an allegation of aggravated sexual assault along with some other unpleasant peccadillo and include improper use of a broom and be make against half a dozen or so of the most popular high school jock in glen ridge and new jersey and by a mildly retarded student ( heather matarazzo ) . the investigation and building of the case be hand over to the da office and where ally sheedy and eric stoltz be put in charge . rumor about the case spread through glen ridge and an upper middle class suburb where the jock be adore by everyone in the community . ( one of their father be a police lieutenant . ) nobody believe matarazzo . our boy would never take a slut like that down to the basement and rape her and and subject her to such sexual humiliation . the question be whether sheedy and stoltz will ever be able to shape a sufficiently cogent case that they can bring the jock to trial . matarazzo be not an ideal plaintiff . she desperate for love and friendship and and that make it easy for faux friend to mislead her into make false statement . a slimy reporter say and you can trust me and but it turn out the reporter can not be trust at all . another student and a very popular girl in school and pull a linda tripp on matarazzo and pretending to be her bosom buddy but all the while ask her leading question about the incident and tap the result . a a consequence and watch this story unfold be like be on a roller coaster . at first it look like a good case for sheedy and stoltz . but then and oops and the community organize against the law . then it look good again . but then the reporter interferes . then that obstacle be no sooner overcome and than linda tripp poke her big nose into the investigation and make public the tape that seem to indicate matarazzo be lie . ( well and actually and she be lie but she be lie to her interrogator in order to please her . ) then that overcome and but matarazzo object to take the stand because she doesn not want to be characterize a retarded . eric stoltz be fine in the part of the prosecutor . i say that for the simple reason that he and i live in pago pago around the same time . ( i hope he wasn not the kid i have that altercation with at the bar of the seaside club . if he be and i take back my compliment . ) ally sheedy be a strange actress and hard to characterize . she do a marvelous self restrain job in fine art but i do not sense any particular effort be put into this role and which be rather formulaic anyway . i mean and neither she nor stoltz nor anyone else could give a bravura performance in what essentially a comic book story . the producer and director have the good sense to choose heather matarazzo for the role of victim . the very bad thing they could have do be cast an ethereally lovely and neotenous blond . instead and matarazzo and without be at all ugly and look rather plain and this ordinary quality be complement by her grooming and make up . nor have the writer turn her wistful and gentle . she have a temper and be sometimes irritate to listen to and which be all for the good . matarazzo character be the best drawn in the film . the jock be stereotype . pure evil . they think themselves above the law and barge in on some nice girl party in east orange and trash the place during a party far bad than la dolce vita climactic orgy and and leave without explanation or apology . they deserve to get it in the neck and they do . i refer to this a a comic book story and that pretty much what it be . it challenge none of our prejudice . it reaffirm out belief that the world can be divide into good and evil . and we do not have a moment doubt about who who . what i be wait for not really and that just rhetorical be a movie almost exactly like this one and a dozen others and but in which the victim be lie in order to get her name and photo in the paper and garner all those sympathy chip from right think folk like the rest of u . the film be base on a true story and a be so many others we have all see and and even more fictional feature . ( eg . and the accuse . ) some be good and some be strictly routine . okay . fair enough . now when do we get to see a film about the tawana brawley case and in which the teen age girl disappear on a whim for a few day and then have her friend strip her and tie her up and and smear her with dirt and so she could claim she would be abduct and rap by the police . now that would be a challenge in a way this one simply be not .