching

[dhancock58 · 10/10 · 20 October 2006]

Spoilers: SEDUCTION is a very good movie that illustrates several compelling themes. First and foremost is the effect of bureaucracy in the State's Child Protection Services. The film makes a very accurate portrayal of the inner office politics involved when the bureaucrats have the power to take children away from families, and engage in personal vendettas. Going on things they are told instead of having solid evidence. Another thing is how parents themselves can hurt their own chances of having their children returned to them. It was real interesting to see how Melissa Gilbert as the mother of the children reacted to their being taken from her, and then the Social Worker would use all of Gilbert's remarks made out of hurt and anger against Gilbert to prove in Court that she was mentally disturbed and dangerous. This is so typical of how the system works that it is sad and pathetic. Another thing which was very well played and developed is how someone (Gilbert) who does not participate in a small town's Church Activities can be made look so bad. Because Gilbert was not a Church-goer and was a vegetarian (which made her seem odd or different from everyone else in town) the town's people were willing to toss her off the island so to speak. Perhaps the most interesting issue of the entire movie was how anonymous tipsters can destroy a family. In this case, it was someone who was asking Gilbert and her husband for money and when they turned her down, she starting making claims of child abuse. These were spiteful claims and are very common, and all it took was the investigator with an over-active imagination to decide the the parents are a danger to their kids. Gilbert out of anger rubbed the Child Services Investigator the wrong way, so the lady worked extra-hard to keep Gilbert from getting kids back. SEDUCTION is one of the best and most realistic movies I've seen in a while. The film was very good in the way it showed Gilbert made some dumb mistakes too, like mouthing off to the Social Services Investigator. Even though Gilbert and her family were clearly the victims of this film, SEDUCTION showed how the people around them who were supposed to be good friends and neighbors were willing to support an injustice due to some isolated incidents and a certain feeling that Gilbert was arrogant to the town's other families and the local Church. They were hearing one side of the story and one sided phone calls. Meanwhile, the town's back-stabbing but friendly tramp was everyone's favorite Church member! She sat up the prayer group and was good at organizing, but the towns people really had no idea what she was organizing. SEDUCTION is a very good movie. All of the characters are fleshed out and they each have powerful motives for their actions, and the performances are convincing. When it gets to the end, you'll see it was Well worth watching.

Something awry in America...

[MarieGabrielle · 8/10 · 1 April 2006]

This film shows abuse of the system, spitefulness, mean-spiritedness in America. Yes, not a new topic; as one reviewer mentioned, movies of the week pander to the latest social hysteria. I have not seen the film about the McMartin trials, and have meant to, as this is a similar story. Yet another interesting film along these lines was "Capturing the Friedmans"; recently shown on HBO; they were from my hometown in NY, and that story dominated the headlines in 1988-89.

In this film, Melissa Gilbert portrays the mother,wrongfully accused. Joely Fisher is the instigator- apparently a borderline personality with an agenda of her own; a transient who is estranged from her own abused children. Dennis Weaver is very good as the father-in-law.

Apparently, the social services system has run amuck, and takes away Gilbert's children not once, but twice, based on rumor and innuendo. I would love to hear the true story; and hope Ms. Jenks filed a civil suit against the state. One reviewer above mentioned that social services has acquired too much power, which indeed may be the case. Also, the issue of corruption from within should be addressed, for example DFS in Florida, which stands guilty of many violations. The sad truth is we would probably be appalled at the infractions committed against children.

Perhaps the writer of this film could address these issues as well as "home-schooling"; which in Florida led to foster parents (former convicts) who were abusing and adopting children for profit, then claiming they were "home-schooled". Something is indeed wrong with the system in America.

The state vs. the family

[Knox_King · 9/10 · 26 February 2001]

An excellent portrayal of the disturbing question, Where do you draw the line between the state's interference with the upbringing of your kids and the privacy of your family life? Accusations of childabuse causes the town to investigate and put the children under the care of a foster home, while the parents desperately are trying to get the children back and clear their names. Are these laws that allow the authorities to come and fetch your children any day based on rumours really looking out for the children's best interest? A gripping drama, well played by Melissa Gilbert.

This movie a very good one

[dlmackinney-107-367842 · 10/10 · 2 August 2018]

They should put it in the stores so people can buy it the movie it sad movie

This movie certainly "seduced" me!

[mhaun-1 · 9 November 2004]

Wow, that Laura Ingalls sure has grown up. She's left her little house on the prairie for a slightly bigger house on a prairie. This time she's a loving wife and loving mother to two wonderful kids. It seems she's got it all, until a drifter (the amazing Joely Fisher) rolls into town.

How do we know Joely Fisher is a no-good drifter? Why, she's smoking, of course. All drifters smoke.

Anyway, the drifter has her eye on Laura Ingalls' perfect life. She wants her husband, she wants their house, she wants their money. But hubby's got a thing for Miss Ingalls. He ain't going to stray. Piece of advice? Don't rebuff the advances of a drifter.

Joely gets upset, starts talking smack about Laura Ingalls and her husband. Says she's heard they've been smacking around their kids. Next thing you know, the Child Welfare people are knocking on the door and taking those kids away.

What follows next is about an hour of "Don't take away my babies!" screeching from Laura Ingalls. Does she get her kids back? Do you really care?

Stick around for the surreal ending, though.