TV Reviews : ‘Lies of the Heart:’ Will He or Won’t He?

The deck is stacked in “Lies of the Heart,” a “CBS Schoolbreak Special” about morality and responsiblity airing at 3 today on Channels 2 and 8.

High school senior Jordan Crane (Christopher Rydell) has it all: He’s handsome, rich, class valedictorian and on his way to Harvard. His doting father has just presented him with a new sports car.

On his first drive, Jordan sideswipes another car, seriously injuring the woman driver. He panics and leaves the scene. His dad (Charles Frank), a ruthless businessman, says Jordan should keep it secret--he’s got to think of his goals, of the “greater good.”

Surprise. Jordan’s suffering and confusion increase when he meets and falls in love with his victim’s gorgeous, bright daughter, Anna (Jennifer Gatti. He feels even worse when she tells him she must give up her college scholarship to take care of her mother. Will Jordan take his father’s advice, or will he confess and trash his brilliant future?

As is often the case in this teen drama genre, the adults are one-dimensional, the chain of events predictable.

Anna’s injured mom remains a faceless abstraction and Jordan’s dad seems so sleazy, it’s hard to believe that Jordan grew up to be so terrific.

Rydell gives a strong performance and Gatti complements him, but writer-director Barra Grant’s one-note script disappoints.