I know an 8/10 is extremely high, but Lifetime really needs to do more movies like this with good actors, a good script, and characters that aren't complete morons. I am a fan of Cindy Busby from Hallmark, but The Wrong Stepmother was so bad that I almost didn't watch this. I recognized all of the main cast from Hallmark: the detective, Adam, Valerie, and Kevin the Hacker. Cindy and Kevin were in a HM movie together earlier this year, so I enjoyed their back and forth. He kind of reminded me of Hardison from Leverage, who was also a hacker, with his snark.
This is what a Lifetime thriller should be if they aren't going for camp. They didn't waste any time with the plot, the action began very quickly and the movie kept a steady pace. I reached a point where I thought things were coming to a close and I still had an hour to go. Yet it didn't drag on.
All of the actors played their roles believably, and the script covered a lot of ground. I didn't notice any gaping plot holes...which any Lifetime frequent watcher knows is almost never the case. I did think it was strange that Leah and Adam didn't fight over their kid, but for some reason she had to hide her work trip from him. It didn't make sense to me that Emma couldn't stay with Adam and perhaps in their situation, a nanny would work full-time for both homes anyway. I think it was meant to infer Leah perceived he would pounce on any chance to pursue custody, and to of course set up this movie, but it was a little murky to understand. When they explained the divorce, it really just sounded like stubbornness on both of their parts. Anyway, after Adam's initial disbelief at the situation, I liked that he didn't believe Leah to be capable of that which she was accused. I liked how he realized immediately when Valerie/Lisa lied and he was on board with his wife from that point. There was so much happening already that keeping them at odds was unnecessary drama, particularly since it was their daughter and they were both manipulated. If the movie had more time, it would be interesting to see if over the course of his relationship with Lisa whether or not things with Leah deteriorated. I also liked that they clarified he met Lisa after the divorce. Lifetime likes to make men cheaters, and there was enough going on w/o that.
The villain was well done. Not a ham and I believed her performance. Her motives weren't too far fetched, but I would have liked to see how she latched on to Adam and little Emma specifically. Cindy was clearly enjoying this and for me, she redeemed herself after The Wrong Stepmother (gosh that movie was TERRIBLE). Her character started the movie with the stupidest action, but unlike a lot of other Lifetime "heroines," it didn't take her the whole movie to realize her mistake and own up to it. In spite of being set up by Valerie/Lisa, she still committed plenty of crimes, so I liked that they didn't hand wave her legal troubles away or ignore them wholesale. I also liked that anyone doing wrong was called out. Leah for her multiple crimes, Kevin for insurance fraud as well as his concern about hacking. The detective calling out everyone lol, the husband catching Valerie/Lisa in a lie, Valerie's reaction to Adam not wanting to marry her (she's crazy but she had a point), etc. Even the officer owning up to falling for Valerie/Lisa's scam at the end.
The police weren't total idiots and I liked that the detective balanced law and order with understanding Leah's plight (but not excusing her actions). A couple of the stretchier points were the psychiatrist violating all kinds of privacy laws, and poor little Emma being sedated almost the whole time. The whole movie would have been solved if she could identify her "nanny," so I understand the choice.
I really enjoyed this. There was drama, humor, action, and Lifetime should air more movies like this to balance out the campy flicks. It's worth a watch and I saved it on my dvr to watch again.
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