Trailer for “Conviction” Has Hillary Swank Chasing Oscar Again

"Conviction" stars Hillary Swank as Betty Anne Waters, a real-life Massachusetts woman who passed her GED, got a BA and went to law school all in an effort to get her brother's murder conviction overturned. The new trailer reeks of Oscar bait.

The story is as feel-good as one could hope for, and the cast -- which also includes Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver and Juliette Lewis -- is fantastic. But the trailer, which invites you to "experience the extraordinary journey about how far we go to fight for our family," is gag-inducing.

This film had been called "Betty Anne Waters" for most of its production, but someone apparently decided that changing the title to something completely generic was the way to go. Maybe they were worried about adding fuel to the "Erin Brockovich" comparisons.

The film is directed by film and TV actor Tony Goldwyn (you probably don't recognize the name but you've seen him in about three dozen things) from a script by Pamela Gray ("Music of the Heart," which starred Meryl Streep and was directed by Wes Craven?). It goes into limited release Oct. 15.

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