Born Bad

Born Bad is far from a good movie by any stretch of the imagination- from this viewer's point of view anyhow- but it also could have been much worse. It does at least have two good performances, Michael Welch who is chillingly effective(at least for two thirds of the movie) and Meredith Monroe who makes for a movingly sympathetic mother figure. The production values are competent also at least, and the beginning rape and murder scene was very graphic and disturbing(which did give the impression that this could be a decent movie if done right), Lifetime's other movies are tame compared to this one scene. The rest of the acting is not so good though, the worst case was David Chokachi whose acting as the father was dull and veering on overwrought. Bonnie Dennison also doesn't have very much to do other than be all doe-eyed and naïve. And while Welch is fine for most of Born Bad, the final act was where the movie really started to lose steam and his acting became rather over-the-top with a lot of his lines literally screamed. Everybody else never get a chance to properly distinguish themselves. The soundtrack is rather monotonous and heavy, it rarely gains momentum and generally it's dreary and unimaginative to listen to. The characters are characterised and written stereotypically and with little development to them, and relationships between characters seldom ring true, especially between Welch and Dennison. Not helping them much is that the script gives them little to work from, especially in the final act it's lifeless and unintentionally cheesy(especially in the melodramatic parts), "he looks like an alright guy" is such a clichéd and cringe-worthy line. The story had a promising start but meandered very quickly, if anything it was here where Born Bad let itself down most. It lacked any kind of atmosphere, thrills, suspense and even total engagement, was way too rushed and was more predictable- incredibly so, you pretty much knew how the movie was going to end when it started- and hilariously stupid(somebody actually gets shot in the stomach and then they seem okay afterwards? Bad continuity that is) above all else. The direction lacks character and comes across as flat generally. So all in all, has its moments with two good performances, a promising beginning and competent production values, but mostly predictable, stupid, rushed, lifelessly scripted and just un-engaging really. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I actually registered just to write this review. I do not like how the relationship between Denny and Brooke starts off. The portrayal of the relationship just wasn't very realistic and it went to quickly in my opinion. I have to say that the script was awful. Michael Welch was very good with the acting, but the plot was predictable. As the movie kept going it got a little better, but for me the characters lacked in personality. The quality of the movie was poor in almost every way. I can't get over how boring and dull the script was. The one good thing that came from this movie is awareness to bad people out there and that your kid could be infatuated with one.

"Born Bad" very apt name for this foul piece of work. However, I'm bumping UP my rating to a generous 3 out of 10 stars, due to the fact that I can't turn away from it! Somehow, the rice-paper thin plot, acting skills that don't even rival the likes of adult film stars, and a leading man who is far from credible are not enough to send me running for the remote and stop this madness from polluting my living room. Fortunately, trailers were included for other films generated from the same studio; arming the consumer with information needed to avoid the rest of their work like the Plague (the theme of another Asylum film, of course). Perhaps I'm actually enjoying how bad Born Bad is; after all I only paid $1 for it at Redbox, and you get what you pay for. See you again soon Born Bad, in Wal*mart's $5 DVD bin.

This is one of the better LM's, nudity and language made it feel like an almost real movie. It did drag on around the end though. So although this was a bit long for me, it was better than some LM's. Worth seeing if you enjoy LM's. Your typical low budget where in 26:14 you can actually see the camera crew in the reflection of the house. Good acting though so it kept in interesting.

While BORN BAD story-wise isn't better or worse than a thousand other Lifetime Originals, I liked one thing about it: the villain is motivated by just plain old-fashioned lust. This, in contrast to so many Lifetime villains who terrorize and kill because they've seen the original STEPFATHER movie and are obsessed with killing their way to the "perfect family!"

Also, the filmmakers didn't stint on the action. Poor Meredith Monroe has to fight off three home invaders with her hands duct-taped part of the time, and with only minimal help from the rest of the family.

Again, there's nothing original to be found here, but the pace is fast, the acting is vivid if never subtle, and the main guy playing the villain is enjoyably detestable.