THE TWIN (TV Movie 2017)
BASIC PLOT:
Jocelyn (
Jess Gabor) has just returned home from college. She's here to celebrate her mother's birthday, but also to introduce her new boyfriend, Tyler (
Timothy Granaderos). He's handsome, considerate and pre-med. They are even taking a trip to Japan next semester, and learning Japanese together. He seems perfect, but
Ashley (
Brigid Brannagh), Jocelyn's mother, has some reservations about Tyler. She's concerned about the recent loss of Tyler's family in a car accident, and how it might affect him. Ashley's new friend, Jake (
Louis Mandylor), tells her not to worry so much, and to let Jocelyn spread her wings and fly. That may be good advice, but Ashley's intuition is telling her something is wrong. After a recent errand, Tyler has not been acting like himself. He suddenly likes mayonnaise, he forgets Jake's name, and doesn't know any of the Japanese he's learned with Jocelyn.
Ashley is becoming increasingly suspicious of this new behavior. She finds a hospital bracelet in 'Tyler's' pockets, and strange drugs in his drawer. A search of the name on the bracelet leads her to a twin brother who also says he's Tyler Wells. Can Ashley discover which twin is evil, in time to save her daughter?
WHAT WORKS:
*Derek begins his 'delusion' of being Tyler, a month before his breakout. This is an ingenious plan, if he wants to steal Tyler's identity.
*
Fred Olen Ray is a perfect director for this type of crazy melodrama. He knows how to take a little, and make a lot of of it.
*There are three types of movies on Lifetime. This is the second type, melodrama. According to dictionary. C o m, the definition of melodrama is "a dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization."
In other words, this is a PERFECT MELODRAMA. The characters are not so well defined, but their motives are. If you watch this movie with that in mind, you'll like it a whole lot more. You're not supposed to take the over-the-top motives too seriously, it's pure silly entertainment. STOP LOOKING FOR EMMYS FROM LIFETIME MOVIES!
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*When Ashley (
Brigid Brannagh) discovers a hospital bracelet in "Tyler's" pocket, she does an internet search, and comes up with sensitive medical information. This is highly unlikely. Police reports are public information, but all personal information are put in 'supplemental reports', so the public can't access it. Also, someone's hospital status, would only be accessible to relatives, not to anyone with a computer. This makes Ashley's discovery a bit of a deus ex machina, and suspends the disbelief of the viewer.
*Jocelyn dumps 'Tyler' at the first sign of trouble. This is not a psychology valid response. Most women, even young women, tend to nurture, even at the expense of their own feelings and needs. The speech Jocelyn gives 'Tyler' is not badly written, but it is a man's speech, not a woman's.
*
Roger Stigliano and
Michael Waite need to learn how to write women. Step one, not all women have glass jaws, so stop writing them that way!
TRIVIA:
The three Buddha's on the table appear in many Lifetime movies.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*IF you can understand the art form that is melodrama, and you like that type of entertainment, you'll like this. If you are looking for lots of believable characters and motives in your TV movies, then give this a pass.
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. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.
