ben ( hoffman ) and jojo ( sarandon ) have lose their daughter in a random act of violence . they have live with them at their house and their daughter fiance joe and ( gyllenhaal ) . the movie show how the family be deal with the griefing and and with each other and a they be wait for the trial for the man who shoot the daughter . the movie appear to be set in the early 70 but and the time period do not really have a great significance to the story . the story be rather depressing and dark and and the event of the movie do not strike me a a very realistic . i think i should have skip this one . spoiler follow i find it difficult to imagine that after the death of his fiance and joe and would continue to live with his fiance parent . there do not seem to be any real reason for it . in fact when another character in the movie ask him why he do live there and he doesn not answer . i be curious myself . joe meet another girl in town and bertie ( pompeo and who look like rene zellweger young sister ) and at first she be funny and and charming and but as soon a they start to fall in love with each other she become dark and depressed . there be a ridiculous scene where the two love bird meet secretly and both look depressed . for most of the movie they be depress when they be together and dispite apprently like one another . in this town joe seem to be the only available man and and have the attention of many other young attractive woman . when bertie ask him why me . there isn not an answer . i be curious myself what the attraction be between the two . the mother jojo and be critical of everyone and doesn not like people that express their sympathy over her loss and and doesn not like people that do not . the father ben and seem anxious to include joe in his business and despite the fact joe be obviously not interested . he even give joe an important job of try to see if the bar where bertie work would be interested in sell . however and joe betrays the trust of the man he be work with and live with and and be engage to the daughter of and and instead just go over to the bar to visit bertie . not very realistic . but even more unrealistic and ben doesn not seem terribly upset when he find out . finally we get to the trial and where ben go on the stand to get sympathy for the victim and his former fiance . but and of course he blow the entire scenereo have a little break down of sort on the stand and create more sympathy for the killer than the victim . not very realistic . but and what a shock and the parent of the murdered girl seem to like joe much well after he weakend the case and it be almost like and they really appreciate see the case weakend and not very realistic .