Spinning Into Butter (2008)

At a small college in Vermont with a principally white student body, an ugly racial incident snowballs into both a media frenzy and a major confrontation between the in denial administration and the school's angry students. The school's Dean of Students (Sarah Jessica Parker) attempts to act as a liaison between the administration and the school's students while confronting her own racism. Based on the play by Rebecca Gilman (who co-wrote the screenplay) and directed by Mark Brokaw. This is a well intentioned look at racism in contemporary America that gets sabotaged by a didactic, preachy screenplay and static direction. Everyone is a talking head, spouting the author's tired dialog which would do Stanley Kramer and Abby Mann proud. This isn't a movie, it's a lecture. Granted, the movie says some important things that need to be said but without any artistry, it's just a civics lesson on racism. The identity of the perpetrator becomes obvious in the film's first 10 minutes although it's supposed to be a shocking big reveal near the film's end. With Beau Bridges, Miranda Richardson, Mykelti Williamson, James Rebhorn, Peter Friedman and Paul James.