Nightmare Tenant

While I'm a Y&R fan, and I like Lauralee (and the whole Bell dynasty for daytime dramas), I was not impressed with the stilted and stiff acting. The storyline was good, but it was all too weird a setup for these times. No deep research into a renter in the home? It would be better if mom was having trouble making ends meet, instead of wealthy and trusting. Finally, Lauralee, you should be a better actress by now, more natural. And eat something or curl your hair!

"Nightmare Tenant" a "LMN" film is one that's a thrilling drama of obsession and rage as when one doesn't get what they want they behave badly. Dr. Allen's(Lauralee Bell) only daughter Lacey(Heather Hopkins) gets into an ivy league east coast school based on name and clout and passed over is Nikki(Virginia Tucker) so all of a sudden Lacey leaves the nest of California and flies east. So soon Nikki starts a dangerous cat and mouse game of danger and obsession by befriending Dr. Allen and becoming a guest also Lacey becomes a damsel in distress as she has a scene where she's tied up and gagged. Overall okay suspense TV thriller.

The nature of this "psycho" feature is pretty decent. A lonely overachiever feels entitled to earn entrance to a college but fails to get accepted. Somehow, she learns that another girl from her school did get in, and from there, she plots her revenge. Writing Quality: The story is strong, though it would have made sense to show the villain, Nikki, interacting with Lacey at high school so that we could better appreciate the tension between them. Nikki only has her father and we learn how she's apparently a "disappointment" to him because she doesn't get accepted into the college. This aspect comes full circle at the end, but I thought the writers could have played more with this idea and how it interlinks with Nikki's nature. I'm not sure if it was the actors or the director, but all of the stars played their roles with such gravity and monotony. The mom, for instance, displays the same expression for everything, like she would in a soap opera role (apparently she's on The Young & The Restless). But hers and Nikki's flat-faced expressions don't work here. Too bad, because the story is pretty good. Scare factor: Nikki hurts herself in the beginning in a shocking way. Probably what is most scary is how unhinged she is and we are just waiting for all of her deception to culminate into a final vengeful act. Content (sex, language, & violence): No sex or language. Violence is startling but not graphic. Values & Themes: Protecting a family member. Again, the script was well written, but the acting was subpar.

The setup at the start focused too much on the mother and her daughter leaving, and her boyfriend. Just get to the killing already! Ok so it's a Lifetime movie there may not be blood. One thing that bugs me is drinking wine from stemless wine glasses, yep they did that. Oh no it's a hammer, ouch!! This mother is hard to look at with her stroke eyes. Tokens all over the hospital. What doctor wears heels?! This movie is looking bad. Yep, please move in for free I've a good feeling about you. Ok I think that's enough of this movie.

NIGHTMARE TENANT (TV movie) 4.5 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:21min

BASIC PLOT: Nikki Stone (Virginia Tucker) thought she had it all. She sacrificed all the fun of high school life, so she could maintain perfect grades, and become valedictorian. Pleasing her demanding father is all that matters to her, and to do that, she has to get into Vanderton College. She thinks her entry is assured, until she learns she's been passed over by a legacy. Lacey Allen (Heather Hopkins) got into Vanderton instead of Nikki, even though her grades weren't as good. But she was a legacy, all the women in Lacey's family had gone to Vanderton, including her mother, Dr. Carol Allen (Lauralee Bell). When Nikki sees the look of disappointment on her father's face, she cannot bear the weight of it. Something in her snaps, and she's determined to make someone pay. She's decided it's going to be those who robbed her of her dream of going to Vanderton. The Allens took everything from Nikki, and now she's going to take everything from them.

WHAT WORKS: *THE ACTING IS ABOVE AVERAGE For a made-for-tv melodrama, the acting is better than most. Both Virginia Tucker & Lauralee Bell do a fine job. It's the script that needed tweaking.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *CREDIT CARD COMPANIES WOULD FLAG THE TYPE OF PURCHASES MADE ON CAROL'S CREDIT CARD Especially since it's a new card, but they would anyway. If Carol didn't normally make big purchases, or lots of electronic purchases, they would flag it. Not too mention, anyone but a business buying five IPads at once, would definitely send up a red flag. They would freeze the card & contact Carol. Melissa/Nikki's shopping spree is just not believable.

*YOUR IDENTITY IS STOLEN WITHIN 24 HOURS OF YOUR NEW TENANT MOVING IN Wouldn't that be a clue to most people? After all, Carol is a doctor, so she's supposed to have brains, but we're supposed to believe she doesn't see it, because she misses her daughter, and needs company?

*ALL OF THE ORDERED STUFF SHOWS UP AT THE HOSPITAL When she says no, I didn't order this, they would return it. They wouldn't pressure her into signing for things she didn't order. Also, Carol says, "How embarrassing!" Why is having your identity stolen embarrassing? It's nothing you did, so why?

*WHY WOULD CAROL BELIEVE MELISSA ABOUT TOM? Melissa/Nikki says Tom (Jon Briddell) sexually assaulted her. Tom & Carol have been together a long time. She would believe him, not some random girl she's know less than a week. Most people would connect all these bad things, with the one new common denominator - their new tenant. Someone forges your signature on a medical chart at work, someone steals your identity, someone frames your long term boyfriend, and Melissa/Nikki is present at all these terrible occurrences. Any normal person would put two and two together.

*A HOSPITAL COULDN'T BAN YOU FROM SEEING YOUR BOYFRIEND WITHOUT CAUSE The police could, if Carol was a suspect, but she's not, so that's just ludicrous. And the plotholes just keep on coming...

*THERE'S NO NEED FOR GINGER TO MEET SUCH A GRUESOME END. I didn't know why these types of movies have such bloodlust. Ginger (Karlisha Hurley) is Lacey's long time best friend, who's also barely 18. There's no need for her to meet with this type of violence. It would have been better if she'd been tied up in the closet, and terrorized. It's just as effective, and is more believable.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If giant plotholes don't bother you, then this could be some mind numbing fun. But if you're the type of person that needs things to be somewhat believable, I'd give this one a pass. To those that don't understand melodrama as an art form - If you're the type of person that needs intricate character development, and deep storylines, STOP watching & rating made-for-tv melodramas.

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. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.