The Other Woman

Jill was a journalist that left everything behind to start a life with her husband Derek, a husband that left his wife and daughter to be with her, now Jill is a University teacher and Derek is in the best moment of his career as a lawyer in one of the best firms in the city, everything is perfect until one day Nicole, an intern in the law-firm introduces her self to Jill and says "I'll marry your husband", since that day strange things start happening to Jill, but David, her husband doesn't see anything strange in Nicole.

Will Derek found out the truth about Nicole? Or Jill will have to pay for what she did in the beginning?

The version of this movie I saw on LMN was titled "Joy Fielding's The Other Woman". While I understand the movie was taken from Fielding's novel, I'm surprised she allowed her name to be attached to it.

There was just too much going on in the movie, with subplots left unresolved in the end, resulting in an unsatisfying mess of a movie. We have a murder, and we know who did it. But what happens to the murderer? We never find out. There is a missing son, who is found, in somewhat surprising circumstances. So how did he end up the way he did, and what happens with him next? No idea.

Then there is the main plot, which ends abruptly, leaving the viewer clueless as to what the full resolution, the complete end result of what happened, is. Part of that lack of resolution is not knowing what happens with the stepdaughter, since circumstances around her change drastically.

Adapting novels for movies is always tricky, since books can delve deeper into characters and subplots than movies have time to do. Better movies carefully choose what elements of a book to include, and what to leave out. While I haven't read the novel this movie is based on, it seems the screenwriters tried to stuff everything from the book into the movie. Then, given the limited run time they were allowed to give the movie, they just gave up, and ended it abruptly.

I never expect much from these kinds of movies, but this one was worse than most.

This movie irritated me quite a lot. Plot is so familiar you guess the ending in the first few minutes. And the leading lady, played by Josie Bisset was as annoying to watch. Wearing so tight jeans you could see her, you know what. Blouses so low it revealed, well not that much. And walking around wearing the same outfit almost throughout the movie. But the real problem is her hair. Most of the times you wanted to hand her a hair brush and tell her to brush her hair out of her face. She looked unkempt, almost dirty. Even when her hair was pulled back, seldom, there were strings hanging down in her face. Most of the time her bleached blonde hair was over one eye giving her a Hitler like look. It annoyed me that much. This lady needs grooming badly. Lisa Marie was another to much hair actress, if you want to call waking around pouting most of the time acting. Too much hair for someone her age. That lady needed a haircut. And poor Jason Proestley, whom I like as an actor, didn't have much to work with, script or actresses.

This was a loser film with loser performances and women that should act and look their age. GET SOME GROOMING AND BRUSH YOUR HAIR OUT OF YOUR FACE.

I enjoyed this film, and the theme actually has a surprise twist at the end, which makes the story intriguing and suspenseful.

Jason Priestley deserves mention for direction here, I have seen a few of his other recent projects, and he connects well with the audience in a cameo role as news reporter. Josie Bissett is very good as Jill Plumley, a woman who at first believes she is married to the perfect man. An attorney and loving father (she thinks) portrayed by Graeme Black.

At first the story involves an intern at her husband's law firm, Nicole (well portrayed by a devious Lisa Marie Coruk.) Jill's husband is being pursued by this annoying woman, and at first it isn't clear as to why. There is a peripheral story with the senior partner of her husband's law firm, and a troubled relationship with his wife.

All in all a very well-presented, suspenseful Lifetime movie. Well worth watching. 8/10.

(2008) The Other Woman DRAMA/ THRILLER

Based on the Joy Fielding novel made-for-tv movie directed by tv famed actor Jason Priestly of 90210. This film starring Josie Bissett as housewife Jill sacrificing her career job to settle down with husband Derek. But during his boss's house party, Derek's young internship/ secretary informs his wife in advance that she's planning to steal her husband away from her, and the rest of the film dwells on how she does that in a made-for-tv kind of way. The "other woman" as the title indicates is Lauren played by MacKenzie Porter who does whatever it takes to steal her husband away from her which is what we the viewers had already seen a hundreds of times before except that the movie felt very long. Priestly also has a small role in this too as one of Jill's friends.