A Surrogate's Nightmare

A SURROGATE'S NIGHTMARE (TV movie 2017)

5 out of 10 ⭐

BASIC PLOT:

Angela (Poppy Montgomery) is returning to her small Washington town for the the first time in many years. The reasons for her homecoming should be sad ones, but that's not how she feels. Angela is here to attend her mother's funeral, and finally bury the past, along with her mother. She's also here to comfort and support her younger sister, Shelley (Emily Tennant). Shelly was close to Joan (Glynis Davies), their mother, and she's feeling the loss in multiple ways. Joan was determined to be a grandmother, and was constantly pressuring Shelly and her husband, David (Steven Krueger) into having a baby. But Shelly had a secret she never told Joan, and now the weight of this secret is unbearable. Shelly was never brave enough to tell her mother she's infertile. She let Joan buy baby clothes, and bully David, all the while knowing she could never conceive.

All of this is news to Angela, since Joan discouraged any relationship between the sisters. But Angela is determined to make up for lost time, and help Shelly through her regret. Angela's even offered to become a surrogate for David and Shelly, so they can find have the family they've always wanted. After the implantation works, and Angela becomes pregnant, David's behavior changes. Is he hiding something? He did have an argument with Joan, mere hours before her death, and the police are not convinced Joan's death was an accident.

David's strange behavior is not Angela's only concern. She ran into an old friend, Curt Meyers (Ty Olsson), after her mother's funeral. At first, Curt seemed eager to reconnect with Angela. But as time has gone on, his behavior has become increasingly bizarre. Is he following her? Or has the pregnancy made Angela more suspicious? Why does Curt continue to allude to some past wrongdoing, while at the same time, pursuing Angela?

Will all the deceits of the past stay hidden, or will the truth demand to finally be heard?

WHAT WORKS:

*GREAT FORESHADOWING The movie unfolds in an interesting way, with clues that keep you guessing.

*ACTING IS ABOVE AVERAGE Everyone here does Fantastic job, especially Ty Olsson, as the unhinged ex-boyfriend, Curt. Emily Tennant gives a quality performance as Shelly, the fragile wife and sister. Steven Krueger also does a fine job playing David, the sometimes smarmy executive, who seems to care more about his job, than family.

*FILMMAKING IS EXCELLENT Vijay Sarin and Vic Sarin worked as both directors and cinematographers on this movie, and both did a fantastic job. The movie can be storyboarded by using stills, and that's the mark of a well shot movie.

*THE SETTING ADDS TO THE AMBIANCE

This film is shot in the fall, in a small town in Canada, called Kelowna. The place adds a unique visual layer to the film, and gives it added depth and believability.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

*ANGELA'S SUSPICIONS ABOUT CURT ARE EXAGGERATED This isn't a deal breaker, after all, this is a melodrama. Things are supposed to exaggerated.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:

*I would recommend this movie to fans of melodramas, to those who enjoy made-for-tv movies, and fans of Ty Olsson and Emily Tennant. Both give standout performances. If you're looking for deep character development, and intricate storylines, look elsewhere.

Am I alone here?

This is the first Poppy Montgomery film I've watched. And Regardless of anything else going on in this motion picture, this accent is a mess.

I was impressed by Emily Tennant when she finally received the opportunity to play an adult. I loved her portraying a teenager in such films as "Triple Dog", "Text to Kill" and "Driven Underground", and later "Daughter for Sale", which came out a few months after this one. Given the chance to play a character closer to her real-life age, Emily comes through with a strong, heartfelt performance.

We don't see enough of Poppy Montgomery these days. Of course she was great in "Without a Trace", and I thought highly of her performance in "Murder in the Hamptons", which has been shown on Lifetime networks quite a bit in the last 12 years. She was superb playing Angela, the titular surrogate who is mercilessly stalked by her creepy ex (Ty Olsson).

Great plot. Even greater performances by Ms. Tennant and Ms. Montgomery.

Paul Anka wrote and sang this song back in 1974 and this Lifetime story tells about the highs and the lows about the difficulties and the pure joy of how a pregnancy can affect not just the mother and father's lives, but other people's lives as well. Poppy Montgomery plays the big sister and surrogate mom for her little sister's infertility problems and the husband who is trying to climb the corporate ladder and have a baby at the same time. No doubt a pregnancy can be a blessing and/or a curse and we have all heard the stories from both ends of the spectrums by which some women try in vain to get pregnant and other girls just have to open the top button of their blouse and "Voila'" they are pregnant.

This is an above average Lifetime movie that is worth watching. I give it a 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.

The lead actors in this are all capable of much more than this. It's poorly written, with gaping plot flaws. Poor Ty Olssen, a handsome enigmatic actor reduced to this tripe. The two lead females have done so much better and are worth so much more.