Fatal Honeymoon

In a confusing opening, we switch settings without understanding what on Earth is happening. Australia 2003, Alabama two years earlier, and Miami four years later pass quickly. Stay tuned, because it does make sense. The basic story begins when attractive students Billy Miller (as David Gabriel "Gabe" Watson) and Amber Clayton (as Christina "Tina" Thomas) meet at a university in Alabama. They are mutually attracted and hook up. Their foremost characteristics, early on, are that he's a bit of a jerk and she's afraid of water. Eventually, there is a proposal. Her father, Harvey Keitel (as Thomas "Tommy" Thomas) reluctantly gives the couple his blessing. As you can guess by the title, a "Fatal Honeymoon" occurs...

This was very likely based on a true story. It aired near the end of an era when this type of story was very popular on US television. Usually, a good-looking young man took a pretty blonde girl out to some exotic location for nefarious activities. Sensationalist TV commentators like Greta Van Susteren and Nancy Grace would breathlessly report any information or misinformation on the incidents. TV movie adaptations followed. Probably, these stories continue, but they are presently not in vogue. Having Mr. Keitel play a major role lifts the performances; in this case, a rising tide lifts all boats. The production is not below average for a TV drama, but the story is far too subjective and its characters lack substance.

**** Fatal Honeymoon (2012-08-25) Nadia Tass ~ Billy Miller, Harvey Keitel, Amber Clayton, Gary Sweet

I'm a big fan of Billy's, loved him on All my children, even tried to watch The Young and the restless for him. He had a short lived roll on Ringer, and was fantastic. I'm looking forward to him becoming a big movie or television star, because he deserves it. He can play intense like so few can, almost as good as James Scott (EJ DiMera) on Days of our lives. Don't let the soap opera star title fool you, these guys are better than A-list movie stars. Billy doesn't let me down here. He plays Gabe in such a horridly good way. You hate Gabe so much and you feel like beating your fist against something hard while watching, but you can't stop watching.

Just watched this movie & as an Australian a few things popped up as I viewed. As the couple head down under for their fateful honeymoon, the opening shot of them frolicking on the sand & sea, is the Gold Coast Queensland. This is approx 1,441 kilometers from the GBR. The following scene sees them in Sydney on a boat complete with view of the famous Sydney harbor Bridge. Tina seen holding Koala later. Sydney is even further away from the Great Barrier Reef @ just under 2,100 kilometers away.

It was not mentioned,why the couple did visit these 2 places before heading North. I guess in the whole scheme of things, it matters the least.

The story of the Honeymoon killer an Alabama man who brought his wife to the Great Barrier Reef to dive on their honeymoon and she drowned. Did he murder her?

There are some only could be true life twists and turns and ambiguity in the story which makes it compelling.

The main leads are believable not too famous or glamorous but pleasant looking. The big name cast member is Harvey Keitel who looks a lot older than of late but acts movingly.

The story is quite well filmed but jumps back and forth a bit too much - a more chronological telling would have made things more tense and clearer.

Worth a watch.

Okay. We all agree it was a tragic story. But only tragic enough to be made into a low budget made for TV movie. And that brings me to my point. This movie shows how you can take a superb and versatile actor as Harvey Keitel, drop him into a low budget movie with a low budget director and absolutely no interesting supporting cast, and he sucks just as if he were one of them. Did Harvey need a quick cash infusion? I know he didn't exactly call in his part. But he nevertheless came off as pathetic. Had the producers chosen to cast an equally unknown and mediocre actor for the father instead of disrupting the story with an A lister subjected to a bad script the story would have been easier take.