From the moment the film started in the opening scene, I could tell that this girl was way too old to be playing a high school student. It felt off the entire film, especially when she smiled and you seen the crows feet around her eyes. It was hard to be believable for me from that alone. Maybe that's why her character had little to no facial reaction to hide that fact. I also don't understand how Marnie couldn't just steal from her own home I mean they looked loaded. She lives in a huge house. And the character appeared to be crying out for help for attention more than anything, so it just doesn't make much sense that she'd want to take money and leave and never be heard from again.

As a mother, Nicole Phillips feels that her daughter Skylar (Sky) was a miracle baby. After a rough experience with asthma in which Sky had to drop out of school, she is now returning to formal education after years of home schooling.

While "The Shoplifting Pact" (aka, "Stealing in Suburbia") includes a convoluted scheme of young shoplifters, a tawdry love affair, and blackmail, the heart of the film is really the mother-daughter relationship of Nicole and Sky. Is Nicole the quintessential helicopter mom? Or, is she relying on a sense of mother's intuition that leads her to recognize how deeply enmeshed her daughter is in a dysfunctional school environment?

The shoplifting scenes involving the tag team of Heather, Marnie, Tabitha, and Vera were not very credible. Also, the numerous scenes of the girls' basketball practices suggested that the Pioneers would not be winning many games. But the relationship of Nicole and Sky was moving and heartfelt.

Audiences may be conflicted about the character of Coach Sandy. How culpable was she in drawing the unsuspecting Sky into a net of deceit and subterfuge? The screenplay included a clever connection between Sandy and Nicole, who was on the receiving end of bullying in high school by young Sandy. That detail helps to explain Nicole's concern about her daughter's well-being in the asphalt jungle of high school.

In the film's denouement, there was a deft touch on the part of the screenwriters to reveal Sky's interest in participating in the FBI's Youth Leadership Program. Her exposure to the shoplifters and blackmailers has thoroughly prepared her for this program!