A Wife's Nightmare

I've seen worse. Not bad for a no-star-power cast. Jennifer Beals held it together the best she could. The young son was so bad, it was painful to watch his performance. Totally predictable plot. Don't pay for this movie, find it free.

This movie was solely entertaining because the acting was so bad. If you want to feel good about your acting skills, watch this movie. I watch a lot of movies, and this movie is my worst nightmare. The whole movie is rising action, with suspenseful music for no reason. The music is even louder than the dialogue at some points and it is just a mess. Not 100% sure who directed it but it's horrible.

It's very sad to see beautiful, talented Jennifer Beals in a film like this, but such is the price of turning 50 in Hollywood. I give her credit -- she works much more than many other women her age. I think she could have afforded to skip this one.

Beals stars as Liz, a woman who has had a mental breakdown and recently returned to her family. She is the breadwinner; her husband Gabe is an out-of-work musician trying to put an album together. One day a young woman shows up, says her name is Caitlin and that she's Gabe's daughter. Her mother is deceased, and her will directed her daughter to him.

Since Caitlin is living out of her car, the family moves her in, and before long, she is causing problems as they await the DNA results. For one thing, she kisses her brother on the lips. Strange things begin to happen to Liz's work - files disappear when she's trying to make a presentation at work, for instance. Before long, Liz feels like she's ready for the asylum again.

It won't be hard to figure this one out. Thanks to Beals, it's not as bad as it could have been. One problem - for a presentation as major as the Beals character was giving, one would think she would have had those files on a jump drive in her office. Just saying. I saw it on Lifetime, which says it all.

The poorly-written premise here, supposedly based on 'true events', is about a 19 yr old girl who finds her father after her mom died. The first 70-odd minutes of this movie has a vanilla, almost Disney-like feel to it. The final 15 or 20 will actually be worth it for some, and another predictable and thus disappointing end to others.

While I must admit that I did not fully have the end-game all figured out early-on like some, the 'twist' still came with little shock simply because these types of movies almost always read the same.

Don't get me wrong, there are some few shreds of entertainment value to be had here. For me it was the presence of Jennifer Beals as the troubled and tormented mom. For others it might for all I know be the very slight hints of incest. Still others might enjoy its slow pot-boiler suspense (if you can call it that) with G-rated language.

But the sad fact is that those who are looking for a well-written well-directed and well-acted dramatic masterpiece are in for a letdown. I gave it 4/10 stars, 3 for Beals' presence, and one more for Lola Tash (spelled as "Trash" btw in the Shaw Cable listings writeup for this movie, lol) who was a pleasant surprise. Jenn Beals deserves better than this, and I hope to see Lola in some bigger budget productions in future where she can really show her talent.

Following a nervous breakdown, attractive businesswoman Jennifer Beals (as Elizabeth "Liz" Michaels) is sent home from the psychiatric hospital. With help from some balancing medication, Ms. Beals believes she can also return to work. This is great news, because handsome musician husband Dylan Neal (as Gabe) is still looking for a best-seller, after completing two albums. The couple have one son, cute high school-aged Spencer List (as AJ). For some unexplained reason, Mr. List can't attract a pretty girl at school. After grocery shopping one day, mom and dad are accosted by beautiful blonde 19-year-old Lola Tash (as Caitlin Patterson). She claims her recently deceased mother named Mr. Neal as her father...

This makes the sexy young woman Neal's daughter from a brief relationship, occurring way back. Presently living in her car, Ms. Tash is invited into the family. Now, remember Ms. Beals had a psychiatric problem. At first, she accepts Tash as a step-daughter. But Beals starts to see Tash getting very chummy with the family. One scene has Tash spilling a drink on her ample chest, with the camera moving in to show Neal patting out the wetness as it drips down her cleavage. Tash also makes slightly younger List giggle when tickling his upper thighs as they play video games. Beals witnesses these incidents and thinks they may not be so innocent. They are not explicit enough for us to know what's going on, supposedly...

In reality, it's fairly obvious...

This "Lifetime" TV movie never gets away from its formula, but director Vic Sarin and the cast do make it slightly better than ordinary. This is most evident in the four leading players. They remain convincing, as Mr. Sarin keeps their characterizations on track through some idiocy. Beals does not seem like she could have been crazy, but we're not shown that part of the story. List says he loves the "Underground Records" shop where Tash works, but does not recognize the gorgeous blonde who worked there is his new sister. Yet, List portrays his young teenage character very well. The opening minutes go overboard in showing Tash's emotions, but she's quite impressive. Finally, Neal definitively nails his daddy role home.

***** A Wife's Nightmare (12/27/14) Vic Sarin ~ Jennifer Beals, Lola Tash, Dylan Neal, Spencer List