"Deadly Second Chances" (a.k.a., "Love You to Death") established an ambitious goal of how two sisters confronted and eventually survived PTSD due to an abusive and traumatic upbringing. But the results were uneven due in large part to over-acting and excesses in the depiction of the panic attacks.
Bree Williamson was good in the lead role of district attorney Yasmine Winters. But her sister Laura was an obnoxious control freak, who lacked sensitivity and was ever prone to melodramatic outbursts. Was this problem due to the actress or the script? Or a combination of the two?
Yasmine and her daughter Paige came to visit Laura at a time when Yasmine desperately needed a break from an oppressive trial of the son of the governor. The son was being tried on capital charges for the murder of his wife, and Yasmine needed rest, which prompted her visit to the family home.
But the overbearing Laura forced Yasmine to take on the case of young Carla Chambers, who was about to lose custody of her daughter. It was also highly inappropriate of Laura to force Paige to meet her grandfather, whose abusive actions led to the death of the mother of Yasmine and Laura. Even worse, Laura lied to Yasmine when she knew very well that the father was in town and living under the delusion that he could mend fences with Yasmine.
There was a great deal of confusion in the depiction of Jack Winters. In the film's opening scene, it was clear that Jack pushed his wife down the stairs in front of little Yasmine and Laura. But the filmmakers backtracked on that scenario in the attempt to turn Jack into a "good guy." It was also suggested that Jack was the murderer of Roberta Flores, the star witness against the governor's son. He also appeared to be on the scene when the car belonging to Yasmine's boss, Joan Brown, blew up. Yet, by the end of the film, Jack Winters had nearly become a saint.
In sum, Yasmine's sister Laura was too pushy. There were inherent contradictions in the character of the sisters' sleazy father, Jack Winters. And the overall lack of subtlety with overblown acting were all distractions from the film's main theme of the impact of abuse and dysfunction on two little girls.
Bree Williamson was good in the lead role of district attorney Yasmine Winters. But her sister Laura was an obnoxious control freak, who lacked sensitivity and was ever prone to melodramatic outbursts. Was this problem due to the actress or the script? Or a combination of the two?
Yasmine and her daughter Paige came to visit Laura at a time when Yasmine desperately needed a break from an oppressive trial of the son of the governor. The son was being tried on capital charges for the murder of his wife, and Yasmine needed rest, which prompted her visit to the family home.
But the overbearing Laura forced Yasmine to take on the case of young Carla Chambers, who was about to lose custody of her daughter. It was also highly inappropriate of Laura to force Paige to meet her grandfather, whose abusive actions led to the death of the mother of Yasmine and Laura. Even worse, Laura lied to Yasmine when she knew very well that the father was in town and living under the delusion that he could mend fences with Yasmine.
There was a great deal of confusion in the depiction of Jack Winters. In the film's opening scene, it was clear that Jack pushed his wife down the stairs in front of little Yasmine and Laura. But the filmmakers backtracked on that scenario in the attempt to turn Jack into a "good guy." It was also suggested that Jack was the murderer of Roberta Flores, the star witness against the governor's son. He also appeared to be on the scene when the car belonging to Yasmine's boss, Joan Brown, blew up. Yet, by the end of the film, Jack Winters had nearly become a saint.
In sum, Yasmine's sister Laura was too pushy. There were inherent contradictions in the character of the sisters' sleazy father, Jack Winters. And the overall lack of subtlety with overblown acting were all distractions from the film's main theme of the impact of abuse and dysfunction on two little girls.
