Sleeping with the Devil

This movie is based on a true story that appeared on "Unsolved Mysteries" and was turned into a book by Suzanne Finstad. The real-life woman is a remarkable human being who entered into a relationship with a handsome con man, only to find out that he was already married, and everything else about him was a sham. She ultimately cannot get away from him. He stalks her and eventually puts her in a wheelchair. He then leaves the country. She goes on to pursue justice, marry her rehabilitation doctor, and enter the medical field herself. In fact, by selling her rights to her story for this TV movie, she was able to fulfill her dream of attending medical school.

The fact that this is a true story makes the movie interesting all by itself. Plus the presence of Tim Matheson, as far as I'm concerned, never hurt any movie. Here was a couple, as portrayed by the beautiful Ms. Doherty and the hunky Mr. Matheson - that looked to the outside world to be perfectly matched beautiful people, with the attendant money and social standing. Behind closed doors was something much different. The main character (whose real name is Barbara) learned the hard way that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

A manipulative Texas businessman (Tim Matheson) uses resources in high places to terrorize and subjugate former girlfriend Shannen Doherty ("Beverly Hills 90210") in this precautionary tale supposedly "based on a true story." Do people this rotten really exist? And, does Tim Matheson have a corner on the market for playing them in these cheap teledramas?

Doherty plays a recuperating rape victim who's also an ER nurse and a triathlete when she meets up with the suave (yet sinister) Dick Strang, the egomaniacal owner of a string of health spas. Strang, on the tail end of a bitter divorce battle, turns on the lovely Ms. Doherty with a vengeance, culminating in a hail of gunfire. Paralyzed from the neck down, Doherty makes a determined bid to walk again, convict the untouchable Strang and marry the orthopedic surgeon of her dreams.

Sounds too good to be true, eh? It's unfortunate that the provocative title effectively tips director William A. Graham's hand early, completely dispelling any element of suspense.

The story starts out with the trials and tribulations of a driven young woman. She gets to know an older man who shares her love of working out and quickly develops a relationship with him. Essentially the moral of the story boils down to 'rich, competitive men are bad.' While I would tend to agree with this sentiment, I don't think that poorly produced "survivor" accounts are a good way for anyone to to spend an hour and a half of their life.