DEADLY DAUGHTER SWITCH (TV movie) 2020
3.5 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:55 min
BASIC PLOT:
A switch of newborn infants at a hospital leads to dire consequences for two families.
Brooke and Carter Jenkins accidentally find out their daughter Hailey does not have the blood type she was born with, when they all donate at a blood drive.
The hospital where the girls were born confirm there was an accidental switch, of two infant girls, Hailey, and another girl Breanne.
The hospital begins making decisions for the two families, telling Alexis and Brooke, their daughters are old enough to decide for themselves where they want to live. (WTH?)
Alexis is not having any of this. Breanne is all she has, and has been her life for the past 16 years. She'll be damned before she lets some negligent hospital, or some arrogant rich people come, and steal her daughter.
Nothing and no one will stop Alexis from keeping what's hers, not her ex, not the hospital, not the Jenkins family, no one...
WHAT WORKS:
*ACTING IS DECENT For this type of tv movie, the acting is above average.
Hannah Barefoot knows her way around this type of villain, and she is definitely the standout in this movie.
*THE SCREENWRITING TEAM IS A FAVORITE IF YOU LIKE MELODRAMATIC MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES
Jason-Shane Scott &
Lindsay Hartley know how to write and star in these types of movies. The premise was good, the script needed some tweaking (which it didn't get), but they know how to write an enjoyable, afternoon distraction. I just wish they had given this a bit more work. It's NOT one of their best.
*THIS MOVIE HAS REAL MUSIC This is always a plus, and adds to the realism. The music by Whitney Pea & North Shore was welcome.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*ALEXIS SAYS SHE CAN'T COMPLETE WITH THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE JENKINS FAMILY. But shortly, she would have all the money she needs, from the mammoth law suit she would bring against the hospital. I'd say this type of trauma is the definition of mental distress, and this sort of mistake is definitely malpractice.
*IT MAKES NO SENSE FOR BREANNE TO SUDDENLY NOT TRUST HER MOTHER, ALEXIS. I am normally a HUGE fan of
Jason-Shane Scott &
Lindsay Hartley's melodramas, but this needed a bit more backstory for Breanne (
Jane Widdop) to turn on her mother so suddenly. The girls are old enough to understand about men's foilables, & to comprehend a mother might hide painful truths from a daughter (like the facts in the opening scene where John tried to hold Alexis hostage until she agreed to an abortion). So, it doesn't make sense for Breanne to suddenly turn on her mother, WITH NO OTHER REASON GIVEN. (Booking a trip a month early, is NOT a believable motivation from a teenager to not trust her mother. She would assume her mom got the money from the extra shifts she's been working, or from her boyfriend, not something sinister, not without reason.)
*THERE'S SOMETHING UNLIKABLE ABOUT ALL OF THE "GOOD" CHARACTERS
Jason-Shane Scott &
Lindsay Hartley usually have this base covered. In melodramas, there's really good people, and really bad people. But in this movie, there's something unlikable about these "good" people. Carter Jenkins (
Matthew Pohlkamp), the dad, is weak, Breanne, Alexis's daughter is greedy (she throws her mom off for the lap of luxury), even Brooke (
Lindsay Hartley) is unlikable. She says she feels guilty about what she's doing to Alexis (
Hannah Barefoot), but it seems like she's just going through the motions, instead of really feeling it. She does what most ultra rich people do when they feel guilty, they throw money at the problem (in this case Alexis, and the trust they set up for her). All the characters are too flawed to make a successful melodrama. There's no one to root for, and the villainess is too sympathetic.
*IT MAKES NO SENSE THEY SUDDENLY TRUST ALEXIS AGAIN After Alexis's boyfriend has an "accident", they all suddenly trust her again, moving her into the Jenkins' family home, and giving her a job as an assistant to Brooke. Breanne (
Jane Widdop), Alexis's daughter, who wouldn't even speak to her before, seems fine with this. Why did she suddenly get over her distrust, and her suspicions?
*WHY DOES BREANNE HAVE NO IDEA WHO HER MOTHER IS?
If Alexis is a violent psychopath, and everyone around her knows she's disturbed, (her co-workers, her boyfriend, her ex college acquaintances, etc), so why would her daughter not know it, and why would her daughter be so well adjusted?
*YOU WOULDN'T SIGN YOUR CHILDREN OVER TO SOMEONE YOU HADN'T CHECKED OUT, AND YOU KNEW TO BE A LIAR People with the type of money the Jenkins' have, would hire an investigator, and find out everything there is to know about Alexis, BEFORE leaving their assets, and children, to her. Especially, since they have a well adjusted best friend, Viv (
Allison McAtee) who would be willing to take them.
*YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR THROUGH THE WALLS OF THE RICHY RICH HOUSE This house just sold for 3.2 million IRL, yet Alexis is able to hear through the wall like she's standing in the room. I doubt that would be the case in this ultra-modern mansion, where the walls look three feet thick. Why not have her listening at the door?
*BONDS BETWEEN SINGLE MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS AREN'T THAT EASILY SHATTERED
Anyone who was raised by a single mother knows that, and bonds aren't that easily created either. Hailey (
Clara Belle Doyle-Smith) calls John, a man she's known for less than a month, "Dad" at the end of the movie. Are you freaking kidding me? She's known him mere days, and he's telling her what time to be home from her date!? Also, John tried to force Alexis to have an abortion, he never wanted Hailey. Wouldn't that create some reservations in Hailey about her relationship with John, especially since she already has a dad? On a separate unbelievable note, these girls are driving, so they are going to their junior or senior prom. These "parents" expect them to be home at 10pm, or midnight? Again, are you kidding me?
*THIS MOVIE FALLS APART AT THE END The motivations from everyone but Alexis (
Hannah Barefoot), don't work here. With some minor tweaking, this could have been a fun, melodramatic time waster, but character's motivations are important, and they are all over the map here. It cuts the believability down to nothing, and therefore makes it less enjoyable.
*THE LIGHTING & MAKE-UP IS OFF IN A FEW SCENES It's not a deal breaker, but in one scene, the doctor looks like she has Doritos powder all over her face, instead of make-up, and in other scenes the lighting is way too dark, making it hard to see faces, giving people a weird glow.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*If you don't mind some gaping plotholes, unlikable protagonists, and unbelievable motivations from all the characters, then you might find this a diverting couple of hours. It had real potential, as a fun, afternoon time waster, but it needed some tweaking, which it didn't get. As far as made-for-tv melodramas go, there are certainly worse ones out there, but there are better ones too. I'd try another from
Jason-Shane Scott &
Lindsay Hartley, like
Spikeface. It's much better, with a lot less problems.
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
