Girls' Night In: "Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls" Saturday on Lifetime

Guest post by Karla Robey, MadameDeals.com

What do you get when you mix four girlfriends, yummy snacks and Lifetime Television’s newest movie
"Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls"?  A whole lot of fun.  I have been reviewing movies for Lifetime Television for nearly a year and for the most part have viewed the movie at home alone with my dog and a bowl of popcorn.  This time, my friend Amee, of Madame Deals, suggested that we hold a movie night at her house and watch it together.  Always up for a little time away from home I jumped at the opportunity.  Two of our friends, Pat and Gina showed up for the festivities and after stacking our plates with baked brie, berries and chocolate chip cookies and popcorn, we hunkered down to watch "Salem Falls," based on a novel by Jodi Picoult.  I have to admit that I had not really heard of the author nor read any of her books.  (Shame on me).  Two of the group had actually read the book, the other two of us had not, which made for quite interesting viewing.  The two of us who had not read the book paid close attention trying to figure out what was going to happen next, asking questions of the other two viewers.  Of course, not wanting to spoil the surprise, they remained silent, not sharing the outcome.  In the end, I am glad that they chose not to tell.  And, as a result, I intend on getting the book as well as other Jodi Picoult novels and read as much as I can over the upcoming holidays. 

"Salem Falls" is a dramatic movie that involves love, small town politics, betrayal and a little bit of witch craft and stars James Van Der Beek as Jack McBride and Sarah Carter as Addie Peabody, local diner owner and daughter to the town drunk.  As the movie begins Jack McBride arrives in Salem Falls as a result of a car accident.  As luck would have it, Jack is offered a job at the local diner by its owner, Addie Peabody whose father caused the car wreck by driving his lawn mower while intoxicated down the middle of the road.  Jack, who claimins that he is a teacher on his way to California, accepts the job as a temporary means to make a little money while he waits for his car to be fixed.  While working at the diner Jack discovers that Addie struggles with the death of her young daughter three years prior.  As the story unfolds, Jack decides to stay in Salem Falls and is forced to register with the local police department as a registered sex offender.  Sharing his story with Addie and her father they are soon convinced that he is innocent and stand by his decision to stay in town.

In the picturesque  small town of Salem Falls, three young high school girls dabble in the art of witchcraft and cast a spell on their “ring leader” Gillian Duncan (AJ Michalka) who has set her heart on Jack going out of her way to make him notice her.  Declining her advances, Gillian is forced to find an even bigger spell to cast and as a result, accusations fly and Jack finds himself behind bars once again.  Forced to fight for the love she has for Jack and vowing to prove his innocence, Addie takes charge and quickly begins to reveal secrets from her past that will affect the outcome of Jack’s dilemma.

Lifetime has done an awesome job with this movie.  My friend Gina who viewed this movie with me stated that she will never watch a movie based on a book without reading the book first.  Having not read the book, I feared that I would be at a disadvantage not knowing the characters and their stories.  As the movie came to a close, I found myself pleasantly surprised that not only was I able to follow the story line but that some of my guesses on the “who’s who” of the plot were correct.

This movie was a great choice for a girl’s night out for me and my friends.  Grateful for the opportunity to watch a quality movie with a couple fun girls I would suggest a movie night at your house.  Grab a few friends, some yummy snacks, an ice cold beverage of choice and enjoy "Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls" on Lifetime, Saturday, November 19 at 8:00 p.m.