Her Best Friend's Husband

This made for tv-movie tells the story of best friends Mandy Roberts (Bess Armstrong) and Jane Thornten (Cheryl Ladd) who find themselves at a crossroads. Mandy is the stifled wife of Will (William R. Moses) and mother to college student daughter, Kelly (Lindy Booth), but she longs to be more. When Mandy gets the nerve to ask for a divorce and open her own business she asks Jane for support. The widowed Jane obliges begrudgingly, but feels for the wounded Will and Kelly. Naturally (and predictably) Will and Jane fall in love. How will Mandy react? Will Jane's conscience let her love Will? What will Kelly do when she finds out? We know the answers already, but it's still fun to watch. A standout in this cast is up-and-coming Canadian actress Lindy Booth as Kelly. She is a joy to watch in anything, but it is especially exciting to see her featured so prominently here.

Whether intended or not, this movie seems to have some deeper levels. The predicament of the heroine naturally attracted to her "best friend's" discarded husband, the Oedepian (spelling?) reaction of the young daughter and the self centered and self seeking wife looking for herself... all made interesting viewing on different levels.... not the worst way to spend a couple of hours...

In terms of story, everyone is wrong here, except maybe the daughter. Mandy - where did she get the idea that she wanted out? Jane - she was part of that family. You don't do that to family, not to your best friend, not to her mom, not to her daughter who is like a daughter to you. But people seldom do what is right full across the board. People do what pleases them most at the time. Sometimes they also repent. Sometimes they forgive.

The main actors feel like they are trying to hard. They feel like they are acting. Like they bear down on each line. Strangely, relative newcomer Lindy Booth seems the most natural.

The story is pure hype, pure sensational, dare a say pure cliché.

Still not over the death of her husband a couple of years earlier, a widow by the name of "Jane Thornton" (Cheryl Ladd) takes a flight from New York to attend a surprise birthday party for her best friend "Mandy Roberts" (Bess Armstrong) in Seattle. Naturally, Mandy is delighted to see her best friend but later turns the tables on Jane by confiding that she is terribly unhappy in her marriage and is going to file for divorce from her husband, "Will Roberts" (William R. Moses) in the near future. This unexpected news not only shocks Jane, but it completely devastates Will who realized Mandy had been rather cold and aloof lately but never suspected how unhappy she really was. Be that as it may, as Will drives her to the airport for her return flight back to New York, she is taken by complete surprise when Will reaches out and kisses her in an extremely passionate manner. But it's only when she returns to Seattle several months later that she discovers that Will isn't the only one starved for affection. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a better romantic-drama than I initially expected with both Cheryl Ladd and Bess Armstrong performing quite well in their respective roles. Admittedly, the made-for-television format may have lessened the overall impact but even so I enjoyed this film for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

The title of this rather tired film should be called I'm In Love With My Best Friend's Husband! Such a simple plot seen in countless other films etc, I can't help but think to myself why time and effort was wasted in making this. As a fan of Cheryl Ladd, she proves herself a worthwhile actress. However, it's Bess Armstrong who steals the show. Her reaction at finding out her friend's betrayal seems very true-to-life; her marriage may have been on the rocks, but it's still a shock to discover that he is involved with a person extremely close to you. Had it had been someone unknown to her, this movie would simply not exist!

My Best Friend's Husband could be factual in that sense, but the plot is certainly nothing new. In a nutshell, this film is one cliché after another, but viewers might be able to feel the emotion and anger towards the characters, and that is what makes it a little more interesting. 4/10