Lifetime Movies

Anne Heche Lives a Mom's Worst Nightmare in "Girl Fight"

Posted on September 28, 2011 - 05:25:50 by

As we approach the month of October and head into Bullying Prevention Month, Lifetime Television is debuting a must see movie for tweens, teens and parents that serves as a wake up call to anyone who thinks girls aren't capable of violence. In "Girl Fight," which premieres October 3 at 9/8c, Anne Heche stars with her real life husband Jame Tupper as the mother of Hailey, a straight A student who has managed to skip a grade and is now in her senior year, sandwiched in classes with mean girls who don't give her the time of day.

When we first meet Hailey she's in the school cafeteria trying to enjoy lunch with her friend as a group of girls are hovered around them watching a "girl fight" on their mobile phones. The girls are obsessed with producing their own video that'll go viral and garner millions of hits and are constantly filming one another doing inappropriate things. At first, Hailey thinks the girls are just rude and writes about them on her friend's Facebook wall - never suspecting they'll read her hurtful comments. But when the groups' ring leader Alexa takes her under her wing, Hailey's sweet deameanor instantly changes and she begins to distance herself from her family. Jealousy soon ensues between Hailey and her new set of friends. The girls become annoyed that Alexa has begun choosing Hailey over them and before long, they uncover that Hailey has betrayed all of them with her online comments about them.

The girls then lure Hailey to Alexa's home and savagely beat her, videotaping the entire incident along the way. When Hailey is barely able to walk or see, they drive her to a parking lot and leave her there. After suffering severe injuries, Hailey's mom Melissa (played by Anne Heche) is determined to make the girls pay - even if it means that they may spend their lives behind bars for their actions.

The sobering fact about "Girl Fight" is that it's based on the real life story of Victoria Lindsay, a Florida cheerleader who was beaten by her friends and the video was shared on YouTube, receiving millions of views. In the film, Anne Heche truly lives every mom's worst nightmare as she races to the hospital and sees her daughter injured both physically and mentally from this horrific experience. As a parent of a tween, it's frightening to see how cruel girls can be to one another but more importantly, it's also hard to see how a family that has been so close can be torn apart by such incredibly mean girls.

If you have a child who is in high school or a middle schooler who is texting or about to join Facebook, then you should sit down together and watch "Girl Fight." The film offers a sobering account of what is going on today among young girls and if it doesn't frighten you, I don't know what will.

More importantly, once you do watch the movie, you should have a heart to heart with your child. While they may not be doing inappropriate things online, it's never a bad thing to teach them about the importance of respecting others. While you think you may be exchanging comments with your friend about people you don't like, if you post it on your wall, it's out there for all the world to see. Words can be just as dangerous as fists and in "Girl Fight," we learn that the effects of this behavior can literally destroy lives.

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