first and let me state that i have no idea who nora robert be . so the book may have be great and but the movie isn not . i have spend my entire life living in the peidmont region of nc . i have never hear southern accent as ridiculous a the one in this movie . i have live in two small nc town and charlotte and raleigh . on occasion and you will meet people with a strong southern accent and but i have never encounter a town where everyone talk like a bad imitation of go with the wind . in response to gore_won from the atheist community . your comment reveal more about your warped psyche than it do about the movie . if we be to stretch our imagination and pretend that there be anything realistic in this movie which there isn not then the truth be that bad people such a tory father will always find some justification for their action . the author chose religion a a counter to tory supernatural ability . your supposition that the true character of the gospel direct a man to beat his daughter be about the most perverse and misinformed interpretation i have ever hear . before you start spout off about the gospel and maybe you should read them first . back to the movie . the dialog be flat and unnatural and and unbelievable most of the time . in particular and many of the thing that kade say to tory be inappropriate and do not match the mood and context and or way they be say . the exciting twist at the end of the movie be lame and predictable and and lack any credibility . some have also claim that jacqueline bisset do a wonderful job in this movie and but the truth be that the bitter mother character be also a stale and predictable and one dimensional character . be that bisset fault . i do not know . if you have a choice between watch this movie and a twenty year old rerun of the muppet show and i recommend the muppet show .