Close to Danger

It's one thing when Robert Redford and Dennis Quaid -- both good-looking, in-shape guys -- play characters 10 years younger in films, as they did in "The Natural" and "The Rookie," respectively. Or when Redford -- old enough to be her father -- played (very believably) a contemporary love interest with Kristin Scott Thomas in "The Horse Whisperer."

But in some films, at least for me, the real ages of the actors, versus those of their characters portrayed, poses a distraction when viewing a film. In "Varsity Blues," the high-school "kids" were all old enough to have been out of college and into the workforce for periods up to several years, in terms of actual ages. And in this flick, while all are good-looking and bereft of wrinkles, the three leads are all more than 10 years older than the college students two are portrayed, with the third one, the aspiring writer, a supposed contemporary.

Somehow, along with a script average at best, they simply seemed a bit old for the characters given them here. I've know quite a few psychologists, with doctorates, and viewing the conduct and their handling their children, as well as their personalities up-close, as far as being effective counselors for mental health and stability, they seemed more like the proverbial "fox in charge of the hen house." So it was with Dean Stockwell here when Lisa sought his counsel.

The detectives with whom she sought assistance, and especially the two who provided her wire and instructed her in compromising the story's "villain," acted and delivered lines appropriate of the 5th and 6th leads in a high school play.

And as another person commenting here stated (accurately, in my opinion) the most sympathetic character in this drama - as well as the most interesting personality - was the piece's villain.

This was a film which one might watch, partly because the actors are attractive, but mostly to see if it doesn't get better and perhaps present some interesting drama later-on. Unfortunately, this wasn't to be here.

When a young college woman meets an unpublished author she is impressed with a story he is attempting to get in print. They become close but things begin to unravel when she senses a strangeness in the young writer after he begins talking about interlacing his fiction with the real world. A merely adequate picture which tries to offer up a nifty twist on the old psycho thriller flic but manages only to be another in a long line of psycho thriller flics. I've seen almost this exact same storyline and ending before.

I was sick from school one day, I was watching TV and I saw this movie. I'm really into thriller,cop type movies and I love this one! This movie has changed my mind on my favorite actors and now i'm a huge fan of Rob Estes'! This is truly a great movie and deserves A lot more credit then it has been given! The even more chilling thing about it is that its based on a real story. Rob Estes was excellent because he really convinced me that the character Adam was supposed to be a disturbed person. Also, I really felt the fear with Jennifer Cole (Lisa Rinna) and would hate to be put in her position! Well done Rob Estes & Lisa Rinna, Well Done! :)

Well, won't go into the gory details but need to react to this horrible movie. No, not horror, horrible. Written by Philip Rosenberg and directed by Neema Barnette, they missed the boat here. Not a bad concept, although been done many times, there was empathy for the villain for a change. The performance of Rob Estes, in the role may have given it the dimension it needed. Certainly some of his lines were pretty corny and predictable, yet I found myself watching him. He evidently does lots of TV dramas and soaps so I guess this is old hat to him. Still I'd like to see him do a major role in a major film to show this young man's potential.

Unfortunately he had to work opposite Lisa Rinna (doesn't she do commercials?) a not so good actress who over does hysteria bulging her bug eyes out and causing her lips to look like they've had lip suction surgery done to them. Never believable in her performance and her character is so annoying, I applauded her boy friend, played by Tom Wood, when he walked out on her. Good riddance I say for him. She got so obnoxious over things that she came off as a spoiled brat. I did like Melissa McBride in a smaller role of a possible victim. She had a nice quiet energy to her work putting Rinna to shame.

Sadly there is Dean Stockwell in yet another thankless role. This well deserved actor keeps popping up in these trashy LMN soap operas. Dean, come back to Broadway. Get out of the trap of these bad movies. You deserve so much better.

So my vote is 4 stars for the 4 stars; Estes, Wood, McBride and the body of work from Stockwell.

Just your average tv movie about a woman who falls in love with a man with obvious red flags. Not the least of which are the pictures of Ted Bundy and Charles Manson in his house....

Rob Estes is fun to watch in this role, but he overacts and twitches like he's having a seizure. Meanwhile, Lisa Rinna and everyone else are napping. It was good to see Melissa McBride (you know her from the "Walking Dead") but she was wooden and completely boring in her thankless role in this film.

The detectives who provided her wire and instructed her in compromising the piece's villain looked (and acted) like they couldn't protect her from a girl scout selling cookies, much less a deranged homicidal maniac.

It's not a bad concept and some of the scenes are nicely photographed for a tv film from 1997. Most movies just like this would get a 4 or 5, if that. I'll give this a 6 because the lead actors have better chemistry than most. Rob Estes and Lisa Rinna aren't great actors but they do work well together. I can tell that they enjoyed working together, which is the one thing that made this lifetime movie more watchable than many of the others.

6/10.