Case 39: Movie Review

Case 39: Movie Review

Rating: 4/10
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Kerry O'Malley, Bradley Cooper, Callum Keith Rennie

Director: Christian Alvert.
Well, well, it appears creepy kids are coming back again in Hollywood.
In Case 39, Renee Zellweger's social worker Emily Jenkins is overworked and over caring about all the cases she investigates.
And just when her workload threatens to fully take over her life - both professionally and personally - she's given one more case to look at on top of her 38 case strong workload - the eponymously titled Case 39.
But this case is the straw which breaks Jenkins' back - troubled 10-year old Lilith Sullivan (Ferland, soon to be seen in the Twilight Saga ) whose parents are, in her own words, trying to kill her.
So Jenkins manages to get the girl away from her potentially murderous family - and into her own care - however, that's where the trouble begins - as it appears Lilith's parents may have had justifiable cause for trying to despatch their demonic daughter.
Case 39 is a standard by the numbers kind of horror - there's a few shocks and jolts here and there but all in all, it's a little of a disappointment.
It's no wonder this has been bumped back and forth in the release schedules - and was first talked about back in 2006. Zellweger looks pained throughout - and while she puts in a reasonable performance as Jenkins, she's saddled with a bit of a dog of a script.
The supporting cast are all satisfactory - although it's Jodelle Ferland's performance as troubled ten year old Lilith which stands head and shoulders above the rest - she channels just the right kind of spooky and creepy and somehow manages to out act some of her onscreen co-stars (Bradley Cooper I'm looking at you)
Case 39 is a reminder of why some horror films don't always work - it's a lazy script and while it sets out to be shocking in places (as you may have seen from the sponsored scene put on Facebook of the child being put in the oven), it doesn't manage to scale the heights of what it wants.