Jusqu'à ce que la mort nous sépare

"Till Murder do us Part: The Betty Broderick Story" is a great movie. I have read a few "true" books about Betty herself, including interviews; and if she only speaks the truth- then I feel sorry for her. The movie was very good, but in my opinion, it made Betty look like a spoiled crazy housewife who annoyed her husband and children, causing him to seperate from her. That is not how it really happened- Dan came home drunk almost every night, with the smell of Linda lingering on him- for almost 3 years...and the whole time telling Betty that he wasn't having an affair. This confused her; she wanted to believe her husband. Then he started becoming very un-loving and cold, calling her "fat, old, ugly, boring, and stupid", and even saying that he didn't want the kids anymore.

After all the years of working and raising a family, Betty snapped and couldn't handle Dan's behavior, or him leaving her. Wouldn't you feel betrayed and used if you found out that your partner has been cheating on you for 3 years? I would.

I do not think that Betty should have murdered her husband and Linda (although she states that it was a total accident), but Dan should not have done what he did. Betty is a smart, intelligent lady who, in my opinion, has served her time and has learned her lesson.

I am sitting here reading these comments and I am appalled. To all of the people who are writing Dan Broderick got what was coming to him. What is wrong with you? What if your son, daughter, sister, brother, mother, and father got murdered in their sleep because they angered someone. Are you even looking at the fact that she called and harassed them every day. Think about it... would you seriously give your ex more money & custody of the kids if they 1.) Ran a door into your house with the kids inside, not even knowing where they were. 2.) Broken into your house not 1 but two times and destroyed everything. 3.) cursed and used profanity at your 9 year old child. No you wouldn't. So he left her BOO HOO! It's a sad day in the world when you justify killing somebody because they made you mad.

Meredith Baxter gives a superb performance in this film and its sequel. She captures the cold narcissism of Betty Broderick and manages to play scenes of rage in a surprisingly subtle manner. For example, in the scene in which Betty trashes her ex-husband's house, Meredith approaches the destruction with great nonchalance, which is ultimately more frightening than if she had played it full-on. She taps into the smugness and sense of entitlement that were strong components of Betty Broderick's personality and allowed her to murder two people in cold blood.

This is my favorite "Lifetime" movie of all time, from a production period when the movies were about real crime events and the ensuing trials with quality stars, not the cheesy mass-produced drivel they churn out now. Told in the similar format as a flashback/courtroom docu-drama style of The Tracey Thurmond Story and The Burning Bed, this stars Meredith Baxter and a pre-scandal Stephen Collins, and as a true crime genre and forensic psychology lover, let me tell you, Baxter KILLS it. If you watch interviews with the real Betty Broderick, you will see how Baxter masters her self-deluded, persecution complex, functionally crazy personality. It was probably the best TV movie performance I've ever seen. In real life, Betty Broderick had a lot of supporters and this movie explores that, leaving room for the viewer to make up their own mind. It seems to present things from both sides' fairly--neither party is portrayed as a saint: she did sacrifice everything to make her husband successful and he did seem to trade her in for a newer model when he made it to the top, but the creators still tilt the viewer to the fact that's still not an excuse for murder. There's also the follow-up sequel that covers the court battle, portrayed from the prosecutor's perspective, which is also enjoyable. This is truly a based-on-a-true-story TV movie classic.

First off Meredith Baxter turns in a superb performance as Betty Broderick. She clearly was head and shoulders above all the others who had roles in this made for TV film. It is her and really her alone that makes this picture shine. Second, having lived in San Diego at the time this crime went down and watching it being literally beaten into the ground by the news media there I never thought I would find myself watching a movie in a theater or even on TV about this story. However I did and am glad I did. This was a good movie. Third, Yes Betty Broderick had a couple screws loose but I couldn't help myself feeling that Dan sort of got what he had coming to him.