Love You to Death

"Love You to Death" is a profound and powerfully disturbing movie about the relationship between Esmé Stoller (Emily Skaggs) and her mom Camile (Marcia Gay Harden, a far more illustrious "name" than we're used to seeing on Lifetime). Esmé is in a wheelchair, she's bald (there's a fascinatingly cruel scene in which we see her mom shaving her head) and she's been told she has had bone cancer since she was 4. Writer Anthony Jaswinski and director Alex Kalymnikos tell this story from both mother's and daughter's point of view, and the result is a powerful, chilling fable about just how far certain people will go to feel "loved" and "needed." I'm rating it nine stars instead of 10 because the switch from Camile's to Esmé's point of view about a third of the way through is awkward and writer Jaswinski could have had an even deeper and more profound movie if he'd used the "Citizen Kane" narratage technique and told the Stollers' story from the various points of view of the people involved in it. But that doesn't take away from what he, Kalymnikos and their stars (not only Harden and Skaggs but Brennan Keel Cook as Esmé's boyfriend Scott) achieved with a film that's excellent by any standards and especially amazing coming from Lifetime.

The act is so much better- this isn't the worst movie ever Marcia gay harden is really good. But it feels really rushed!!!!

Lifetime movies seldom rise above mediocrity ("Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story" was a notable exception), but they usually have some entertainment value. This misbegotten misfire has none. The sad tale of Gypsy and Dedee Blanchard is a real-life horror story that would tax the abilities of Ann Rice or Stephen King. The subject is simply too unpleasant for a fictional treatment. Emily Skeggs is good, but Marcia Gay Harden gives a one-note performance as the mom and the rest of the cast are cyphers. Do yourself a favor and skip this turkey. Watch ID's riveting 2-part documentary "Gypsy's Revenge" instead.

When you have an outstanding performance from Patricia Arquette and Joey King in The Act, this film fails short, it's a remagining and based on the true story but at times its more visual than trying to tell you the story.

There is more music and artistic scenes than dialogue. That should probably give you a clue to not expect a riveting experience from the actors and actresses. Yes, it's based in a true story, but man, did they tone the real problem down when they focused a ton on the daughter and her boyfriend's "beautiful love scenes" first in a convention with a wig in a wheelchair, to a wig in a bed, and to a pool when the wig finally comes off. Ok, we get the symbolism of losing the wig with him. But um, I think he knew she wasn't faking when she walked and was banging him in bed and she lost her innocence when she became honest to someone other than her mother. Really disappointed in this. Did enjoy all the piano music in it though, especially considering I switched to reading a book during this disaster, it really provided nice quite background music.